The World of Professional Blogging – Blog Elements
In The World of Professional Blogging - Choosing the Right Platform, we discussed the many types of platforms whirling around the interwebs. Now that you have a grasp of what is available to you, you'll choose the platform that best suits your style and captures the essence of your topic or topics.
So, now that you know the skinny on the basic element of a blog such as the admin area, site maps, etc. it's time to discuss the guts of your blog. These areas will be where you place your content and where you will drive your readers. You'll be able to add photos, videos and more. For the most part, the sky's the limit.
So, let's get on with it, shall we? Here are the meat and potatoes of your blog:
Homepage
This is the opening page of your blog. It's where you showcase your posts, information about the blogger, as well as your sidebar with the fun interactive items you choose. As you regularly blog, this page will house your most recent blogs as well as an area for your archived blogs. Your homepage can contain any combination of words, photos, video for each blog post you write.
Pages
You've gotten your homepage down; next in line are your supporting pages if you choose to activate them. Pages can contain anything you want; such as a dedicated page for video, one for a photo gallery, and one for a blogger bio and so on. Some programs allow blogs an unlimited number of pages but to keep your readers engaged in your content and returning to your blog, its best not to overwhelm them with everything but the kitchen sink. You may want to limit your blog to five pages at first adding more as your popularity grows.
Posts
This is the heart of your blog. Posts are your content. The WISYWIG function of your platform will prompt you to create a title for your blog post and has a place to type in your story. You can also format your text, check your spelling and add features like bullet lists. Your posts should contain information relevant to your topic, be thoughtfully written and spelling and grammar error-free. They can be editorial, pictorial, video or audio or a combination of elements. You can share funny family stories or comment on news of the world. The sky's the limit.
So, how do you keep track of posts you create? Posts contain time-date stamps that help keep your newest posts at the front of the line. Older posts drop back in order but have no fear; they are still available to your readers as a part of your blog archive. Ready, Set, Go!
Having a good idea of the basic elements that make up your blog template will help you to more easily put your ideas and flair into action. Creating the right atmosphere for your blog may be a work in progress in the beginning but the more you blog and gain loyal followers, the more you'll be able to gauge what does and doesn't work for you and your readers.