Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Making use of what's available for your post content

I often find it very interesting to include various media or items in a post such as graphics, still photos and videos other than lengthy texts. This is in fact, has already started probably many years ago since the existence of YouTube.

Attention span

Most blog visitors have very limited attention span when reading. It means that they are likely to leave especially if a particular content is of no interest, or in a way boring. Having various ways of presenting information (graphics, video etc) is good in the sense that it can cater to a wider audience of readers. Some really love reading while others love photos and most would go right to the point, looking for an answer or a specific information that they need.

Content is King

There's always a saying that "content is king" repeatedly echoed in the world of blogs, stressing how important it is to come up with great contents to encourage and build readership. This can be subjective, because not all content would be of interest to most readers. A post might be good for some and bad for others. You can only depend on comments to ignite a discussion and in turn, post your opinions that can be a content for your following posts.

Formatting your post

In terms of formatting your post, you can use headlines in bold to divide sections or paragraphs to indicate a point in your post just like this post. It is a good way for readers who want information fast to quickly scroll through the post and head right to the paragraph with a headline of interest.

Graphics and copyright

Using graphics, such as jokes or any interesting photos would grab readers attention and it is likely that they will be interested to read more about the post. Be careful of using graphics or photos that are copyrighted and restricted for use. Copyrighted materials are often indicated by the (c) symbol. If you are using any, do remove them if you are asked by the copyright owner to avoid legal issues.

Using video

Using video is also good especially for visitors who like watching rather than reading. Here's a video from YouTube that explains what a blog is plain English. I think it is very informative and would enlighten the mind for new bloggers. Thanks to the uploader leelefever.