Is Your Blog An Engaging Blog?

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For me, everything has always been mathematical.   I always thought that if I followed the formula precisely, then I would automatically get the desired results; x plus y would always equal z. 

Does this consistently hold true?  The short answer is no.  For example, human beings need food, clothing, and shelter to be safe, grow, and prosper.  We can provide all of those things, but if we neglect the human element, the personal touch, then we do not produce the desired result, a well-rounded, productive adult. 

How does this relate to our blogs?  We may be putting in the required time and energy to produce a blog, but we may not be getting the results we want.  Perhaps we are missing the human element.  Maybe our blog isn’t engaging.

What does it mean to be engaging?

When we say that someone is engaging, we mean that we are interested in them.  We may use the adjective ‘charming’ to describe them.  We are engrossed with what they have to say because what they say has value and they seem knowledgeable.  They enjoy talking to us, so we enjoy listening.  It is a beautiful symbiotic relationship.

Cultivating this quality in the real-world will help our blogs immensely.  It only stands to reason that being sincerely engaging in person will carry over to our writing.  So, a great first step is to learn to be an engaging person in our every day life.

As noted earlier though, sometimes these things just don’t add up.  Perhaps the engaging person that we are in person doesn’t carry over in our writing.  It is time, then, to examine our blogs in order to see how we can make them more engaging.  Here we go:

• Are you pleased with your blog?  This isn’t a matter of egotism.  If you don’t like what you are writing about and how you are writing, nobody else will either.
• Does your blog reflect your personal code of beliefs?  This is related to the first point.  Readers can sense insincerity.  It is certainly off-putting when a writer seems to be portraying a false image.
• Do you display an interest in your readers?  Do you welcome feedback, respond to comments, and write about topics that you feel will interest your audience?
• Are you a learner? The only way to avoid recycling information is to research new points.  No, we don’t have to spend hours at the library.  We need to make learning a way of life, questioning new ideas and delving into happenings that interest us.  Then, we must pass that information along to our readers. 

 All of us have off days.  Not every post will be as engaging as the last.  What is important is that overall we are engaging writers.  This trait which attracts readers in the first place is sure to keep them in the long run.

Tell us, how do you make sure that your blog is engaging?

Jael Strong writes for TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility.  She has written both fiction and non-fiction pieces for print and online publications.  She regularly blogs at Freelance Writing Mamas .
Thanks, Jael

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