The landscape of blogging went through a huge change from the way I knew it to be over 3-4 years ago. From a technological point of view, that’s a lot of time. The very foundation of blogging hasn’t really changed much; the least that has changed in blogging is, that it has become more widespread and more easier for others to get started with it.

As you go on and read this post, I highly encourage you that you check the links to other sites cited in this post. Don’t worry, this post is ad-free. XD (EC Widget is at the end of the post)

With this first post in the revival of our ‘Blogger lang ako‘ (I’m just a blogger) category at Pinoy Teens, I thought to bring up 7 (actually, quite obvious) tools/pointers that bloggers of today use and need to take note of in creating their content and sharing it to the world.

A Blogging Platform [WordPress, BlogSpot or Self-Hosted WordPress]

The tools for blogging haven’t really changed much. Some have passed on (Multiply, Friendster Blogs, etc), while the ones noted above have dramatically improved over the years – specially Google’s BlogSpot. (This does not mean that I’m favoring it over WordPress, simple because I never will it just means that it sucked so much they had to improve on it :P)

Having a blogging platform is very important – without it, you obviously end up with no place to blog on. (Eh, I bet you would not have guessed that one!)

Decent Writing Skills [for those looking for readership or who don’t want to become the next online laughstock]

If you venture into blogging, I highly recommend that you check on your English skills. No, you don’t need to master them. The least you can do though, is make sure that your writing skills are decent enough for others to a.) read your posts properly without the need of deciphering what b.) the thoughts you want to deliver to them are.

There are plenty of tools out there to help you with that. Take After The Deadline for instance, which comes bundled with Jetpack for WordPress users which scans your articles for common mistakes. Don’t rely on these tools too much, make sure you proofread your content yourself as well.

I’m talking from a firsthand experience here. There are bloggers whose English sucks so bad it’s a disgrace they made it beyond Grade 4 in Elementary, let alone into College. After some of the recent issues haunting the RH Bill, I don’t really wonder (Found on the link: We’re all plagiarists because we’re made in the image of God – can I die now?).

Establish yourself on Social Networks [yeah, your blog won’t be the only place your readers will follow you to]

It is important that you establish yourself beyond the four walls of your blog. Get out of there naman and try to make connections on Facebook, Twitter and the many other Social Networks at your disposal.

Take note: Please refrain from posting exactly the same thing across all your Social Networks. It looks annoying – specially if there are some readers of you who follow you across all of them.

Keep your ads and sponsored post minimal [unless you sincerely intend to create a SPLOG, please… this is quite important]

I know, I know… many of the bloggers of the present day are motivated to blog because they can make money out of it. That’s actually no problem; I do earn from blogging, too. What troubles me though, is those people who overdo the monetary stuff… like placing too many ads on a page and writing dozen of irrelevant paid posts on a daily basis. That sucks.

No, even I was guilty of that before. I’ve been there, done that… trust me, you don’t want to have your dear blog end up as a SPLOG.

Here at Pinoy Teens, we’re walking on a thin line between too cluttered and simple… while we’re displaying two to three adsense blocks on each article page, we make sure to leave it at just that and nothing else (except for our Eleven2 referral banner, but that’s it). Believe me, your readers will thank you for that.

Join Local Blogger Groups [No Man is an Island after all]

If you’re anything close to serious about your blog and in blogging then you may already be part of a blogger group. Yiz, there are plenty of them on Facebook but make sure that you take part in a local bloggers group. In Davao City, that would be the Davao Bloggers, while around General Santos City it’s the Sox Bloggers you want to get in touch with.

Being part of a local blogger group opens you to a whole new world. You can attend events that the group has been invited to and can get in touch with the connections of the group. It’s easier to succeed in some blog contests this way too, since you end up with a whole community backing you up.

‘wag mong sottohin ang sulat ng iba [Give Credit, if possible]

Don’t ripoff content from other people – specially other bloggers. You don’t want to end up like our dear Senator Tito Sotto who has a whole internet meme go after him. The least that you can do if you really have to get some ideas from another website/blog is to credit them, properly.

Visit other blogs and leave comments [Yes, you may start doing so in the comment form below]

You’re not the only blogger out there. There are thousands, heck even million now, of us out there. I recommend you do some blog hopping… even though it may sound tiring. Every successful blogger has done that and some are still even doing that. You not only gain the attention of the blog’s owner where you left a comment, but maybe from his or her readers and fellow bloggers reading that comment too. Most of the time, they’ll reciprocate the comment (or at least reply to it).

Hurray! This concludes my first post in the Blogger Lang Ako category after such a long time. Please keep in touch with Pinoy Teens and comment on our posts, too. You comment, we follow. 🙂 While you’re at it, please share your own ideas and tips for other bloggers in the comments.