Okay, okay, so we’re not actually talking about unicorns…but even though it’s a vital part of your blog’s tone and voice, I didn’t think you’d click on anything that sounded as deceptively unsexy and unexciting as what we’re actually discussing this week, which is grammatical person. Wait! Before you zone out, stick with me for a sec: It’s not as bad as it sounds. Grammatical person is simply means that you’re either referring to yourself (first person), your reader (second person), or a third party (third person). And, um, like a unicorn, it often goes unnoticed and can be exceptionally helpful. (I’m trying, you guys.)

Every time you sit down to write a post, you make choices. Some, such as your topic and headline, are likely to be very deliberate. Others, such as grammatical person, probably happen without much scrutiny—but even if you aren’t pausing to consider person (we’ll drop the “grammatical” now ’cause I know it freaks some people out), it impacts the strength of every post you write. That’s why I’ve chosen some posts about the ten most blogged-about stories of the last week (provided, as always, by Regator) to illustrate the importance of choosing the right person.

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

Blogosphere Trends + Unicorns

One of the best new resources for those wanting to make money from blogging is a new eBook (and available as a ‘real’ book is How to Build a Successful Blog Business by Collis Ta’eed.
I had the opportunity to read this great new book last week and was really impressed by the mix of solid [...]

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

How to Build a Successful Blog Business

Man alive, I hate bringing you a list of blogosphere trends that includes both Lindsay Lohan and Jersey Shore—not to mention Sarah Palin. But I report the list, I don’t decide what’s on it (neither does Regator—it just calculates what’s being blogged about most this week). Then again, you might love Lohan and eagerly await the next episode of Jersey Shore. You may have voted for Sarah Palin. My distaste for those things is merely my opinion and, in giving it, I have given you a better sense of who I am. As a blogger, I am all for that. And you should be too.

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

Blogosphere Trends + Being Opinionated

The 25th July is tomorrow and at our place we’ve invited a group of friends over for a Christmas in July dinner (we do it as an annual thing and exchange gifts and do a full Christmas dinner).
On the spur of the moment today I thought it might be fun to extend the ‘festivities’ to [...]

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

Christmas in July Special – Get 25% off 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Today

Just over a week ago I had the crazy idea to run a training day for bloggers while Chris Garrett was in Melbourne. It was a spur of the moment idea and as a result something that I thought would be quite small, informal and relaxed.
I posted about the idea and asked for expressions of [...]

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

Melbourne Blogger Training Day
3 August 2010 – 12 Seats Left

I’m often asked about the “ideal length” for a blog post. I’ve heard answers ranging from 200 to 800 words, but my answer is always the same: Enough to tell the story and not one word more. Writing short is actually considerably more difficult than writing long because every word has to truly pull its weight. There is no room for filler.

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

Blogosphere Trends + Handling High Word Counts

Yesterday I challenged readers to write a post that took a 7 link challenge – linking to 7 posts that fit into 7 themes. I thought I’d take it for myself here on ProBlogger.

Your first post – the first post I ever wrote on ProBlogger (I’d been posting on other blogs for a couple of [...]

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

7 Links for Bloggers

I am very excited today to be able to announce to you that at this year’s BlogWorld and New Media Expo 2010 that Chris Garrett and I will be running a full day of training – the ProBlogger Track.
In this post I want to share a little more information about what we’ll be doing in [...]

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

Announcing the ‘ProBlogger Track’ at Blog World Expo 2010
Early Bird Special Ends this Week!

If you’re a blogger and looking to work with a group of other bloggers to improve your blog – then there are two new groups starting up to work through the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog workbook together in the coming few weeks.
They are both for different types of bloggers and both were [...]

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

Calling all Women Bloggers and Movie Bloggers – Two New 31DBBB Groups Starting Soon!

After a brutal summer flu took me down and prevented me from writing last week’s weekly trends post, I’m especially happy to be back to bring you a fresh list of the most blogged-about stories of the last seven days. This week, along with the trends provided by Regator, we’ll be discussing your blog’s tone/voice. We’re talking about something more than first person versus third person or opinion versus hard news. Think of your favorite blog. What keeps you coming back for more? The subject matter is certainly important, but it’s likely that the blogger’s voice and tone also play an important role in your appreciation for the content. Bloggers whose personalities shine through their writing are often more appealing, engaging, readable, and influential than those who hide their true voices. Read your three most recent posts. Do they “sound” like you? As in, would people who know you well in real life recognize your voice in your posts? Don’t beat yourself up if the answer is no. Maybe purposely adopting a voice that differs from your everyday voice, or maybe you haven’t been blogging long enough to find your writing voice. Give it time and, most importantly, have faith that your personal tone and voice will come with time and practice.

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

Blogosphere Trends + Your Blog’s Tone