Interesting post on Copyblogger today: “10 Questions Every Blogger Should Ask Themselves Before Posting.” Because I am fully incapable of not giving my opinion when asked questions, here are my answers. It’s not completely self-indulgent, though, I actually have a purpose in mind. Now that I’ve been blogging here for 8 months, I’ve been wanting to go back over everything and really examine what I’ve learned and what I can improve upon. Think of it as a third quarter progress report.

1. How quickly can my readers understand what my post is about?

Hmmm. I certainly hope my readers understand what this post is about from above. Don’t know how much clearer I could be.

2. Does my blog offer something novel or unexpected?

I think so. The one thing that I love about my blog is that it’s not just about work. There are so many profession-specific blogs out there that comment on trends and issues, and as much as I enjoy hearing what someone thinks about Story A, I am also interested in the more personal aspects of said blogger.

I’ve always felt it important to reveal a bit more about who I am as a person in addition to my what I do on the 9 to 5. I love what I do - and it takes up quite a bit of my life outside the office - but it’s not who I am 100 percent. By mixing in more about me, I can include more readers into this world - engaging an audience I respect professionally, and bringing in another who may not be immersed in this digital culture. Fun for all.

3. How helpful is my content?

In the past few weeks, it hasn’t been. I’ve suffered due to professional business and personal stress a sever case of writer’s block. I have sitting in my folder about 10 drafts of posts that I haven’t been able to churn out. By the time inspiration strikes again, they will no longer be relevant.

4. Why should my readers trust me?

Despite evidence to the contrary, if you’re in PR, you have to be trustworthy. Of course the consensus from the general public seems to dictate otherwise, but it’s been my personal crusade to scream to the masses (and disgruntled bloggers) “We’re not all bad. Honestly!” I have nothing to hide on here, and I think that my friends, family and colleagues would agree that I’m an open book.

5. Does my content speak to people on a human level?

Sometimes I think it might be on too human of a level. See above.

6. Is my post easy to read and scroll through?

I heart lists and bullet points, and should make more of an effort to use them more often. Ditto for images. I find myself zoning out when blog posts have acres of text with no optical distractions. It’s the curse of the Gen Y reader. So I’m going to practice what I preach for this one. Here’s a puppy:


7. Does my content cover what needs to be discussed or answered?

This is definitely something I could work on. I have a few posts that I’m really proud of, but I would like to expand my repertoire. I’ve only been blogging here for 8 months and I’m most certainly not a PR pro yet, so it’s still a learning process for me.

8. Am I revealing enough information about my topic?

While you want to focus your posts with one central idea to help with clarity, ask yourself if your blog, as a whole, fully covers your subject matter. Are you holding back? The more information you provide, the more of a response you will likely generate with your work. Of course, there is always the danger of going overboard and saying too much. But the more open your blog appears, the more attractive it will be to your potential readership, especially those who like to link, bookmark and comment.

9. Am I fulfilling my readers’ expectations?

This is one of those questions that is impossible to answer without proper feedback from your audience. I get a fair amount of comments considering how few people actually read my blog. Overall, I’m guessing for those who have actually reached the bottom of this post, I am, but for the rest I probably should have stopped typing ages ago.

10. Am I reaching out for support?

Always. Mostly through Twitter, general blog reading and social media. I also encourage interaction on here and invite comments and thoughts on all posts. I’m also quite proud that I’ve been written about or blogrolled by a few bloggers for whom I have high esteem. It means a lot to me.

Anyone care to weigh in with their answers? (See? Reaching out for support!)

Image of Spikey the Yorkie from The Puppy Daily