Buckland's Blogging Rules

Blogging expert Matthew Buckland shares some tips on what to do and what not to do in the World of the blog.

The rules…
GOLDEN RULE 1: THE HONESTY POLICY It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised. Be honest, direct, transparent. Do not try and bullshit your audience. Admit if you’ve made a mistake. If they see a pretender, bloggers will turn their back on you faster than you can say antidisestablishmentarianism.

GOLDEN RULE 2. LINK BABY, LINK Always link to other blogs in your posts and acknowledge your sources with links. Give ‘em linklove. This is fundamental to the culture of blogging. You’ll be surprised by how quickly you’ll build a community by doing this. Don’t be shy to add bloggers you like to your blogroll. (I’m guilty of neglecting my blogroll).

GOLDEN RULE 3. COMMENT IS FREE Yes we are all busy, but always make an effort to reply to comments on your blog… unless you’re Keo or a New York A-List blogger that cops 352 comments per post.

GOLDEN RULE 4. GIVE COMMENT So you have tons of traffic to your blog and everyone is talking about little old you. That does not mean you should stop contributing to the conversation by not commenting on other blogs. Always try, even if it’s pithy. Jump into the fray.

GOLDEN RULE 5. PERSONALITY Blogs are not newspapers. And you’re not publishing from the mahogany boardroom on floor 79. Inject your own personality into your post, be informal and have fun. Kill the ivory tower. Don’t be too serious. Talk about your pet Weimeranars if you need to.