Blogging 101

Holding a contest on your blog is a great way to increase readership, increase pageviews and maybe even increase incoming links. Contests I’ve seen include:
1. Link Me!
To enter the contest, blog about the contest, the blog, or the author on your own blog and link back to them.
2. Comment Me!
To enter the contest, leave a comment! Easy!
3. Help Me!
To enter the contest, help me come up with a name, a slogan, a word, or anything else written. Get creative!
4. Show Me!
To enter the contest, find or create an image. It can be funny, imaginary, real, or serious. Popular ones include satire of real people, products, or events.
5. Review Me!
To enter the contest, review my site or my product on your own blog.

Of course, to get people interested, you’ll probably need to offer a good prize like cash via PayPal. But considering the positive effects a successful contest can have on your blog, it’s really money well spent.

Popularity: 84% [?]

Here’s a list of 8 themes for a blog post. Use it in case you are having writers block and are trying to figure out something to write. These basic forms are most often used:

1. Personal Story - Describe something that happened to you today or recently. This is a narrative.
2. Everyone Loves Lists - You are reading one now. Lists are fun — pick a topic and make a list with explanations of each point. Ask readers to add points as comments.
3. Definition - Define a vocabulary term used in your industry, hobby, niche, or subject matter. For example, in this blog, the definition would be for a blogging term like “RSS” or “SlashDot Effect”.
4. Contest - Make a contest and ask your readers to enter into it. Offer a prize (e.g. cash via PayPal or a perma-link) and have your readers do something for an entry (like post about the contest, or leave a comment).
5. Reader Mail - If a reader leaves a particularly interesting comment, expand on it using an entire post. This way an opinion or viewpoint can be further expanded on.
6. Post a Photo - Wordless Wednesday can happen any day. Pick a favorite photo and share it!
7. Make a Prediction - Predications are fun. Use your knowledge to extrapolate on something or make a wild guess!
8. Write About Someone Else’s Post - Write about a friend’s post or about a post on a favorite blog of yours. Give a synopsis, a link (be fair!) and your opinion.

Popularity: 77% [?]