Blogging Advice: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

via Elnur Ever had this experience where, after reading a bunch of blogging advice on the Internet, you just stare blankly at your computer screen and say: "Huh?" It's not that you didn't understand the advice. It's just that the so-called blogging "experts" can't seem to agree on the do's and don'ts of professional blogging. One expert will say: "Blog about what you love, be active on social media, and everything will fall into place!" Another will say: "No, you don't need a blog; you need to do this and that instead." Not that conflicting opinions are bad, per se. It's good that a lot of people want to give a more rounded view on a subject like blogging. However, this can be confusing for you if you're still trying to get your feet wet in a pool as overcrowded as the blogosphere. If reading two or more articles on the same blogging topic often makes you want to scratch your head, here are a few questions you can ask to decide whether an article is worth a click on, the "Bookmark" button or the "Back" button.

Is The Advice Evergreen?

"Evergreen" means that the advice will be just as applicable five, ten, or even twenty years from now as it is today. For example, Michael Poh's "Journalism For Blogging: 6 Things to Consider" will always be timely, because it talks about basic but essential principles that every blogger should keep in mind if they want their content to be worthwhile – no matter the topic, target audience, and time period. Now, this is not to say that articles with a "trending now" or "technology" element can't be evergreen. It's still possible for a piece that incorporates those elements to be evergreen, as long as it gives an insightful explanation on why tho [...]