If you want to keep a good blogging reputation, better start with the technicalities of writing. When writing your posts, it might be good if you type it first on Word, or any other document program, as this has a spell check and grammar function you can use. You may also want to use Firefox as your browser since it has a built-in spell check. Still, it’s best to read through your work before publishing it because some words, although recognized by the spell check, may have been wrong in usage anyway.

Concerning word usage, it is best to keep your words at the terms of the layman. However, if the word is already passé or too overused, you might want to opt for a synonym. But be careful: not all synonymous words can be used in the same context. Check both dictionary and thesaurus for an accurate meaning and usage information of the words.
While these may sound like you’re writing term papers, think how it’ll do wonders for your online rep.

Imagine logging in one day to find years of archives missing.  Or impostor posts tarnishing your name.  Eliminate the fear and sleep better at night by employing the following password strategies.

- AVOID repeated characters and sentences.  Many Web-based services do not allow passwords of this style, but in case yours does, change it up!

- AVOID using personal information.  Birthdates, phone numbers and even social security numbers present a risk.  This information is not as scarce as You’d think, and they will be the first thing criminals attempt.  Think random.

- AVOID real words.  Many systems can automatically attempt words in any language. Make one up.

Here are a few things you SHOULD do.

- Change your password every 30 – 60 days.  Coordinate the update to occur with something you have to do regularly, such as paying the phone bill.

- Keep it a secret from EVERYONE.

- Base your password around a memorable sentence.

- Substitute special characters for letters (i.e. – EYE8$ALAD)

Your password should not be the same for every login.  If you must write your passwords down to keep in a safe place, do not make the information obvious to anyone who might come across the data.

The days of keeping your passwords taped under your keyboard are over.  Accept it and start getting tricky.

You can never get too creative when it comes to your blog. There are so many ways you could tweak it. If you like experimenting with colors, go ahead and try these sites. You could find so many color schemes that could suit your taste and the overall theme of your blog.

Colourlovers
Colourlovers is an awesome site! You could get all sorts of ideas for your blog because there are palettes available. You get to see new palettes, new colors and the hexadecimal values of these colors. Makes it easier for you to customize your CSS. You could check out the most loved colors and color schemes too. There are not too many articles just yet but nevertheless this is a pretty good reference.

ColorToy2.0
Another amazing color scheme site, you could easily see what colors go well together. With just a few clicks you could figure out what goes well with #5BD938. It is a pretty straightforward color scheme generator so it should be easy to use.

Daily Color Scheme
Looking for a fresh set of colors everyday? If you are, look no farther than the daily color scheme! It is nice because you basically have one per day and you could easily see the different values on the screen. On the sidebar, the top part of it, you could see the different ways you could import the color scheme, save it into different formats and use them when you need to.

Playing around with your blog is one of the fun things you could do to show your individuality and creativity. There are actually many different sources of color schemes but these seem to be really nice and easy to use whether you are a beginner or a pro. You could even complement the images that you have on your blog layout with the right colors. As some people say, there’s something about the way you present things that make them even more palatable. Ask any chef about it They sure would be able to relate.

Sometimes it is interesting to read about others. And it could be so much fun to write about them as well. Are you interested in specific people in the topic you write about on your blog? If yes, maybe it is time to take the chance to interview them and feature them on your blog.

Interviews are a good way of meeting people up close and personal. Although this is not always the case, at least you learn a lot of new things about them even through email. Not just email but also through chatting in real time.

What are some steps in conducting interviews?
1. Look for a person you would like to interview and contact him/her.
Even if you do not know the person very well, try emailing him/her first. After all, there is no harm in trying. Find out the person’s contact information. It could be the email address or the person’s handle or alias on chat.
2. Set a time to talk.
If you have VoIP or an instant messaging client with voice on your computer, you could try calling up the person you want to feature. Ask him/her what time would be convenient. Or you could also chat on irc, or whatever protocol you want. This is especially important if you are on different cities across the world.
3. If talking in real time is not possible, settle for email interviews.
If you will do the interview via email, try making a follow-up on the person’s replies. The dilemma is that he/she might be very busy and could not respond immediately. It is better to remind the person, but try not to overdo it.
4. Draft your article and send a copy to the one you interviewed.
This is just so he/she knows what will come out in the article. Maybe there are some things he/she would rather have off the record. After sending you feedback and all, it is time for the final step.
5. Post it on your blog.
Share it to the world once you have the final draft.

Forget the clutter
There are countless widgets and buttons out there. It seems to me that everyday, you can find a new one that you like and that you want to put in your blog. While widgets and buttons are cool and useful, beware of using too many of them in your blog. Doing so will only increase the clutter and take away from the visual appeal of your blog.

Learn basic color principles
Some people have the talent for this – they know intuitively what colors work well together and what color combinations are a no no. For those who aren’t exactly gifted in this department (I think I would belong to this group), it would not hurt to learn the basic color principles. It might not turn you into a graphic designer overnight but at least it will help you with your blog design.

Don’t overdo it with the graphics
Graphics are necessary. They add to the visual appeal. But why use loud oversized graphics when you can use smaller ones that mix better with your posts? Make it so that users who want to see the larger picture just need to click on the image. By doing this, you maintain balance in your blog while giving the option of larger images for those who want it.

If you are not convinced, or you cannot see exactly how Twitter can help you gain a wider readership, just take a look at TechCrunch’s example. TechCrunch is already a big name – they must be doing something right, huh? They recently published an article on how Twitter is sending some big time traffic their way. Erick Schonfeld shares:

Over the past few months, TechCrunch has experienced the power of this micro-media firsthand as the percentage of traffic we get from Twitter has grown to the point that it is now our second largest source of outside traffic after Google. In the past 30 days, Twitter accounted for 9.7 percent of all traffic to Techcrunch.com, up from 1.8 percent six months ago. This is out of millions of visits.

And how exactly can you use Twitter to give your blog exposure and get traffic? By tweeting links that point to specific posts;

Twitter is not just about micro-media. The most powerful Tweets are those which point elsewhere. Or to put it another way, the shortened link may just be the most powerful type of micro-media there is. Those retweeted links are turning Twitter into a social broadcast media that rivals any other on the Web.

Maybe you should start putting those retweet buttons. I am certainly going to look into this myself.

The bad news is that there are no hard and fast rules. There is no formula that will ensure a successful tagline. All I can do is give you some tips that will help you create your own tagline which will, hopefully, catch on like wildfire. Here are the essentials of a good tagline.

A good tagline has to say something. While you want your tagline to be as catchy as possible, you cannot simply get several words, put them together, and hope that it works. Your tagline will serve a similar purpose as your blog name: it has to say something about your blog. It has to make sense.

A good tagline is memorable. It has to have recall. If you want clear examples, you don’t have to look any further than the taglines of popular brands. Nike’s tried and tested “Just do it,” Jaguar’s “Don’t Dream It. Drive It,” and so on are very good examples.

A good tagline might need lots of brainstorming sessions. Do not worry if you do not get an epiphany in the middle of the night. Not all good taglines are born out of flashes of inspiration. Indeed, many excellent taglines are the result of hours of thinking and brainstorming.

Here’s to hoping that you come up with one catchy blog tagline in the near future! It can be easy as pie, sometimes!

One of these pieces of information is the list of search engine terms that have brought people to the site. I find it interesting to see what people are searching for and how they stumbled upon my blog. Naturally, this is a very big opportunity to capitalize on these search terms.

Think about it. You want your blog to reach out to a wide audience. You want to deliver what your audience wants. And if your audience searches for certain topics using certain keywords, isn’t this a good enough sign of what you should be writing about?

Looking at the details of the analytics account a little more closely, I see more information. This includes things such as time spent on the page, bounce rate, and the page where they ended up at. While at first glance, these figures may not mean much, they can actually help in making posts better. For example, if I see that for a certain keyword, every visitor stayed only for 5 or 10 seconds, that means that I am not delivering the right content for that keyword. My next step would be to think about other aspects I could write about revolving around that keyword. See what I am getting at?

Try it. Take the time to look at your search engine referrals, and make good use of the info that you get.

That is the idea of a sticky blog – you get to entice people to keep coming back for more. Getting exposure is only the start. What you want are repeat visitors.

So how do you make your blog sticky? Here are some practical tips which you can employ NOW.

Create your visual design with “sticky” in mind.
And how do you do this? Put yourself in the shoes of a visitor. What will make you keep coming back? For sure, one element would be easy navigation. Make sure that your archives are easy to access. Use relatively large fonts. Stay away from a combination of colors that hurt the eyes. You follow?

Highlight recent posts and most popular posts.
What you want is for your readers to be able to find your posts easily. While your archives can help a lot, especially for the recent posts, it would be much easier for readers to find a section devoted entirely to these. As for the most popular posts, why not make them even more popular by creating links to them as well? More so, you want new visitors to sample the best of what you have to offer, and your most popular posts give them exactly that.

Dump a lot of content at the get go.
NEVER ever launch a blog with a single post. Come to think of it, when you do launch your blog, make sure that you have at least 5 posts to offer. And make sure that these posts offer killer content. Give it all that you’ve got and make your visitors keep clamoring for more.

Do not underestimate your About Page.
If there is a single “post” that you should spend the most time on before launching your blog, make it your About Page. Spend a day or more on it if you have to. Make sure that you provide your readers a good insight on who you are, what your background is, and what you are planning on offering them through your blog. Be as descriptive as you wish, as comprehensive as you can.

Work behind the scenes prior to the launch.
Build up anticipation. Make your presence felt in other blogs and web sites. Create some buzz about your new blog. Give teasers and promote your blog by leaving comments. Try guest posting if you find the chance. Do all this before you launch your new blog in order to have people already waiting for the launch.