(That’s a tongue twister, ey? “Bit by the blogging bug.”)

So, I finally got around to buying TimPreuss.com. The whole dot.wordpress.com thing was a real hangup. It’s great if you want to try out blogging for a while, but once you get the hang of it, and know you’ll be doing it for years to come, you ought to just buy a domain. Huge thanks to WordPress for making everything so easy! They provide a killer service, really.

Since I’ve started this blog a few months ago I’ve noticed a few things. I’m no expert, but I think I know what I like and what I don’t like in a blog. I don’t have much experience in this realm, but I love learning, and I love sharing what I learn. Here are a few blogging tips from a relative novice.

1. Blog often. I know, it’s simple. I personally try to write something everyday. I do this not only to provide my lovely blog readers with stuff to read, but also for myself. The more you blog, the better you get at it. Writing your thoughts down really helps you develop those thoughts. Instead of sitting and wondering, “What’s the best way to put this…”, I just write it. After a while it comes naturally. And of course blogging often gets you more views, which only makes you want to blog more.

2. Use pictures. I don’t know the laws on copyrights on Google images, but I do know that interesting pictures make a blog easier to read. We’re so used to pictures on the internet that when we see a screen with only text it’s kind of a turn off. Pictures help break everything up, and they can really add something to your blog.

3. Be personable. No one likes reading essays. This isn’t a textbook I’m writing – it’s more of an online journal. Thoughts that wash through my head occasionally get stuck, and the only way to get them out is by talking or writing. Writing is better, I think, because you can chose your words carefully, edit, add quotes, pictures, etc. But I like to write like I’m writing to a friend. Obviously I don’t know most readers personally, but I imagine that people I know are reading this. Hopefully that helps reveal my tainted Woody Allen-esk sense of humor.

4. Vary your content. I try to keep stuff somewhat on topic. I write a lot about a few key things, namely exercise, music, and politics. I also write about some random stuff here and there, whether it be relationships, news, religion, or whatever. I like to mix things up. I could write Obama-bash articles every day, but eventually I’d start turning people off. Exercise is great, but there is only so much to be said. Varying content also makes it easier to write. I’m not forced to write anything – just what I feel like.

5. Utilize the sidebar. Look next to this article. There’s a bar filled with archives, recent posts, a twitter feed, links, and other stuff. This is a great area to  put extra stuff out there. Post links to your favorite posts, promote a friend’s blog, or write a little “About Me” section. I try to put as much stuff on this page as possible without making it look cluttered.

I hope these tips help someone out. Maybe I’m completely wrong, but I don’t think I could be wrong at blogging. These are just some things that I’ve picked up on. Let the blogging continue…