How to Blog???????

Sometimes when I go blog surfing I get to read such lovely posts. Posts which touch the heart, question the mind, warms the insides....... in short brilliant. But when I check their comment section, there will be just 1 or 2 comments.

I am surprised. Upset even. I mean....just 2 comments for this beautiful, beautiful post????? What a crying shame!!!!!!
The blogger is so versatile that he/she should be writing books. Well ok atleast he is blogging, we can read his wonderful, imaginative thoughts in his posts and that too…….for free.

And this got me wondering how some blogs become more popular than others.......hehe….U knw I'm suddenly reminded of those Shanti Sagar & Darshini joints in B'lore........ they open those restaurants in any corner of the city & by the end of the week the whole town will knw abt its location and will be having their breakfast & lunch there like as if they have always been. The food is not the greatest but its filling & the price is reasonable. No advertising, no fancy decor, nothing but we don’t think twice about trooping in there.

Infact, I'm reminded of my very own blog in this instance........I’ll be the first one to admit that it is no great shakes.
Ah now you don’t have to be all gracious & polite. You & I will agree that I write inane stuff most of the time………. about stooopid rats popping out of the drain ….. cutting nails on Tuesdays …….putting salt in my moms mouth and……and
bungee jumping onto a mattress for Heaven's sake……and other dumb stuff. But guess what????? Even for pathetic stuff like this I get atleast 10-20 comments.

And on the other side, is a post which strikes a chord in my heart, brings a smile to my face, and makes me question myself but it is lost in the crowd somewhere.

Everyone of us like attention especially if it’s positive. We like to feel important. We like others to listen to us. Many of us blog to seek that attention, which we probably may not be getting from our immediate surroundings. So many others have interesting anecdotes to share. And some just want to be involved……to connect. Get my point????? Finally when it come right down to it, Blogging is all about Connecting, isn’t it???? We are all trying to reach out……. with our stories, experiences, knowledge……

Though I’m not the best person you should be taking tips from but I just feel I could help. So here are a few simple pointers to budding bloggers who genuinely want to connect:

# For starters, a light background & a clear font helps…….a lot. Often a fancy font or a bright pink background just distracts & you are judged by your reader even before they actually start reading the content. And believe it or not, punctuations like fullstops & commas also make a difference.

# There should be clarity in what you are trying to express. Our mind churns out lot of complicated stuff but that doesnt mean we pour it out just like that. What makes complete sense to you may not make any sense to your reader. And try not to use a lot of imposing phrases & intimidate your readers. They’ll think you are fundoo stuff & what’s worse they'll think it doesn't matter to you whether they comment or not.
Seriously, you don’t need big, fancy words & grand sentences to put your point across. Your words need to touch the reader, make them feel for you or your cause, involve them even.

# Don’t pour out sad stories especially about I, Me, Myself & expect people to jump in & comment. Your friends may respond but it won’t win you many new readers except for an odd comment or two from agony aunts.

# Humour works everytime. Infact pour that same sad story out humorously & you’ll find many of us giving you innovative ideas on how you can drown your sorrows.

# Controversial topics also work……..to some extent. But not consistently. And you may be in danger of attracting the wrong type of crowd.

# But most importantly Connect……..go out & let people know You Exist. Works everytime. Just like how you want people to notice you, there are others out there waiting to be noticed & eager to reach out. Out of the 10 people on whose blogs you commented atleast 7 will respond. The ones who don’t respond could be Amitabh Bachchan[actually nowadays I’ve hrd even he responds], an established blogger who’s got more traffic coming in than he can handle or another blogger with a mindframe just like yours.

As of now I can think of only this much to get you started off. If you have a doubt don’t hesitate to ask……….I may not have the answer but you can bet on it I’ll find it out for you…….u see I have a lot of friends out here who’ll help me out.

And to my fellow bloggers I know I don’t have to say anything. If I have missed out on any vital points, I’m sure you’ll let me know.