A PC member asked me today about blogging on Poker Curious.  Were there any rules?  What made a good blog?  My immediate answer was regularity.  The blogs that have the greatest success have a consistency to them.  Not only does that mean you build in an expectation for delivering new content, but that your creative 'voice' is also consistent.

I only started blogging in May 2007.  One of my main missions at the time was to demonstrate to the pros at CardRunners how to improve their blogging.  While I can't say that my experiment influenced many of them, it clearly showed that you can develop an audience despite not being a celebrity/promoted pro, high stakes player, or even talk about poker on a poker site.  Simply from blogging regularly with a consistent 'reasoned voice' I developed a following.  I blogged more than any other blogger, with many disparate thoughts.  I blogged about those issues important to me.

In the final analysis, people will connect with your passion and voice.  They come back if they appreciate your perspective.  They can find it entertaining or educational.  They can find it outrageous or stimulating.  Readers like to delve into the mind and experiences of others; no matter how weird or obsessive they may be.

There is no one formula of what or how to write it.  Some blogs employ unusual formats that people connect with; using photos and video, stream of consciousness, lists etc.  But there are some helpful hints to reaching a wider audience.  They are common to all good writing.  If you are telling a story, have a beginning, middle, and end.  Whatever story you tell, please use paragraphs and punctuation to break it up. 

Often times, your title is the most important part.  It creates a set of expectations before your reader ever starts reading.  So invest time to create a title that is interesting and appropriate to your blog.  If you don't, it is likely to make your reader confused and uncomfortable without even knowing why.

While a stream of consciousness blog can be effective, the more focused blogs tend to generate more readers.  From a practical standpoint, it makes it easier for search engines and non regular bloggers to gravitate to your blog if you are focused.  You also want to be relevant to the target audience. When you stimulate their minds, it is beneficial to link to other relevant information so they can persue this new interest.

Ultimately, you are sending your readers on a journey.  If they enjoy that journey, they will return again and again to see where you take them next.  If you don't blog regularly, they will grow disenchanted and search elsewhere for what they thought they had found in you.

Good luck.  I look forward to reading your blogs.