How to Become a Good Blogger: Be Positive

How many times have you heard the phrase “think positive!” or “focus on the positive!”?  A lot, right?  Well, I’m going to say it again, because keeping a positive slant is especially important when it comes to blogging.

The vast majority of the people reading your blog don’t know you in real life - they don’t know what you’re like in person, they don’t know your likes and dislikes, and they don’t know if you’re having a bad day. Your blog is your introduction to them - it is the face you present to the world wide web.

It goes to follow that if you use excessively negative language and constantly complain on your blog, your readers will get an impression of you as a negative or unpleasant person.  Of course, no one’s life is 100% sunshine and rainbows, but if you’re using your blog as any kind of business or promotional tool, I would suggest that you vent elsewhere.

This doesn’t mean you have to be just thrilled with everything, either - it is possible to state that you don’t like something without being vitriolic.  For instance, say you want to review a book that covers topics in your niche, but you didn’t actually like the book for whatever reason.  State your opinion, explain why you didn’t find the book helpful, tell your readers what you thought the author could have done better, and if you can, recommend some alternative books on the subject.  Criticism is good if it is done constructively.  

“What if I’m just having an awful day, you may ask?”  First of all, remember that you don’t have to post every single day, but if it’s been a few days and you really want to put something new up, try writing about someone else.

First of all, try reading other blogs in your niche or related news wires - chances are someone wrote about something interesting. Do a links post (where you post multiple links with a sentence or two to place them in context so your readers know that they are clicking on) to point out the good things.

Last but not least, you can look to YouTube (there’s always something entertaining on YouTube) or check out popular tags on the social bookmarking sites (hint: see if any of your keywords are tags on those sites - it can be an interesting way to see what other people in your niche are writing as well as checking out what readers valued enough to bookmark).   If you’re ever at a loss for positive blogging words, find something positive to say about someone else.