Blogging is fairly easy once everything is set up.
Making a successful and long-lasting blog is somewhat more difficult.
Here are some things to remember to give a blog some staying power.
1.
Proofread.
It is easy to see, after a tour of the blogosphere, that a lot of bloggers do not proofread their work.
There is often a confusion of the distinction between words such as it's and its, there, their, and they're and other such grammatical traps.
Proofread before posting.
2.
Backup.
When a hard drive crashes, there is often no way, or at least no cheap and easy way, to get the information back.
Backup the blog regularly.
Even better, find a hosting service or some other service that will do the work automatically.
3.
Link to older posts.
An archive is essential to bringing in new visitors while keeping the old.
It is a great source to get all the information on a single subject that has been posted during the blog's lifetime.
4.
Answer comments.
New bloggers love to get comments.
Back in those days, it was probably easy to reply to every one.
A more popular blogger may not have time to answer each comment, but should still take the time to answer as many as possible, to create a stronger reader base and a sense of community.
5.
Answer emails.
A blogger's inbox can become quite bloated with replies and comments.
Try to answer as many as possible anyway.
A form letter to answer the most common questions might be a good idea so those can be answered in batches.
Show respect to the blog's readers and they will be loyal for a long time.
6.
Approve comments.
Any blogger (and that should be most bloggers) who use comment moderation should approve pending comments often.
No one wants to wait days to see the comment they posted appear on the blog.
7.
Check the spam folder.
This goes for both email and blog comments.
Some perfectly legitimate comments sometimes end up in the spam folder and never receive answers, which results in some readers feeling ignored.
8.
Update your blogging software.
This probably goes without saying, but security holes need to be patched before they become a danger.
9.
Update any plug-ins.
This goes along with number 8.
Not all plug-ins work with all versions of any particular software.
Some of them may even cause serious problems with the blog if not compatible with an update.
10.
Network.
This is the secret of many bloggers' success.
A network of friends and contacts is pretty much essential for any blog of consequence.
Networking with others should not be too difficult, fortunately.
It comes naturally to bloggers.