STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE ONLINE NETWORKING
OTHER THINGS YOU NEED TO CONSIDER WHEN WRITING A GREAT BLOG
Select a good blog host
There are many web hosting services to choose from, and most prices nowadays are very reasonable. Main factors you need to look at are the price, bandwidth quota, data transfer limitations, and additional support services
If you’re including any 3rd party content in your blog, such as pictures, imagery, or movie clips that you have not created yourself, it is important to check and only use content that you’re legally allowed to publish and that is not copyright protected
Design custom features for your blog
Choosing how to design your blog should be another one of your main considerations. Your first option is to hire a website/ blog designer to design it for you. While there is certainly a lot of choice in this regard, they are usually quite expensive (although a normal blog might only consist of a few pages so this would certainly limit the cost and would ensure your blog has a professional look to it).
Your other option would be to do this yourself. Your main concerns with this option are the time it might take and the overall quality of the offering itself. However, the good news is that there are many free web builders that will allow you to do this at no cost whatsoever, and they will give you the tools and templates to create a quality site quickly and efficiently. So why not consider adding the following features to your next web offering:
Blog Post Signature
A great idea is to consider a custom blog post signature. It’s very easy to do, all you need is access to a web building platform or free online signature creation software. Use this to write out a unique custom signature then insert it at the foot of your blog postings.
It’s another small but important thing you can do to build a unique online presence for yourself
Blog Favicon
Using a blog favicon can help add to the uniqueness of the site and help you build the blogs own distinct identity, which is why it’s another common thing that many successful websites and blog sites often use. Again, it is very easy to do – there are many free online favicon creator sites that will help you do this, and you can also do this on some website builders as well.
(The favicon is the icon that appears beside the URL in your web browser’s navigation toolbar, location bar, and in your bookmark menu)
Create a Gravatar
A gravatar is an icon that represents your presence online. It appears whenever you make blog postings, go onto webchats, or any other time your name appears on a gravatar enabled website. This is another great way to establish your own unique online presence. (Remember that the image you choose will represent your online identity, so make sure you choose something presentable as you are anticipating that employers and recruiters will come across this from time to time)
Create a great ‘about me’ page
Creating an ‘about me’ page for the blog is another sure way to build up credibility and further promote both yourself and your blog’s online presence. For more information about how to create a top quality ‘about me’ page for your blog, see the section on ‘writing an effective about me page for your blog’ above
Add social media icons
Remember to add social media icons to remind people to visit you on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc, once you’ve finished
