|
|
|
10 Suggestions For Blog Usability
gnoring key usability establish authority, experience
issues on blogs may make it and credibility with the chosen
difficult for readers to subject. The lack of formal
understand a site. Writer credentials however, should not
confidence can also be hard to be a hindrance to writing but the
attain as well. This would fact should be stated followed by
certainly not work well for the a short explanation for the
site since all sites strive to author’s enthusiasm regarding the
reach the widest audience topic. The blog can also benefit
possible. Here are some from having a human face to its
suggestions to ensure your blog voice by providing the author’s
usability: photo.
1.Provide the Personality 2.Make Use of an Effective
Posting Titles
Blogging has generally been
associated with anonymous or The title is very important in
geeky-nicknamed authors. This getting the reader’s attention
makes it almost impossible to and convincing them to look at a
establish trust with the readers particular blog. Authors should
since there is no specific person keep in mind the general
that can be identified with the guidelines in writing for the web
articles. Whereas business blogs regarding scannable contents when
would usually require a writing their headline. Headline
full-fledged “about us” section, writing is in itself a critical
individual authors would need a project in the same way that the
simple and short “about me” page body is. Search engines,
on a weblog. Information aside news-feeds and other external
from the author’s name is environment can appreciate
important as it helps to descriptive headlines. Searchers
likewise, use the headline to Valuable information should not
determine whether it is worth be buried in the archives. The
checking at all or not. Titles archives are where post pieces go
should be able to provide the to and remain. These articles can
gist of the article through its only be found if the author
few carefully chosen words. It consciously directs them to it.
would also be useful to choose Not all readers have been
large, clear and legible fonts to customers since the beginning
get the message across. thus this can provide the
background and context in case
3.Establish Useful Links in Posts they would require further
reading.
One way to truly serve the
readers is to make sure that they 5.Organize Site Search and
know where they’re going and what Archives
to expect at the other end of the
link. Relevant information should A professional blog should
be provided either at the anchor consider archiving by title and
text itself or the words in date order so that it makes
immediately surrounding it. Most for easy skim reading for users
readers do not appreciate and encourage site search.
clicking into the unknown. The Several blog software plugins or
author’s invitation to the reader modules are able to produce menus
to visit should be clear as vague and lines such as the “most
links usually do not attract read”, “recent comments/posts”
trust. and self-tag great articles. When
a blog had already over 100
4.Link to Previous Work in New entries, an archive list may turn
Postings out to be very chaotic especially
if the author is still trying to
promote each one. Archiving by the topic. However, once a
week, month or year can work out schedule is established, serious
fine for personal blogs but will efforts should be directed at
not be user-friendly for a person maintaining it with fresh content
looking for a particular product. or there would be a big
Categorized posting can provide possibility of losing loyal and
users the list of all postings on valuable readers.
a certain topic, but tagging of
postings should be selective so 7.Specialize Blogs
that they are placed where they
belong. Handling a different topic on one
blog is not as effective as
6.Publish Regularly and specialized sites. Very few
Frequently people have the time and patience
to look for entries about a topic
Web usability is essentially of particular interest to them in
about establishing and meeting a site that offers the target
user expectations. Therefore, topics sporadically among a wide
users should be able to range of postings on several
anticipate when and how often other topics. A focused content
updates will occur in a blog. reaches out to a specific group
Most blogs benefit from daily of readers and makes a site more
updates but there are topics that influential and authoritative in
would sufficiently require weekly a particular niche. If an author
or monthly updates. Some publish feels that he/she needs to speak
three to four articles a day out on an entirely different
which is a pace that may be very topic, then it would be much
hard to sustain. The author can better to create a separate blog.
determine for himself the best
publication schedule depending on 8.Simplify Blogs
of. As such, it is important that
Majority of blog readers are the author can stand up to what
still actually mystified by the he/she says in the blog. This is
process and may not have a clear especially true for hiring
idea of what a blog is. Recognize matters since more and more
the fact that not all are companies are taking the time to
technically savvy and might be check out prospective employees
wary of active participation such including his on-line
as clicking on anything. This is transactions. When in doubt, the
especially true for new readers author should avoid publishing
as clear information is capable articles that can be considered
of addressing feelings of offensive by persons or entities
discomfort regarding how he/she that he/she have future interest
is expected to make his/her own in establishing a relationship
posting or how personal with.
information is handled. Some
space in the biography or contact 10.Make Readable Blogs
page can be allotted to
explaining these issues by There are a lot of things that
providing a “need more help” link can make any blog unreadable.
so that regular readers need not Buttons, glory badges, blogrolls
see the explanation every time. and the like may be valuable
tools but too much of anything
9.Authors Should be Sure of Their can be counter productive. If it
Posting is necessary to have lots of
buttons, it is recommended to
Anything posted on the Internet have a separate page listing of
including blogs are archived, all the desired buttons as well
cached and indexed in many as explanations so as not to
services that most are not aware intimidate new readers. Readers
may be interested to know a trend of more white space and
site’s recommended links but if a large titles is like going back
list gets longer than ten, a to the basics where what is
random list of a few in the essential is ably provided and
sidebar will suffice as long as delivered.
they link to a separate page
containing the rest. The design
About the Author:
http://www.theinternetone.net
Read more articles by: Danny Wirken
Article Source: www.iSnare.com |
|
