Ask Kayki!

Well, we have our first Ask KayKi entry (I thought it would never happen! lol) well here I go. Check the top right panel if you'd like to write in. I also send a personal email back.

Today's email is from a new BabyKayK Jasmin :)(make sure you all check out her blog!)

Hey KayKi,
How are you? First off I would like to thank you for taking time to help me. I just created a blog on Blogger to help me organize some of writing. I love journalism & poetry!! I just wanted to get your opinion on what you think draws a person to wanting to read a blog. Also what can be done to make a blog more appealing to readers. I already have an idea of what I want on my blog I am just working on getting things up and running. Please check it out and give me feedback www.suso4real.blogspot.com Thanks a Million!! =)

BabyKayK,

I pray all is well!Thanks for writing in!! Well, I first I want to say congrats on starting your blog. You'll find it tedious, annoying, and worth it!

The first piece of advice I'd give any blogger is to blog for yourself. I write because I have something to get off of my chest. When I started my blog, I had no idea who if anybody would read it. Different people have always told me I should blog, or write a book, but I thought ok, who would even care to read this stuff? So, I went into it with the same mindset as I used to go into my poetry journals back in the day; I was writing because I wanted to- not necessarily for people to read it. That will make the difference in whether or not you get tired and quit! If your goal is to have a lot of readers, you have to be patient and be willing to work at ways to attract new readers, twitter, facebook, emails, etc. Then dont let your number of followers discourage you (Ive gotten messages from people who read it everyday but arent for whatever the reason following- the comments reflect that as well). So just be patient, if that definitely is your goal- its not really mine.

My second piece of advice is, though you are writing for yourself make sure it is something that people can read and understand just in case you have readers/followers. This is very important I'd say with anything you put yourself into- make it presentable. I know I might have a typo here and there, because honestly Im usually ranting in my blog and never have any time to check for them, but I always try to go back through and re read them at least once, just to make sure that they do flow.

My third piece of advice is, to set the atmosphere/tone of your blog from the door. This is important so that people know what to expect. For a long time I had sort of a personal statement on my blog (my early followers/BabyKayks should remember it). The statement just said that my blog was a place for me to write what was on my mind. That it was positive and that I welcomed everyone's comments/opinions in love. Most importantly I made it clear that it was not a messy/gossipy blog (as most are) and that if the reader was looking for that - they were in the wrong place. I explained that my blog would cover all things that I felt were interesting meaning, entertainment, world news/events, my family, just whatever. So from the door, my BabyKayKs knew what to expect, and how my blog would be complimentary or not to their lives.

My fourth piece of advice is to be as organized as possible. This is a place I struggle a bit with, which is why I've changed the layout a couple of times. I want it to be visibly easy to both read and understand as far as the whole layout is concerned. I tried to come up with actual sections of the blog ie. MTMM, Smile, Stop the Hate, etc. that would help to make it easier for my readers to sort throught the many articles. I also tried to find a layout that was spacious enough for my usually extensive blogs :) The previous layout I had was a bit too bunched up for me.

My last but very important piece of advice is to not be afraid! Dont be afraid to try something cheesy, or weird, or bold. For example, I initially thought calling my readers BabyKayKs was just lame! Some of you might still think so, but I learned that people like to feel as though they are associated with something. Finding a name, or a way to make your readers familiar or connected with the blog is a great way to keep them coming back. Also I went out on limbs when I wrote blogs about certain celebs or people who I follow on twitter and then tagged them in the tweet. You never really know if they'll read it, or how they will feel about it, but I did it anyway. It ended up working very well for me. I have celebs who have RT'd, read, dm'd me and this blog! Once I noticed this, I started the section to the right that has all of their comments- to some of the readers it may be interesting, others may not care, but it also shows people that hey, so in so is a BabyKayk too.

Im no blog expert, but I hope this helps you in some way to get the ball rolling!
TNT BabyKayKs xox,
KayKi