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How Not to Blog

I read a few blogs every week, as I'm sure you all do. Reading others' blogs is a great way to learn, not only what they're blogging about, but also what does and does not work in the "blogosphere." I want to point out three things that cause me to stop reading a person's blog.

Everyone is busy; time is at a premium. Here are three practical ways to respect your readers' time. 
These three things make me click off a blog, even in the midst of reading:

1. Poor grammar. I simply can't get past poor grammar. I'm not talking about the occasional typo; I'm talking about the abuse of the English language I see on some blogs. I click off and usually don't go back.

2. Music. I usually play my own music, or need a quiet room for my kids. When I open a blog post and music starts playing immediately, I click off. 

3. Links that don't open in a new window. Bloggers, set your links to open in a new window so your readers won't lose the original post! This is common sense, or should be. The goal is to keep readers on your blog, not going off to a new link. If I click on a link that opens in a new window, I can save that opened tab for later while I finish reading what the blogger has to say.

~Tricia
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