An engineering degree from IIT, work experience with Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch, columns for top-notch publications like The Wall Street Journal India, Outlook Magazine, and media appearance on CNN IBN, CNBC TV18 are some of the feathers in Amit Agarwal’s cap. The author of the award-winning blog Digital Inspiration, Amit Agarwal is the champion of the Indian blogging revolution. He writes “how-to guides” around consumer gadgets, web applications and computer software, and continues to lead the blogging scene in India.
Amit began blogging in 2004 and says that there are no magic wands that will help you in blogging. A balance of good luck, effort and consistency is what matters. So, what can writers learn about blogging from Amit Agarwal? Read on to find out.
Use WordPress
Amit advises bloggers or writers to use WordPress as it is less complicated than Blogger or Tumblr. There are two main WordPress options. One is WordPress.com (www.wordpress.com), which is free and will host your blog. The second option is WordPress.org (www.wordpress.org), where you host your own blog. In order to use WordPress.org, you will need to purchase a domain name and web hosting space; all which you can inexpensively. Writers can choose from the thousands of available themes and plugins in order to customize their websites.
Develop your own personal style
He recommends writers to develop their own writing style and not imitate others’ style. Your readers will like you for what you have written. You will be able to develop your own writing style when you are genuinely interested in what you are writing. When you have passion for a subject, this will naturally reflect in your writing. Eventually, your writing will become lively and engaging.
Use an interesting writing style
Amit advises writers to cultivate an interesting writing style to attract a world-wide audience. He recommends aspiring writers to read more books if they do not have a natural flair of writing. When you write, your writing should pique the curiosity of your readers. They should want to read more. How do you make your writing interesting? A fundamental thing to remember is to not be afraid of letting your unique voice, views and opinions come out in your writing.
Use a decent editor
Making use of a proper editor is what Amit suggests, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, as they capture typos or grammatical errors. When you’re writing a blog post, utilize the automatic checking facilities of such an editor, as they will help you to focus on writing your piece efficiently, without having to worry about manually looking for every spelling and grammar mistake.
Craft proper headlines
Headlines form a very important part of an article or a blog post. Amit advises writers to craft a proper headline that does not mislead your readers. A headline like You’ll Never Believe What Facebook Will Unveil Next for an article creates huge expectations in the minds of your readers. If your article is not up to the mark, then your readers will be disappointed. Hence, it is wiser to craft accurate headlines that capture the gist of your article.
Use good quality images
Amit recommends writers to use good images in articles for two reasons. Firstly, when people share your content on social networking web sites, your article may stand out because of the image thumbnail. Secondly, images capture your readers’ attention and can serve as visual break points especially if your articles are lengthy. He advises writers to use only free images that are in the public domain.
Reader is more important than revenue
Your readers are more important than the revenue. Amit advises writers to stay away from networks that permit scam ads. After all, you are responsible for what appears on your website. Hence it is advisable to use limited advertising and if you do decide to use this approach to generate some income for your blog, to partner with proper and credible organizations.
Everybody can write a blog. But what makes your blog different is your expertise in the field, your writing skills and your credibility.
Image credit: Amit Agarwal on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Smitha-Abraham.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]I’m Smitha Abraham. I love traveling in my flights of imagination and use these flights to craft short stories and poetry. I am a budding writer from India. My passions are reading, creative writing, listening to music, learning new languages, meeting new people, getting acquainted with different cultures and traveling. Authors like Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, genres like magic realism, historical romance, and writing styles that are imaginative and flow effortlessly fascinate me. I love to unwind with a book curled up on a sofa or by gazing at the stars by the sea shore. I am a nature lover and spending time admiring the sunset and sunrise is relaxing for me.[/author_info] [/author]