Here are some tips to help you with your blogging:
- Use an informal, friendly tone. Readers expect it these days.
- Write short posts. Typically, under 500 words, and the shorter, the better!
- Longer essays are okay, but split them using the “[more]” tag. In the main page, WordPress will show only the stuff that comes before the tag, and the full post will appear only when readers click to read the post itself.
- Link, link, link. This cannot be emphasized enough. Whenever you comment on someone else’s ideas, it’s important to provide a link to the original. As scientists, we know the value of citations. Links are the citations of the online world.
- When a reader leaves a comment, do respond to him/her. It is not necessary to reply to every one of the comments. Indeed, many of them simply say, “I agree with you,” or “Good post!” However, when a more substantive comment is made (particularly one in which the reader disagrees with you), it’s a good idea to reply, and keep the conversation going.
