Here’s an altruistic meme as opposed to a “more about me” one… so it’s getting positioned front and center at Loosely Speaking, rather than over the About Page.

Handed off to me by GrannyJ of Walking Prescott, it goes like this:

First, a nice long list (don’t cringe like the guy in the picture, tips are good!) of tips shared by various bloggers. Recognizing that not all bloggers are probloggers but rather just regular folks getting started with this media, some are simple etiquette, some refer to writing, and a few are technical.

Note: there are lots of sites that contain lists like these, some targeting the novice and plenty for those whose goal is to become expert. What’s nice about this compendium is its communal eclecticism.

The rules of this meme are that I star the five items I think most important, and then add my own tips at the end. And, of course, tag other bloggers. Here goes.

First the long list:

1. Look, read, and learn.
2. Be EXCELLENT to each other
3. Don’t let money change ya!
*4. Always reply to your comments.
*5. Blog about what you know & love.
6. Don’t use filthy language-buy a dictionary.
7. Blog about something educational.
8. Be yourself; others will follow.
9. Don’t have too many blogs that will become a chore to maintain.
10. Keep it simple, user-friendly, interesting and organized!
11. Keep the blog simple and sweet!!!
12. Share with others your thoughts and don’t be shy!
13. Never ask for link exchange. Blog hop to increase traffic.
14. Don’t clutter your blog with ads all over the place. IT’S IRRITATING.
*15. Don’t comment for the sake of commenting. Some looked too fake and it’s a big turn off!
16. Share something interesting and you will gain more readers.
17. Show that we care to all bloggers, treat each other as friends.
*18. Pictures say a million words. Keep them coming!
19. Blogging should be fun or you’ll get tired of it pretty soon.
20. Don’t think people will come to your blog if you’re not willing to pay a visit to them.
21. Everyone loves to read short postings and, best, illustrated with a picture.
22. Try not to publish more than 5 posts in one blog a day. Even if it’s from feed reader, it’s quite hard to digest and catch up reading everything.
23. Blog: the other window to peek into people’s life, minus the trouble. Keep a certain level of privacy to yourself.
24. Never tell your readers that you are going on vacation. That’s basically telling them to not visit your blog for a week. Instead, write several posts, and take advantage of the timestamp feature.
25. Try and write with people in mind that are somewhat similar to you. Allow your audience to identify with your blog and feel at home.
26. The key to a good article is a good introduction. A joke, a question or a picture does wonders.
27. If you are looking to earn an income blogging read StevePavlina.com and Problogger.net, you will be amazed at what you can learn.
28. Write for yourself first. Remember that it takes time, effort, patience…and above all, daring.
29. Photos for your blog should always be shot in the RAW! No, not in the buff, but in RAW format. That leaves you a lot more room to play with your subject.
*30. Blog about what you’re interested in, and what you want to share. And it’s your blog, you make your rules.
31. Scared of the new digital camera? Go out, take lots of pictures, slowly learn the bells & whistles. Enjoy! (GrannyJ’s tip)
32. I disagree with Rich — until you’re ready for heavy-duty PhotoShopping on a pro basis, stick with .jpg’s. Easier to handle. (GrannyJ’s tip)
33. Resize your pix before downloading to the Internet; you won’t eat up your on-line storage space nearly as fast. Remember, too, that the resolution on most screens is 72 pixels/inch. I resize all my pictures to 6″ wide x 72 pixels/inch (and hype the contrast — the Internet flattens pix). If you have a picture good enough to steal, it won’t have definition good enough for a commercial use; let them get in touch with you for permission to use. (GrannyJ’s tip)

Here are the my contributions:

34. If you are a hobby blogger, using free blogging software will suffice. But what if your hobby turns into a professional offshoot of your business? In that case, I recommend you wade into Wordpress which is infinitely customizable. To get up to speed on Wordpress, use these three resources:

• wordpress.org/
• wordpress.org/support/
• codex.wordpress.org/Main_Page

35. Choose your permalink structure (carefully) before you start, so that your links have actual names, rather than numbers in them. (Better for traffic).

36. Don’t become a pest by just commenting all the time on a top-ranked blog in hopes of driving up your traffic. That tactic is annoying and will be noticed by others.

37. My own list of must read blogs and their lists of tips (where will this ever end?!)

• I have learned a lot fromperformancing.com/21-ways-to-build-a-better-blogger
• The incredible Lorelle amassed a great list of tips here: lorelle.wordpress.com
• Need any more (you probably have headache by now!) Check out dailyblogtips.com/101-blog-tips-i-learned-in-2006/
  

(Oops! Left one off. This one added 10/4/07)

• This is a terrific and much-commented on post of tips: pickthebrain.com

Now to tag some bloggers I admire:

The very talented Char at Essential Keystrokes

Good friend and writing maven Angela at www.wickedblog.com/

Rich at Flyteblog

MichelePW at www.writingusa.com/blog/