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When Justin Hall began updating a website with details about his daily life way back in 1994, neither he nor anyone else could foresee what he was starting. Hall launched one of the very first personal blogs. Since then, over 150 million blogs have joined Hall’s in the vast online universe now known as the blogosphere. If you are the owner of one of those 150 million blogs, there are a few rules and tips that will help you take your blog from one of millions to one of a kind. These fifteen rules will help you maintain a blog that is interesting, professional, high-quality and free of legal trouble.

1. Cite your sources. Almost all bloggers refer to other blogs or other web content, which can enrich your own ideas and provide valuable links to other websites. But in order to stay on the right side of copyright laws, be very careful to attribute your sources and give credit where credit is due. Not only will this prevent any potential legal problems, but it will also give your blog that all-important appearance of credibility.

2. This does not mean you can rip off content and just attribute the source at the end. “Fair use” laws generally allow you to quote or sample content from another source, but these rules do not extend to full-length written pieces, photographs or music. If you would like to use someone’s music or a photo on your blog, ask permission.

3. Anything you publish will exist forever in cyberspace, so publishing offensive content can always come back to haunt you. A blogger can be sued for libel or slander just like a print-based reporter. Save yourself any potential legal trouble by keeping it clean and inoffensive in the first place.

4. However, the reverse is also true. Writing positive feedback about a company or experience can have a ripple effect of positive repercussions. For example, I once wrote about a positive experience with AGS loose diamonds. My little post drifted around cyberspace and ended up at the desk of the AGS lab itself, who contacted me to thank me for the positive review.

5. 73% of facts published on the Internet are made up on the spot. Unfortunately, that statistic was one of them. You can gain a reputation for credibility by providing factual, reliable content. Check your facts with reliable sources before publishing.

6. You are responsible for everything written on your blog, and that includes the comments. Set your blog settings so every comment must be approved by a moderator, but don’t be so strict that no dissenting opinions make it through the filter—the best way to create a lively blog is to allow for informed, polite disagreement and debate.

7. When a blog becomes successful, companies will often contact the blogger and ask him or her to promote products. Whether or not you agree to do this is up to you, but if you do get paid to promote products, honesty and integrity dictate that you reveal which posts are sponsored.

8. Be an original. No one wants to read someone else’s content. Feel free to post links, videos, articles and other material from around the web, but add your own content with commentary and analysis that will make your blog a unique expression of your voice.

9. Spelling counts, as does grammar, usage, and punctuation. Proofread your writing at least twice before hitting “publish”. Poor grammar or spelling can make even a great blog look amateur.

10. Posting dozens of links to a popular blog as a means of capitalizing on its popularity is considered spam, as is commenting frequently with your own blog link. Don’t be a spammer—build your success slowly and naturally with great content and an active web presence.

11. This Headline Will Change Your Life! The headline, or title, of your blog post is the only part of your new post that will show up on an RSS feed or a blogroll. A great headline will not only accurately convey what the post is about, but it will also succinctly capture what use this information will have for the reader.

12. Readers love lists. Whatever useful or entertaining content you have, framing it in terms of a list! will have readers clicking, reading and sharing like no other post.

13. Being a successful blogger is all about your interaction with your readers—responding to comments, accepting reader feedback, and even allowing for guest posts. It is these interactions that will make your readers feel like they know you.

14. Be professional…but not too professional. If you create a blog to share your expertise on a specific topic, keep the posting style as professional as a magazine article on that topic would be. But don’t make your writing so professional that it loses your individual voice. If you write a blog about the diamond industry, don’t forget to post an excited personal post about your own diamond engagement ring—it is these personal touches that draws readers in.

15. Make it valuable. Your blog needs to add something valuable to a reader’s life, or he or she will not return. Make them laugh, make them think, save them time or money, provide useful information or a fun distraction. The number one key to a successful blog is finding something that people want and providing it while following all the rules listed above.

Guest article written by Houston jewelry store – Whiteflash – best provider of loose diamonds and diamond jewelry.

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