Blogging Best Practices

One of my favorite blogs is the smitten kitchen. The author is a NYC woman with a small kitchen and small family who writes detailed descriptions of food and recipes from various sources. Most of the recipes are not unique but instead she will simplify something in a fancy food magazine so you don't have to find that expensive ingredient or use so many pots. Her writing is very accessible and relatable. She doesn't violate any of the rules laid out in the food blogger code (Burton & Greenstein, 2009). She generally posts about 3-5 times a week. She shares enough life details that you almost feel like you have gotten to know her as she announced when she was pregnant and then the baby photos. Her blog is so popular she wrote a cookbook and went on a nationwide supporting book tour. Her recipes are just what she is cooking but she loves fresh fruit and vegetables so the recipes are generally timely. Her site itself is simple, clean and easy to navigate. She owns her own domain name and doesn't have intrusive ads, she buries them at the bottom of the post. There is not a way to share directly on facebook but there is the more important pinterest sharing tool. However it is not as obvious as on other webpages. 



My recommended best practice echos what the article by Chelidonis said, choose and stick to a topic (2011). If you are writing a cooking blog it should be more friendly and less formal than a blog about women's rights. Your topic should guide all other aspects of your blog. Is it important that people share it widely? Then incorporate easy, large, obvious sharing tools. If it is just for a smaller audience, you may not need this. 

Burton, B., & Greenstein, L. (2009, April 30). The code. Retrieved August 7, 2014, from http://foodethics.wordpress.com/


Chelidonis, I. (2011). 12 steps to launch a successful blog. Retrieved from http://www.dailyblogtips.com/steps-to-successful-blog/