Conversations Online: Blogs
If you are seeking conversations through your website, blogs are an essential tool. Many people do not realise the many uses to which a blog can be put. Here is a summary of the properties of blog posts:
- They are independent of site structure, so posts can be created and destroyed with no consequences for the rest of the site
- If you find your site is becoming complicated because pages are full of miscellaneous material or there are too many pages to cover in your menus, the chances are a blog would be better way of organising your content
- Each post has its own url, which means it can receive back links from your own and other people’s sites.
- Posts can be assigned to categories and so be indexed on the site. So, you can have categories in your menu. For example, if some posts are about events and others are news, these could be displayed as different menu items.
- Posts have tags, which mean keywords can easily be found by searching the website.
- It is possible to comment on posts. It is possible to comment on pages but as pages are permanent and often full of the important but boring stuff, comments are not always helpful.
Things to Consider
So, blogs are an essential part of most sites. Some people resist putting a blog on their site because they believe they have to write a post every day. This is where it sometimes helps to talk to a consultant before committing to a particular site structure. You will need to consider:
- The types of information you intend to put on the site. If there is a lot of material that is either temporary, eg events, or ephemeral, eg news then a blog is worth consideration. Temporary posts can be deleted or archived. Ephemeral posts simply get older but form an archive for the occasional interested visitor.
- Frequency of posting. Daily or less frequent but regular posts are necessary only if you plan to use search engine optimisation. This can be essential for commercial sites. Many voluntary sector sites have other means of finding site visitors. Often they are the only organisation providing their service locally, so people seeking it will find them. Many have members and lists of contacts who can be kept in touch with the site.
- Use of comments. Comments are a reason for people to return to your site and make their contribution. They are an excellent way to get a conversation going.
- Links with social media. It is possible to set up blogs so that each time you post, you update social media and email contacts.