Thursday 28 April 2011

Do's and Don'ts of blog writing

Over on Shimelle's class yesterday the prompt was all about what NOT to post on your blog. Reading the prompt this morning I found it to be highly informative and I was pleased to see that for the most part I don't do most of the stuff she was warning about. Things like:

Don't make your readers nod off
Don't turn your blog into a whingefest
Don't forget to credit your inspiration or sources
Don't post just for the sake of posting. Rambling on about nothing in particular does not make great reading.
Don't write with your emotions in control. You could regret it later.

etc, etc.

 I thought I was doing ok with all of them as for the most part I'm only posting when it's important (to me) or if I think my readers would be interested. I read on a bit further.... and then it hit me. One of the final points was "Having too much to write" and subsequently making multiple uses of exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!!! LOL. Oh dear, this is where I fail completely. I am a serial !!! user. I got the bug baaaaaaad. I sometimes look at what I'm typing and think "oh my!!!! I'm on the happy juice again!!". LOL.

I think my problem is that typing just doesn't have the vocal nuances that speech has. It's difficult to stress certain words or get the inflection and intonation absolutely correct. Other than higlighting specific words in bold, but then I'd be highlighting my whole post because I'm just super-excited about everything. Which wouldn't work. At. All. And so, I hide in the refuge of the exclamation mark. A little too much.

So the question I have for you today.... how do you get off Cloud Extra-Extra-Happy!!!!! and back to the real world where people talk normally without going Extra-Extra-Boring?? There's got to be a way of reducing the !!!'s without reducing my sense of excitement (or stress) in the post. I've got to find a way because if I don't my SHIFT and 1 buttons are going to stop working soon!

10 comments:

  1. I also tend to use the exclamation marks, but lately have been trying to stop after I read another article about it.

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  2. Oh I know what you mean. I use them way to much, and sometimes catch myself finishing just about every sentence with one, more so in comments than in posting, but even then...

    And over use of elipses is another of my bad habits.

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  3. ugh~I do that too! must try to control it...

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  4. hehe, I'm guilty too! <--- See! Seriously, while I'm not 100% "cured" I do try to go back after is post is written and clear some of them out and just keep the ones where it really does fit. As for not using on Twitter - that's another story. Good luck!

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  5. I'll have to go back and reread some of your posts, I hadn't noticed so it must not bother me ;)

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  6. I cringed when I read that part of the prompt too! (see, I just used one!) I'm also guilty of using too many parenthises and italics. I don't know how to stop! lol

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  7. I'm so guilty of this too and I find it really hard not to use a "!" !!!

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  8. I'm with you on that too and did exactly the same when reading the notes. Also do my smilies lots too which is probably just as irritating but hey ho!! :0)

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  9. ooo i'm a stick dot kinda gal too, cant help myself, and the smileys..don't think i'm ready to give them up just yet either!!! ;)

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  10. I was told once that using exclamation marks was a girl thing! I guess that's probably true. I quite often have to go back over something I've written, and change the exclamation marks back to full stops. (I'm doing it now!) Then it looks boring! Like you said, it's a way to express the emotions. Let's just carry on using them! Why not?!!!!!

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