Seven online skills you must master BEFORE you start a blog

John Welsh, UBM Live, United Business Media

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One: communityHave you identified it? Can you refine it even further?

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You don’t need a blog to cultivate community.Go and join a Facebook or a Linkedin group, anywhere you have noticed your key customers.

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Two: commentingHave you ever commented on another website? Why would someone comment on

yours if you have not done so?

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You don’t need a blog to commentGo and leave your company website address or your Linkedin profile which shows your professional expertise.

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Three: linksDo you use navigation on a website? Or do you click on links to take you to the next

page?

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You don’t need blog to learn to linkDon’t put ugly web addresses in emails any more. Learn how to insert a neat URL.

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4: contentDoes your content help the user? What is useful for your user?

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You don’t need a blog to learn how to be usefulWhy not go and add some lists to a website – five things ou thought about a movie.

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5: RSS feedsYour users are more likely to be early adopters.

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You don’t need a blog to become familiar with RSSSign up to Google Reader. Sign up to RSS subscriptions. Learn to manage your daily reading through RSS feeds.

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6: OptimiseThink about that headline. Will it help people to find it?

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Have you got a Twitter account?Use the discipline of 140 character Tweets to get better at writing to the point headlines.

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7: AnalyseCan you asses how well you blog is doing the number and the quality of its visitors?

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Visit a site like AlexaFind out how the traffic to your competitors’ sites compare to your own.