I just made a comment on ProBlogger I thought was worth posting here since it was on he long side and I don’t feel like having it drift into the aether as yet one more comment floating about.
Ok. So if we’re looking for actual tools, I’ll come short of 10 by a long shot. However, in the interest of keeping my blog going, someone could:
1 – use Disqus for comments, so you don’t lose anything on any of the sites you either run, or comment on.
2 – write everything, whether it’s worth posting or not. Set it on a delay if you have to, if you’re not sure it’s worth having said, but write it down anyway, just in case.
3 – read lots of blogs on lots of subjects, and pay attention to trending feels; sometimes a marketing blog anda design blog will say the same thing within hours, even when the authors don’t know each other.
4 – use a reader, like Google Reader to keep new posts popping up as they’re released. This also helps when looking for trends.
5 – use Google Alerts if you’re planning a farther reaching series of posts. If you get good at it, you can ride the wave and pick excellent times to release your comments.
6 – Tumbl. Whether it’s through tumblr or through your own site. I built a Tumblelog function into my WordPress theme for this. Tumbling keeps content flowing, and means if someone said it well enough, you can just toss people through to them, rather than expending extra energy rewriting it yourself.
7 – keep reading offline too. Pick up a good book every so often, fiction or non-fiction, and read it critically to pick up on the author’s voice as well as the story they tell. This will help your writing, which will help your blogging.
8 – get a pen pal or two, keep up with people. When you’re conversing in long-letter format, your skills go up as well. Twitter might force you to get better with your words, but there’s no substitute for cohesive, directing writing.
9 – red ProBlogger. Do I get brownie points now?
10 – troll the wordpress codex weekly looking for new toys to play with, be they themes to hack or plugins t try.
11- keep YOUR own voice. Above all else.Sometimes it takes years to develop a writing voice, but readers can recognize when a post is forced, or when you’re playing copycat. Write like yourself and you’ll enjoy writing more, and keep blogging longer. If you’re not writing your own words it becomes a chore, and chores have a habit of getting the lowest spot on the priority list.
There we have it. At least, that’s my list. I know it’s not as snazzy as using Posterous or Delicious for notes and employing time-management tools. But trust me, if you remind yourself consciously of even three of these things every post you make, writing as a process will become (if it’s not already) one of your favorite things.