Us and them.

I was recently asked two excellent blogging questions:

How personal should a business blog be?

In my view, the more personal the better.

People love reading stories.

People love observing other people.

Give them stories about people and you can’t go wrong!

So, if you’re launching a new pfoofer valve, don’t crap on about its features and benefits.

Tell us about Norm, who nearly blew his head off during your exhaustive testing process (but is now enjoying a full recovery).

Readers will be transfixed.

A glance at the web shows common sense sure ain’t common.

So, should you tailor your online content to suit the great unwashed?

Not in my views.

Elitist View

I firmly believe in taking the high road.

Why squabble with starlings, when you can soar with eagles?

Pitch your brand high and your prices will follow.

You’ll have fewer customers, but they’ll be a joy.

Unlike the other crowd.

When I started this post, I thought I’d just cover basic Twitter etiquette (e.g. who to follow, how to list, behaviours to avoid). Then I realised Twitter ‘truths’ were far more important than Twitter ‘tips’. It seems impossible such a simple (and apparently frivolous) application could impart wisdom, but there it is. So here I go.

Be yourself.

Genuine humans thrive in Twitter. Fakers, flooders and floggers (though infuriating) do get smacked down in due course. This isn’t obvious to the casual observer, who understandably concludes Twitter is crap.

Yet when you open yourself to a community and reveal true elements of your life and loves, everyone enjoys the exchange.

Being yourself is also easier than maintaining a fake persona. As Mark Twain said: ‘When you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything’.

Its hard to plan out your time when you are a freelancer or small business owner. Everything is your responsibility, and its constantly demanding your attention. Especially in a business like web development where you may be handling projects and tasks on a rotating basis, it can be very difficult to get into a regiment of tasks that help maintain a sense of normalcy from week to week.  Here are five tips to help you better plan your time before you spend it.

This is a guest post from Paul Hassing from The Feisty Empire . It's a follow up to my interview with him from last week. After reading the interview back again I thought there were a ton of questions that were begging to be asked so I figured I would just start with one: What are some tips for people starting to write for the web?

1. Know your audience & speak to them.

Online readers give you far less time to get their attention. If you don’t immediately tell them something interesting and relevant, they’re gone. Cut the waffle and cut to the chase. Or you’ll simply be a traffic sign to your competitor’s better-written site.

2. Use short words, sentences & paragraphs.

Big text blocks are hard to read online, especially if they’re justified (i.e. not left aligned). Use short words in short sentences. Keep your paragraphs under six lines. Read your copy aloud to find and kill every redundant word.