Continued from here.

3. Aesthetics or Pictures

Pictures are a non-negotiable. Every article needs to have a picture, and sports bloggers know this better than anyone. I believe you can do a post consisting of just pictures, because, if done right, pictures can tell the story.

The prettier the girl in the picture, well, the better. Sports bloggers realize that their audience is largely made up of guys, and guys like to look at pictures of pretty girls. Therefore, it stands to reason, that they need to include pictures (and videos) of pretty girls.

What kind of picture would your audience want to see?

4. Community of Readers

Bloggers usually post on a blogging platform such as WordPress or Blogger, therefore, comments are a big part of creating a community. They encourage comments, debates even. It keeps people on the site. Sometimes, the headline (see above, magnetic) will “stir the pot” so to speak. Controversy brings people in. A group of people who are passionate about the subject, and feel they have a voice, will build a community. For a good example of this, see Fanblogs.com.

In the early days, it was all about message boards, and, indeed, some still use that forum.  Message boards get really hot at websites such as Rivals and Scout.  The dynamic of community is still the same.  Create some controversy, engage in debate, and enjoy.  Ironically, it builds a community.

5. Good Content

The content has to be good. A blogger can’t just blog about fluff. There has to be some substance to it. In fact, many sports bloggers set, at least, an informal schedule to keep the blog moving forward. Some sports bloggers talk about stats or break down games (see SmartFootball.com). Some are humorous while articulating there opinions well (see Jones Top Ten).

There you have it. Five lessons from the sports bloggers.

What have you learned while blogging?

I have been writing a college football blog since sometime in 2006. It has been a lot of fun, and it was my first training ground for writing a blog. Several bloggers were very helpful to me when I started out, but some were not. A lot of the help depends on the person, but all-in-all, it has been a good experience.

As a sports blogger, I have learned a lot about how to run a blog. Many of the tips I learned in that area I have brought with me to my other areas of blogging and writing. Some have been confirmed by other bloggers such as Copyblogger, Problogger and Chris Brogan.

So, I am going to articulate five of the lessons I learned about blogging from my time blogging about college football.

1. Magnetic Headlines

This is where the sports bloggers often excel over many of the folks in today’s print media. It is unfortunate, but the sports bloggers know how to sell an article with a title. Compare these two titles form the weekend of October 2-3:

Washington’s Jake Locker leads way as USC loses for first time under Lane Kiffin (USA Today)

versus

Huskies put USC back in its place, which is anywhere but the top of the Pac-10 by Matt Hinton, otherwise known as Dr. Saturday.

2. Videos

Visit a top sports blog website, and you will find lots of videos. Videos serve different purposes, but mostly, people like to watch videos rather than read words. As a crafter of words, I don’t like that, but it’s reality. Therefore, videos need to be used regularly. They are what is known as “sticky” content. Youtube and Vimeo has made it easier, plus several other media websites offer the ability to embed their videos in your page. It’s really pretty easy to do.

Token Video

You watched it didn’t you?

To be continued. . . I leaned that from them too. . . . it’s called creating a “hook.”

photo credit:  joelogon