Now Reading
Writing Tips for Blog Action Day

Writing Tips for Blog Action Day

Yesterday, I challenged myself and you to consider what you are going to blog about on , October 15, 2007. Really getting into the spirit of things, Joanna Young on Pelf’s The Giving Hands has taken this idea even further with 15 days of blog posts on the environment, leading up to October 15.

The post that caught my attention was 10 Ways Our Words Can Make A Difference, a brilliant set of tips for making your words count on your blog:

  1. Write like a human being.
  2. Keep it simple.
  3. Use plain words.
  4. Make it specific.
  5. Tell stories.
  6. Ask questions.
  7. Use the language of possibility.
  8. Connect with others.
  9. Focus on your positive intention.
  10. Make a choice.


My favorites were:

7. Use the language of possibility. Words like “might”, “can”, “could” help to show your readers what’s possible – without preaching to them about what they ‘should’ do.
8. Connect with others. One voice can get lost in the wilderness – and leave you feeling lost too. Connect up with the words of other people and the whispers turn into a roar.

See Also
Apple Silicon Processor

Here I was worrying about the topic I would choose for my blog topic on Blog Action Day, when the truth was that I should have been more focused on how to make my point. Thank you for reminding us, Joanna and Pelf, that the power of the written word to change the world begins with these tips.

We need to practice these ten tips every day, not just as we prepare for .

View Comments (20)
  • As of this moment, over 7000 blogs and websites have committed themselves to Blog Action Day on October 15, reaching a potential audience of almost 5 million.

    I guess all of those bloggers and webmasters don’t think it’s so stupid. I’m with them.

    We need many more joint actions by citizens around the world if our environment is to ever have a prayer of improving.

  • Blog Action Day is neither stupid nor pointless. It’s those kinds of “head in the sand” negative attitudes that perpetuate our problems rather than help to solve them.

    Though there aren’t many, I’d be grateful for some feedback on my eco-friendly blog posts over at 2Dolphins!

  • Thanks for the tips Lorelle, I admit I hadn’t given much thought to how I would present my post tomorrow. I’m hoping to encourage people to really think about the issue I will be discussing and to take positive action as a result, so it’s important that I get it right.

  • Thanks Lorelle, Joanna, Pelf. Fantastic article and discussion.

    As you know, Blog Action Day isn’t a day trip as far as commitments go. It is always best to speak from experience. In my article I talk specifically to web designers and developers and I interviewed a wonderful environmentalist Meredith Thomas, who started A Little Greener as a source for information and tips on living a little greener.

    It is a comprehensive source of information and links. I would recommend anyone still looking for inspiration on what to write, check it out.

    Thanks again for the great article.

  • I support and am a part of BlogActionDay.

    As today its a 15th oct. and i have published one article on subject environment.

    i hope all the people from here did the same.

  • Those are wonderful tips succinctly written. The intent of the Internet was communication between humans, to connect them together. Being as inclusive as possible, as inviting as possible makes content feel genuine because that is fundamentally what we are looking for by participating in the blogosphere. Hopefully events like Blog Action Day will help spread positive, constructive ideas and actions. It was definitely neat to discover!

    Thanks!

  • Good advice, BUT you say in “make a choice” in #10, but then in #7 you say “Use the language of possibility.” Which way would you like writers to go — be definite & be black & white which I interpret “make a choice” as vs. saying “might”, “maybe” or “could…” Just curious…

  • I didn’t say it, the author of the post did. And I’m not following you. The author I featured in this post might be saying to use the language of what is possible, helping the reader decide how they can help rather than the writer saying there is only one way of doing things. As for the last point, we all have to make a choice, as does the person writing a post for Blog Action Day.

    For specifics, though, visit the article and ask the author. I can’t read their mind as to their intent, I just adored what they wrote for tips on how to blog for Blog Action Day.

  • It’s been about 3 1/2 months since Blog Action Day. It’s hard to measure the impact, but I am seeing some of my friends in my industry blog more about “green” building materials.

    I might be an odd bird, but I am a Minneapolis real estate agent who thinks that people should consider building their homes out of dirt.

    Here’s a post I wrote about the wonders of building with “cob.” Please share it with your readers any way you wish. I would like to provoke some thinking about this idea. What is cob.

Scroll To Top