Each type of writing has its own rules, its own methodologies. Creative writing is very different than journalism. Both of those writing types are very different from technical writing (aka technical communication). Blog writing also has its own rules and methodologies. Some of the rules continually shift, too, based in part on the latest Google and search engine guidelines.
Knowledgebases and Technical Communication
Technical communicators produce reference materials. That’s what a knowledgebase is. Think of the help systems in any application you use. You can add a knowledgebase to your website to provide that same type of support.
Having written many help topics and planned and designed help docs in and for corporations, I can tell you that there are specific methodologies to use. There’s much that goes into it, including design, organization, single-sourcing and reuse, research and testing, localization, accessibility, usability, content management, video and graphics – the list is long. Technical communicators wear many hats and often select a subspecialty on which to focus. I focused on content management and XML/databases, as well as online work.
If you’d like a knowledgebase, help docs, or other reference materials for your site or company, let’s chat!
Blog Writing
What’s unique about blog writing? Plenty. Here are just a few points.
- Titles matter. It’s known that if you start with a number, you’re likely to get more reads (e.g., “7 Tips for Something”)
- There are different types of posts.
- Post length leans more toward shorter articles. So if you have a long one, consider making it into a series.
- It’s good to have a mix of evergreen and current content. (Evergreen content means it’s relevant long past its original publish date.)
Within, around, above, and below all this are the SEO and content marketing considerations. Blog writing can be quite complex when you factor in all of those considerations. It’s best to plan and determine what type of post to write for a specific circumstance. For examples, you can peruse the blog posts on this site, particularly in my tips series. Also, I moved some series into the knowledgebase, which is another option.
Samples
For examples of my writing, just review the posts on this site, including the knowledgebase and other client work.
Social Media Today
This site is a major source of information about social media. Here’s a link to an article I wrote for it back in 2013.
