by Melissa Hennig

I’m now into week two at Roundpeg. I think that the first week went well, and I was able to write blogs, Twitter and Facebook posts for clients. Now, halfway into my second week, I’ve discovered something  I’ll probably have to work on all summer: figuring out how to have the more conversational writing tone  small business blogging requires.

As someone who is used to writing academic papers and press releases, this is a definite challenge for me. Having taken a class on social media, I know there are a few important components which differentiate blogging from other kinds of writing:

• Keep the tone conversational. Since blogs are informal, the tone of the blog should reflect this. There is a fine line between being conversational and too personal, though.
• Ask open-ended questions. This gets readers to interact with your blog.
• Keep your sentences short and to the point. Lengthy sentences are boring. You’ll lose readers with long, wordy sentences.
• Use bullet points and lists. Need I say more?

I’m determined to improve my informal writing skills, no matter how many times I have to re-write blog posts or Allison has to critique me.

What keeps you interested when you’re reading a blog?