Tips for New Bloggers? *cracks knuckles in a non-threatening way*

I'm afraid everyone's going to be dreadfully repetitive for this week's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. And most of it'll probably be the same as dating advice. Top Ten Tips for New Book Bloggers? I'll say right now I probably don't have ten. I will, however, counter/offer a caveat  for some of the examples you'll see on most blogs.

Let's do this

1. Be yourself. - Oh, really? Because a lot of blogs I've seen where people are being themselves involve sparkly black backgrounds, neon text, and a font size that probably resides in the 20s. Those people should not be themselves. They should be other people. My advice in this area is actually to look at blogs where you see them and say 'I feel like I could show this to someone I admire and not be embarrassed by the formatting.'

On the other hand, if you only want to be friends with people who like neon text and giant fonts, feel free to say "hey, fuck you, Alice" and begin your search for a banner with an avatar of yourself on it.

2. Comment on other blogs. - Okay, this is actually good advice. It can be disheartening at first, because a decent number of blog runners do not love comment discussion, comme moi, so then HOW do they get to know you when you're obviously awesome? Well, you can't make them. And if time goes by and they keep not checking out your blog, leave 'em be. There're other awesome people who'll check you out. And they will find you through #3.

3. Do. memes. - And not just any meme, although pretty much any meme'll bring people to your blog. Find some that seem to have a smaller audience than like, Crazy for Books' and that appeal to you. I found a lot of truly awesome blogs through the Literary Blog Hop over at The Blue Bookcase. I did a Dickens blog tour last year that was pretty awesome, too. Diversify, people.

4. Don't ONLY do memes - This is boring. Stop it.

5. The Chain Principle works - This is a principle I just made up, because I don't want to research what it's really called. Find ONE blog you love, and you're set. Because then you see who they follow, and who those people follow, etc (don't start dragging out 'whom' on me -- it's awkward). Most people have a blogroll. Check them out.

6. Get on Twitter - Blogging friendships are solidified on twitter. True, it's only 140 characters per message, but you will meet people who can be fricking hilarious with 140 characters, and that is a blessing, my friend. If you're still somehow mired in the Paleolithic Age opinion that twitter is just people writing about what they're eating, stop. Stop right now, get a twitter account, and start following people (in a non-literal way, Creepy). Also read this book.

7. Book Review formatting - Ok, this is touchy, because it's a matter of personal preference, but when I see a review that breaks things down into a points system or is just attempting to be seriously analytical about a book, I most of the time skip it. If I want a formal review, I'll check out some reputable publication (note: I don't, and I don't). What I look for in a review is a hopefully funny/insightful few paragraphs with a recommendation to read or not read, plus a quote from the book. Quotes are mostly what sell it to me.

DONE.

Oh yeah, p.s. Turn off comment verification. For the love of God, turn off comment verification.