Monday, January 17, 2011

How to Start a Group Blog for Writers


Photo by Pieter Musterd



An excellent way for writers or novelists to create an online presence and establish themselves in the publishing industry is by creating a blog. If you think that you may have trouble finding the time to keep a blog updated with fresh, original blog posts, start a group blog! With a group blog, several writers have access to the blog and are responsible for maintenance and posting.  Here are a few tips on how to get a group blog up and running:


Find Fellow Writers

One of the advantages of a group blog is that you get a wealth of differing opinions and styles.  While this may make your blog more interesting, it is best if your group shares at least one common general interest. For example, a group blog of travel writers would be effective, as each blogger would have different destinations and experiences about which to blog. It would be ideal for the writers in your group to be familiar with each other’s writing styles; it’s a good way to determine whether or not you will mesh as a group.


Choose a Theme

Readers should know what to expect when visiting a blog. Because there are already numerous writing blogs on the web, you will probably need to find a specific niche for your blog. For example, a group of murder mystery writers might focus their blog on writing and reading mysteries. A group blog of food writers might show its expertise with regular posts about putting new twists on favorite dishes. Strive to make your blog unique by providing information that can’t be found in every other writing blog on the net.


Create Your Group Blog

Go to a website like Wordpress, Blogger, or Tumbler and register for a new blog. Give each writer administrative access to the blog so that he/she is free to publish and format his/her own blog post. Choose a blog title and template that reflects the theme of the blog. Then, all you need to do is to organize blogging duties. Also, your group can avoid writing about similar subjects if members plan their topics a few days in advance.


Whether it is your own personal blog or a group blog, blogging is an excellent way to network and get your name out there. You never know where a casual connection might lead!



5 comments:

  1. This is an effective way to do this. I do a similar thing, but I invite writers to use the comments for their contributions. I'm dealing with small amounts of text rather than long blog posts, so it isn't exactly what you're recommending.

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  2. Thanks for the post, Todd. Starting groups is something that I have been contemplating for a while now. I have colleagues who do a great job at this, but it's something I have yet to venture out to do. You offer great tips for me to keep in mind.

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  3. Is it possible to create a "private" group blog? I'd like to set one up for a group I belong to so we can post only for ourselves... Thanks!

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  4. Rachel,

    Blogger and WordPress both have a password protected feature. This would enable you to accomplish your goal.

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