Blog Challenge – Day 2′s assignment is writing a list post. I was going to reuse a post I wrote a few months ago about Social Media Myths, but then I thought – hey, I want to make each of these posts helpful for all you aspiring blog writers out there. So this list is coming directly from the book we are using for the Blog Challenge – 31 Days to Build a Better Blog by Darren Rowse of ProBlogger.

Lists are popular because:

1. Lists are scannable—online readers are notoriously lazy and tend to scan content rather than read it word for word. A list helps communicate a number of points quickly and easily, and helps readers know if a post contains information of interest to them that they should actually read more of.

2. Lists keep posts succinct—there is something about a list that keeps you as a blogger from rambling. Each point has a start and end, whereas with an essay style of writing, points often bleed into one another.

3. Lists look neat—I don’t know about you but when I surf onto a site that’s full of messily formatted text I tend to keep my stay short. Lists, on the other hand, can be visually pleasing and more likely to stimulate reading.

4. Lists can be comprehensive—while some might argue that lists dumb down ideas and concepts, when written well they are actually just as comprehensive as any other style of writing.

5. Lists are persuasive—if you want to mount a case quickly, presenting numerous arguments in a list can be quite convincing. Again, it’s about identifiable points that together go to forming a convincing argument.

6. Lists can add to the ease of writing—I like writing in lists because they break down my thoughts into bite-sized pieces, which is good for my readers and me as a writer, as I consider how to express myself.

7. Lists go viral—lists can start epidemics of ideas. For the above reasons and more, bloggers and social media aficionados seem to love sharing lists and, as a result, they spread quickly throughout the web (and beyond).

8. Lists break down the complicated—one reason I find list posts to be powerful is that they can break down complex ideas or tasks.

There are many sites on the web where you can find ideas to stimulate your writing. You could look for list articles and do as I did with a list post by Peter Wylie. See my post and Peter’s full article here.

Happy Blogging!

See Have Blog – Will Promote!

 

Written by Laura on August 24th, 2010

 

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