Okay these rules are more like suggestions.

I spoke to someone at Church who worked for a magazine for the past ten (10) years.  It was a monthly magazine which became a quarterly, then to a semi-annually to oblivion. I asked her if they have a website?  They did but when the magazine folded so did the website.  Everybody has a blog.

It's true (for the most part) that everyone has a blog.  BUT there are rules, maybe more like suggestions to make your blog make it, stand out, or even stand the test of time.  

Suggestion One (1):  Have a Niche!

I love this one because you make your own rule for this suggestion.  What is a niche? It is a shallow recess, a comfortable position in life, a specialized (preferably profitable) corner of the market, and/or a position taken by a kind of organism within its community.  In a blog, it is a topic.  

There are all sizes of niche sites.  The big niche or also called the popular niche is usually over saturated but the internet always has room for one more.  The small niche, not unpopular but does not have a wide population searching is still a good niche.  The people in this arena are close-knit and highly loyal followers. 

The idea of a niche site is then to be the authority or go to person.

Suggestion Two (2): Be the Authority

What do I mean by be the authority? You are the go to person for the information or the SME (pronounced Smee, like Mr. Smee in Peter Pan)!  A SME is the Subject Matter Expert.  Are you an expert in the subject matter that you are writing about?  

I have a few good friends who are Journalist.  They are SMEs in Journalism which is how to write and how to craft a story, but they are not usually what the story is about.  Please this is not anything about putting down Journalist, in my book they are craftsmen who I admire (at least the ones I know personally). I have people in my life who laugh at my writing ability and that has slowed me down, but they all come to me when they are having technical difficulties with computers, business, or finances. 

Suggestion Three (3): Be Organized

Organization has many facets such as planning, development, implementation, and the big picture.  There must be a concept and goal. Say you want to start a blog and make money.  Great you might succeed and you might not.  Say you want to start a blog and make $500 next month.  That is totally doable! Having a specific tangible goal is the first step in any organizational plan.  I laugh at these plans that are a little more than a fight of ideas (random thoughts).  Oh, BTW fight of ideas is a Psychiatric term. 

Once you have specific TANGABLE goals, work in reverse and list the steps that will achieve this goal.  Next implement the steps.  Yes, it is that easy.

Suggestion Four (4): Be Regular

In more way than one this is a good suggestion.  For this blog suggestion, I mean for you to post on regular intervals.  Set a schedule and kept to it!  If you want to post Blog Tips every Monday, then do it and make it known.  Christmas, New Years, Vacation, or your anniversary is going to fall on a Monday, do the work before hand and schedule the post.  It's that simple, but don't mess with the schedule – Be Regular!

Enough from me – I post Blog Tips Every Monday at 6am EST.  Feel free to comment or sign up to get these Blog Tips in your email every Monday @ 6am EST!