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4 Tips After 4 Years – Blogging on SAP Community Network

July 19, 2011 | 0 Views |
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As SAP Community Network has become THE social network for SAP professionals, its blog area has become the desired destination for blogs authored by many NEW bloggers – including many solution and product marketers, partners and consultants. The best approach to blogging on SCN combines expert knowledge AND observations, opinions and experiences. There’s no formula – its blend of art and science.

I am asked daily what the ingredients of a good blog are – from newbies looking for advice. I’ve been a part of this community for four years now, so I have seen what works and doesn’t’ in our blogging universe. Below, I share my four tips and selected blogs that are effective for one of those four reasons. Hope this helps!

My four tips:

1.     Set the right tone

2.     Talk about your topic and not your product

3.     Add media, diagrams, videos, images to make it resource rich and engaging

4.     Be provocative in title and tone; present a challenge, end with a call to action

 

            1. Set the right tone: It’s always important to write in your own voice, for sure, but there is a tone that works best for our community.     Adjectives that come to mind:

·         Informative, educational, resource-rich

·         Friendly, helpful, personal with a pay-it-forward attitude

·         Engaging, provocative, controversial, unexpected

 

  Not your father’s analytics, search and AI….”What is Watson? for 2000 please”, Vijay Vijayasankar, IBM

 

                    The specified item was not found.Synergies between SAP’s OnDemand and OnPremise efforts, Richard Hirsch, Atos

 

                 2. Talk about your topic and not your product

  Bite but no Sting : HR-XML a widely used data modelJohn Kleeman, Questionmark

 

                 3. Add media, diagrams, videos, images to make it resource rich and engaging

  Analytics for Non-Profits – Introduction, Mahesh Sharma, Direct Relief International

                    HANA and BW 7.30 – Part 1, Thomaas Zurek, SAP 

 

                 4. Be provocative in title and tone; present a challenge, end with a call to action

                    Podcast: Straight Talk about HANA with SAP, Jon Reed, JonERP.com

 

 

                    SAP’s HANA: Removing the Shackles from Terrible Data Design, Jamie Oswald, Sisters of Mercy Health System

                                    

 

Those are some of our top picks and the blogs I would show to inquisitive newbie bloggers. In addition I would suggest every newbie read all the great things my colleague Jeanne Carboni shared in her recent blog Build Better Blogs.

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8 Comments

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  1. Anton Wenzelhuemer
    If you’re producing a blog and use your custom (simple)formatting, make sure that the output is readable on all relevant channels.

    Using an ‘authoring tool’ that is not necessarily made to create webcontent(e.g. MSO) is not always the best choice available. Better

    • abstain from custom formatting or

    • use a dedicated HTML editor or

    • learn the most basic HTML

    Actually, this blog, as interesting as it is, is not well readable on the SDN Blogs mobile version which a number of people probably use to read SDN blogs.

    This tip is especially relevant for people working in marketing.

    regards, anton

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  2. Gail Moody-Byrd Post author
    Anton,
    Thanks for the info on the mobile version. the HTML language is unfamiliar to most in marketing, and has not been a requirement for posting. I did not know not having it was an issue for mobile. Our new modernized platform will help this, but for now we should address this as an SCN team. Will do.
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  3. Jeanne Carboni
    Thanks for posting this, Gail! It’s another great addition to the topic of good blogging. 

    And thanks also for the mention and link!

    Jeanne

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  4. Michelle Crapo
    It will come thru in your writing.  I like to read something that jumps off the page or calls to me.  Of course I read some of the blogs that don’t jump off the page.  BUT it’s easy to tell the blogger was knowledgeable about the subject.

    Knowledge + Excitement = a great blog

    You really should like reading blogs prior to writing one yourself.  Pick out the blogs you like – they will suit your style.  What did you like about them?  What format, style can you copy to make your blog good?  I don’t mean copy the text.  Just the general way the blog flows.

    This is a great topic for me!!!!  I love to blog.  Sometimes maybe too much.  I love to read the blogs and comment.

    Thank you for another thought provoking blog,

    Michelle

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  5. Gail Moody-Byrd Post author
    Michelle,
    Thanks for adding the “excitement” factor in tips for blogs. This must be genuine and authentic, as it is for you (I see it clearly in your blogs). Let this be everyone’s guide for topics you SHOULD be blogging about – those you have an emotional connection to.
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  7. John Kleeman
    Gail

    Thank you for an excellent article and excellent tips.

    And thank you for singling out one of my blog articles as an exemplar – I’m honoured.

    I’d add an extra tip – listen and learn, participate in the community and learn from others – don’t just treat blogging as a place to transmit. I’ve found SCN as being a place to learn hugely about the SAP ecosystem, and wanting to learn rather than broadcasting is a good way to approach participation.

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  8. Gail Moody-Byrd Post author
    John,
    Thanks for your recent more active involvement in SCN. I agree that I learn more from a blog by reading the comments than writing it. When I read the blogs of others, I always scroll to see the comments, for the rich discussion. Will continue to watch your blogs, John!
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