Dash’s Triad: 3 Steps to Successful Blogging from a Creator of New Media

Big Think had the chance to sit down this week with Anil Dash, Chief Evangelist of Six Apart, the developers of the influential and pervasive blogging platforms Movable Type and TypePad. Dash talked about technology’s influence on culture, New Media, internet pranks and boy bands.

Perhaps most relevant to us bloggers, however, were his tips on creating a successful blog. Blogging, he said, “is that fundamental act of connecting:  sharing and building a relationship with someone around the things you share with them.” Dash’s prerequisites for developing a blog are obsessions and passion.

“When somebody loves something irrationally, beyond the point of all sanity, and just wants to own that topic,” he said, “it can be interesting to you even if you wouldn’t be interested in that topic.”

Dash’s Triad to Developing Web Presence and Effective Blogging

1) Frequently update your content.

This lets the audience know you’re current and shows commitment to communicating with them over time. “There is a time stamp on every one of those updates,” said Dash. “That is a social contract that says ‘I’m going to be here’.”

2) The blog should be well written, well designed, well presented.

How readable and how discoverable your content is makes a big difference as to whether people want to share it. Links are the currency by which people discover things on the web. Dash preaches that you earn a link by having something compelling and unique that people want to share.

3) Build a relationship.

The best way to get an established site to link to your blog and amplify your message is to build a relationship. Think about what they want and make sure to reciprocate by sharing what they do as well.