Making better use of your resource box

A resource box is a small but crucial element of most websites, especially blogs. It can be used to build a rapport with your readers before you get into the substance of your post and showcase your expertise in the field. But many bloggers are doing it wrong! Don't make these mistakes when writing or designing a resource box.

1) Incorrectly using bullet points - don't use them as an excuse to skip reading through your favorite articles - they should always complement what you've written and never detract from it 2) Inappropriate use of citations - if you're citing an article on nutrition, for instance, it's not appropriate to say "I read something about this" rather than "according to this study"...it's all too easy to become over-reliant on those little bullets! 3) Not sufficiently distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant content - many bloggers will post articles about a wide variety of topics, but never include it in their resource box. This can be annoying to your readers because they don't know when an article might be of interest to them. 4) Adding extraneous text or images in the resource box - don't overdo it; the purpose of a resource box is to communicate information, not communicate as much as possible 5) Not noting where your content came from - if you click on an article and it takes you to a link, don't have them say "This article is from ___________.com" because they might go back to your site, but click on a different post and never see your resource box again 6) Being unclear about what you're offering - don't go into lengthy details about your services or product, just offer an explanation of it in the first sentence or two

Resource boxes should include a number of key elements: A brief description of what you do and who you serve; your credentials; how people can subscribe to your blog (which is often optional); and social media buttons. With that information, readers can decide whether or not they want to read any more. They should be doing just that!

If you are interested in learning how to make better use of your resource box, check out www.BarkingUpthe Wrong Tree.com

Here are a few of my favorite resources: http://about.me/leilabloggers http://www.bloggerlife.com/how-to-write-a-great-resource-box/

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Conclusion: It is important to register a blog as soon as it is created and it should be done when you have an account with a free blog hosting site. We are lucky to have the best of free blog hosting sites like Blogger, WordPress, Typepad and Blogspot. It is not necessary to pay for these services but I think that it is a great idea in the long run since Blogspot itself was founded by Paul English and he is not exactly the cheapest among these free easy blog hosting sites.