Five Lessons Your Dog Can Teach You About Blogging

© Krista Stryker 2011

There's a reason why dogs are so often called man's best friend.

They're devoted to us.  They make us laugh.  They're always there to greet us after a long day.

In fact, dogs can teach us a thing or two about blogging.  Or more specifically, five things: 

1.  Loyalty 

Any dog lover knows that one of the best things about the furry creatures is that they're incredibly loyal.  They'll stick by your side no matter what.

This same lesson can be applied to blogging.  If you're loyal to your readers, if you stick with them through their ups and downs, and pay attention to their comments and concerns, they'll return the loyalty.  

In turn, this loyal readership will translate into higher traffic numbers, greater RSS/e-mail subscription rates and if you offer products or services on your blog, higher sales.  

2.  Personality 

Though she may annoy me at times with her constant need for attention, my two-year-old Beagle, Rocket (pictured above), is never short on personality.  She has an endless number of quirks, and I would never mistake another dog for her because of these easily recognizable traits.

Similarly, you need to insert your personality into your blog.  Your readers want to get to know you, and will relate to your posts much more if you talk about your kids, the terrible day you had yesterday, or of course, your pets.  

Just make sure you relate your experiences back to your blog topic so your readers don't get lost.

3.  Humor

Another reason dogs make great companions: they make us laugh.  

Dogs have all sorts of funny habits that make us humans smile even when we're having a bad day.  My dog does this thing my husband and I call "flat dog" - she lays on her belly with all four legs extended, seemingly defying the laws of physics - and it never ceases to get a chuckle out of me. 

Add humor to your blog posts!  Humor lifts the mood of any writing, and can be especially beneficial to lighten up a more boring, informational topic, but adds value to any post.

4.  Playfulness

Rocket is always ready to play.  As a Beagle, she's not as into playing fetch as other breeds, but one of her favorite activities in the entire world is to go to the dog park.  

She'll run in circles and play with the other dogs for as long as I can keep myself from getting bored (I know, bad owner).  

Add a sense of playfulness to your blog posts.  

I realize this isn't possible with every topic and every post, but readers will be much more likely to want to come back if you add some fun here and there to your writing rather than keeping it all doom and gloom and seriousness.  

5.  Forgiveness 

Going along with their loyalty tendencies, dogs have a wonderful ability to forgive, no matter what.  

For instance, I just gave my dog a bath - her least favorite activity in the world aside from being in a car - and though she was not exactly happy at the time, she quickly forgave me and is now laying at my feet while I write.

Forgive your readers if they don't like your post.  

Or if someone makes a mean comment you don't think you deserved, or don't comment as often as you'd like.  

Or, simply, if they choose to not come back.  

You can't please everyone all of the time.  

Just do your best to keep readers as engaged as possible, and don't take it personally when someone criticizes you or doesn't like what you have to say.

Similarly, forgive your fellow bloggers for their bad days as well - no one is perfect!

So the next time you're looking for blogging inspiration, look no further than your four-legged friend.  That wagging tail may be just the push you need to spark your creativity and get your blog to the next level.