March 7th
2007
If you are -skimming across this post- now thinking "wow where is that coming from"? Well, deliciousdays.com just turned TWO (Yay!) and we thought about sharing some of our thoughts around blogging.
With two years of food blogging experience on our backs today, we felt it was time for a little reflection, a compilation of the most important do's and don'ts of foodblogging. Some are obvious and relate to blogging in general, others may not be, and I'm sure there are some you'll think totally different about. All of them reflect our very personal point of view and are supposed to give food blogging newbies a condensed survey over the most relevant topics when starting your own blog adventure.
Create value - Reader come back!This one almost goes without saying: provide value to your readers. Share quality recipes, restaurant insights or other useful information that makes your readers want to come back for more and become a regular reader of your blog. The number of food blogs has grown exponentially, the daily photo of your dinner may have been getting applause years ago but it won't attract many readers today - unless it's accompanied by a mouthwatering recipe that everybody is dying to replicate or a captivating story. Ask yourself what benefits you can offer to your readers and the food blogging community and share your knowledge.
You have prepared the most wonderful Croquembouche, managed to shoot a fantastic photo your readers literally are licking off their screens and then there's no recipe, no advice on how to prepare such a masterpiece or any tips whatsoever on how to avoid possible pitfalls? That's like teasing your best friend with a handful of goodies - and then eating them all by yourself. Your kitchen experience is what others can benefit from, share it!
Blog outfit - Dress code! Just like your domain name, the layout and design of your blog is part of a very first impression you leave behind. It doesn't have to be complex or detailed to the nth degree but should complement your quality content. Remember, most readers give a new site only a few seconds to convince them to stay or leave - just not long enough for the content alone to be convincing! Depending on your web skills, you may use an available template or design one yourself. For an inspirational jump-start, have a look at your favorite websites, or visit one of the many CSS galleries here. Design portals can be good source for the latest trends in web design, but the cleaner your layout will be, the longer you and your readers will enjoy it.
Usability: Another big issue, a 7 pixel font looks great on a 640x480 screen, but the de-facto standard has already passed 800x600 screen resolutions. Depending on how serious you take it, check with different browsers and use tools that help detect possible code errors (e.g. CSS & XHTML validators), but don't go overboard, it's virtually impossible to always guarantee 100% XHTML & CSS compliance.
Technology & tools - Make 'em work
for you! The Internet is constantly changing and so are the technologies that make it hum. Keep an eye on evolving trends, without blindly following each and everyone. A few basic thoughts:
Getting your own domain: Your domain. If you're happy to be a prefix, ie. myfoodat.blogspot.com you don't need to get a domain of your own. But make this decision consciously, firstly it's part of your "business card" and secondly, if you reconsider - just like any other move in real-life - it may entail, albeit temporary, a disruption of your blogging business. Just think of all the other sites that will have linked to you by then. Starter webhosting packages are cheap and can easily, depending on your growing interest in blogging, be upgraded to a more powerful package.
Your blogging platform of choice: Are you a blogger.com, TypePad, Wordpress or perhaps Textpattern kinda guy or gal? Think of your individual requirements: How often will you post, what content will you offer (text, podcasts, video etc.), what functionality will you provide and so forth. This chart will get you started: blog software comparison. No worries, none of the available platforms requires you to be a programmer, but a decent understanding of the variety of web technologies helps. Your choice may be influenced on either your existing level of knowledge around HTML, PHP, CSS etc. or your eagerness to dive into it. Knowing how to tweak your blog yourself can be very handy! Or know someone that knows how to...
The geek factor: Some funky features are surely nice to have but do little for usability, while others are expected to be found on your blog. Search and RSS features for instance. With RSS certainly being one of the most controversially talked about topics, the discussion has become a religious battle between full vs. partial content feeds. The net is full of pros and cons, go see for yourself. Our take is simple: We treasure and love to support our RSS readers, but do not want to become an assembly line for content scrapers - we like to present our articles in the context of our blog. Like it or not.
Available bells and whistles: With all the resources available, chances are the functional piece you're looking for, has been developed by someone somewhere - no need to reinvent the wheel. For Wordpress users, a zillion plugins can be found here. A few others here. If you do invent the wheel, sharing your knowledge is not only a fine way of contributing to the blogging community, but also may lead to increased popularity and traffic!
Blog identity - Blog ID, please! Be different: With the many new food blogs popping up every day, it's important to create your own blogging identity; stand out from the crowd, be unique. Easier said than done, you have multiple options to differentiate yourself: pick an extraordinary niche (Deep End Dining and the Cupcake Bakeshop are good examples here), be visually creative (check out Lobstersquad) or amuse your readers with your witty writing (like one of a kind David Lebovitz).
Be yourself: Yet above all, be yourself, show personality and develop your own style! Why do you appreciate the company of your real life friends? Because they are who they are, a good mix of lovable traits and individual quirks. Give your readers a chance to get a glimpse of the person behind the blog and allow them to connect with you, setup an about page with a portrait. Part of human nature is curiosity, if a blog doesn't reveal anything about its author and I can't find an about page, I'm not very likely to return. If you don't want to be approachable and stay anonymous, fine, but maybe a public blog is not the perfect choice for you.
Posts - Daily business! Posts are the publishing unit, the body of your blog. They may consist of food essays, food-related anecdotes, news, recipes, how-to instructions or restaurant experiences and the list goes on.
Focus: Keep your focus. Dedicate your blog to a certain subject and stick to it. An occasional excursion is a non issue, but readers may stay away, if you keep mixing unrelated topics within one blog.
Content: Avoid useless content, the web is already full of crap nobody needs. Don't go for mass production, put quality over quantity (see "Create value" above). One well written post a week is better than a poorly written daily post with no point. Time is precious, you don't want to bore your readers. This applies to a chosen subject as well, don't follow each and every hype or trend: if 99 bloggers have already written about the wondrous no-knead bread, what are the odds your readers go crazy about your article?
Regularity: Write regularly. Cautiously reflect what posting frequency is best for you and your schedule (less oftentimes is more!) and stick to it. New blogs often make the mistake to post daily, until they get struck by blogging antipathy and continue to only blog twice a month. It puts readers off, when they check back with your blog just to find no sign of life for weeks. While there's no limit to the blogging frequency per se other than the concern of the quality of your content, a minimum of one post per week keeps a steady lifeline.
Headlines: Pay attention to your headlines. They not only assume an important role with search engines, but can function as a door opener (think of your RSS feed subscribers) and are supposed to create curiosity and lure encourage your readers to read the entire article. Philosophical headlines do work, yet when they get too blurry, people may miss your point. Food blogging is not really about creating tension, so you may as well tell your readers in your headline what your latest post is all about.
Sustainability: Keep in mind that every word and photo you publish on the web can not only be seen by friends and readers at large, but of course by your co-workers or future bosses. As soon as the site gets indexed by search engines and caching proxies a simple delete won't do. Sometimes it's good practice to sleep over a post (e.g. a bad restaurant review) before finally publishing it, giving you time to re-think your claims. Don't get carried away by your inital anger. Especially negative press can have a huge impact, so write your conclusions with caution and rationalize them thoroughly.
Commenting - Say it! Comments are a fantastic way to communicate with other bloggers, to stir discussions and exchange experiences.
Leaving comments: Think of your comment as the written equivalent to how you'd address somebody in real life. And beyond just expressing your thoughts, it is a key way for others to discover your blog. A few simple rules: Make what you have to say understandable, avoid spelling mistakes, be polite. Read the whole post before commenting, to avoid asking questions which already have been answered in the post. Avoid two word comments like "Great pictures", "Fantastic post" or generic questions that Google would be quite happy to comprehensively answer, e.g. "What is cumin?". Don't promote your blog in your comment text, usually your name will link to your blog already, an extra URL in the comment itself may appear a bit desperate. If the comment section doesn't support link tags <a> (for useful information, interesting cross references), use TinyURL to turn a long and cryptic URL into a short one. Nice side-effect: The blog layout won't get all messed up. Don't advertise in comments.
Answering comments: I'm sure everyone has gone through the same process: In the early beginning of a blog life you are eager to answer each and every comment right away (and drive comment count up), but there comes a time when it just isn't possible anymore. At least when your having a regular day job and a life outside of the blog. Remember, you started your blog to have fun, not to have a burden to deal with. A good workable trade off we usually achieve: answer each question or inquiry before writing your next post. We try anyway!
Spams comments: As soon as your blog is online you will have to deal with spam comments. Different systems, filters, plugins and/or using moderation queues may help to cope with it, it's annoying nevertheless. Any comments obviously not related to the associated post, instead containing questionable content and/or linking to a companies' website, we consider spam and delete. That happens at the speed of light.
Insulting comments: There's no need for rude and hurtful comments in this world, it's your blog, you make the rules. Some trolls out there get a kick out of this, don't give them room for their screwed self. Would you welcome visitors insulting you in your own home? Don't argue with them, send them straight to the trash bin (the comments of course)! It's not worth a second thought.
Photography - Say cheese! With digital photography entering all areas of our daily life, we're almost always armed with a camera. For good and for bad.
Food photography: A (good) image speaks more than a thousand words (a bad one does too, but different words), if you can handle your camera well, mouthwatering photography can become a principal reason for others to visit your blog. Although high-quality food photography is tricky, some food bloggers manage to show fantastic and professional looking results. These tips help you getting started.
Restaurant photography: Common sensus is to be as discreet as possible (no flashes) and respect a restaurant's explicit wish not to have pictures taken, more details here. Think about the patron's position for a second, who wants to find blurry pictures with an unappetizing yellow tint of the dishes and restaurant on the internet? Who wants to see blurry restaurant shots anyway (outside of the occasional exception to the rule)?
People photography: Different laws apply in different countries. To be on the safe side - and there is no reason not to - ask for permisson to take the photo and if they mind being published on a blog.
Recipes - Feed me! Food blogs make it dead easy to find tempting recipes from all over the globe. Ever spent hours in the kitchen, sweating to get that superb looking recipe from your glossy cookbook right and then fail due to nonsensical/incomplete instructions? Got to hate it, a waste of ingredients, time and muse. You don't want to do that to your readers, do you? Be as precise with your recipes and instructions as possible. Do mention issues that may arise throughout the process, provide workarounds if you have them. Every little bit of information that will help your readers to successfully recreate your recipes will be appreciated. If your recipe is an adaptation from a cookbook or was inspired by another blogger, give credit. Never copy a recipe verbatim from a book, unless the publishing house has approved!
Copyrights - Copycats aren't cute! When does inspiration cross the line and become plagiarism? Admittedly, it's a bit of a gray area unless someone is bluntly taking your content and claims it as his/hers. And better yet, put their own copyright underneath it. Remember, while copyright law protects code, images, audio and text - anything that’s tangible - it does not protect the idea of a site layout - it does however protect the code pieces you used to achieve your own Look&Feel. Many bloggers and readers have a tenacious memory and will alert the original copyright holder about possible copyright infringement. So if you intend to use a photo, podcast etc. from another blog, ask for permission, host it on your own webspace giving proper credit with a link back to the original source. No hot-linking whatsoever! Respect the effort others put into their work and don't copy it!
Links - Group hug! If blogs had a monetary currency, it would be called links. Links are the most powerful tool in the blogging world, your blog will literally stay invisible, if no one links to it.
Blogrolls: A summary of your favorite links, usually placed on your blog's homepage (sidebar), reflecting your regular blog reading routine. If the list gets out of control and you end up with a gigantic link farm, the whole purpose of showing your appreciation for those blogs is defeated, well, at least diminished. Keep the list up to date. There's no excuse to not have a blogroll - remember, if nobody would have your blog on their blogroll, only very few people would find you.
Links to posts/trackbacks: Trackbacks (your blogging platform of choice will handle those) and links within your posts to other related articles keeps the blog world interconnected. They helps to discover related topics and foster community networks. If another blog links to you in an article and drives a great number of visitors along your way, you're happy and thankful. Why not do the same for other bloggers? Linking is the easiest way of actively participating and becoming part of the foodblogging community; don't wait for others to start, go for it! It's also a good way to get discovered, since your blog will appear in the other blogs' referrer statistics, this blogger is likely to check out your blog! Share some link love!
Reciprocal links: Never ever ask for link exchange! The emails we get in that regard, all sound like something a child would say in kindergarten: "If you do this, I will do that". If you want to be recognized, work for it, leave quality comments on your favorite blogs and link to them; chances are you will be linked after some time - but don't ever claim the right to be linked - that'd be simply counterproductive!
Increasing traffic - This way, please! Mingle! Be out there, don't hide behind your blog thinking that someday someone will notice you - it may happen, but why not be a little pro-active: participate in blog events, conversations on other blogs, link to other blogs, leave valuable comments (see thoughts on links and comments above), but don't overdo it. The term comment whoring sounds a bit harsh, but you get the point.
Self-promotion: If a blogger takes himself too seriously and self-promotion becomes a constant theme on his/her blog, it may put off readers. Social bookmarking sites of the likes of del.icio.us and Digg can help to promote your blog. Although submitting your own posts can be viewed as a narcissistic thing to do, offering functional elements on your blog (read: buttons) to encourage submission of your content can help to get the word out. What it comes down to is a debate about organic growth versus forced growth, apply common sense. Directory listings we find useless concerning the additional traffic they bring, further Technorati has been very unreliable we think and so do others.
SEO: Search Engine Optimization = optimizing your content to rank well in the search engines, involving the use of targeted key words in specific places (like headlines) to cater to a search engine algorithm. Many perceive it as being overrated and value referral traffic (links from other bloggers) much higher and those will automatically come with quality content.
Blog statistics: Be on top of what's going on on your blog, but don't get obsessed with it and more importantly take those numbers with a grain of salt. Comparing your own stats with those of others is difficult, due to the use of different nomenclature (hits vs. unique visitors vs. page requests vs. http requests) and tools used to measure those. It's great to find out who links to you, the posts your visitors frequent the most, but again keep in mind that these analytical tools not always produce accurate results.
Advertising - Payday! In principle: Regardless of the level of idealism you throw into the mix, the more successful you become the more you'll realize that owning a blog comes with hidden costs. Cost associated with reviewing products or simply hosting costs per se. With all the time and effort going into the writing, why shouldn’t you be rewarded?
Ads: Beware of changing the sole purpose of your writing towards appeasing current and attracting new sponsors. If your focus shifts from living your passion to making money, it'll be obvious to your readers and will possibly drive them away. Proper ad placement without being obnoxious is key, rather to the expense of the one or other click than throwing flashy ads at your treasured readers. Worse yet: ads within posts. Shoot for subtle ad placement versus a cluttered up blog. You can always learn a thing or two from the problogger. Most important: keep your blog integrity. So far, we've declined more than 50 % of all incoming ad requests just because we didn't feel comfortable running them. Money's not everything - anyway, it's solely your decision.
Interaction with readers, press and
public relations Emails: You'll be getting a lot of these. Some asking for link exchanges, some want to send you stuff, others request foodie tips and there'll always be a few that are just simply weird. These inquiries are mostly kept in a kind tone, but you'll be surprised how demanding people can get. And those oftentimes don't even bother to reply with a Thank You note. Lesson learned: take incoming emails seriously (unless they're obvious spam) but watch your enthusiasm in responding - you may never hear back!
Interviews: Don't be shy about giving interviews, it's a great way to shout out your mission statement outside of your blog and helps to broaden your audience. Most times you don't get to review the interview before it goes live, but it can't hurt to ask for an upfront copy.
Reviews: Do product reviews go against the basics of good ethical blogging? There is nothing wrong with accepting freebies, what is important is transparency. Be upfront with the inquiring company, that you don't promise anything, especially not a positive review in exchange for a free product sample, and give them a chance to back out. Alert your readers and make them aware when you talk about a sponsored product, especially when doing so positively. We have not yet heard of food bloggers reviewing products for money, but that would certainly cross the line of what we consider ethical blogging.
Public relations: Sadly, many companies still don't have a clue about how to properly approach bloggers in marketing matters, we get embarrassingly bad written emails every other day - how about this one we just found in our inbox (from an online business company): "Can You add my link to your blog? I'll add your blog to our directory of course. I can add your link first."
Elise wrote a very helpful guide for the ambitious but incapable PR person.
Have a life - and live it! Let's recap, you started your blog to have fun, it's not meant to become a burden. Work your blogging frequency around your business and private life, don't cut back on relaxing and meeting friends. You don't want to become a square-eyed geek who rarely sees the sun, do you? Before blogging becomes an unloved discipline and you're running out of energy, take a blog break, enjoy real life and refresh your perspective. Don't become obsessed with blogging rituals, try not to annoy friends and family with taking food pictures while everybody is dying to start, keep the pawlow reflex under control and your camera (at least occasionally) off the table. And surprise your friends by declining an offer to take pictures of their dessert with a generous "nah, not right now, let's eat".
Have fun and break rules At times a blog can be hard work, time consuming, tiring, requiring discipline, but overall IT'S FUN! Remind yourself that writing is not a race, shouldn't stress you (much) and if you made a mistake - so what? Just like in real life, be upfront about it and move on. Don't force it, good things will happen over time or as a surprise, cut yourself some slack. Don't define yourself through your blog and do not take ups and downs personal - simply don't take yourself too seriously...and break some rules - if you do, do it all the way and make it a virtue.
I'm sure we missed to mention the one or other point (check out Foodblogscool for even more infos), feel free to add your take and perception in the comment section. What do you like in particular, what annoys you on a foodblog?
this is a fantastic post. and i think very useful. i think it's hard for a lot of us to maintain regular posting if we have very demanding jobs that have nothing to do with web, design, cooking, or writing - like me :) but it's still a labor of love so it's almost indulgent to make time for it. and lastly, not not least important - happy 2nd birthday!!
Very wonderfully written, Nicky! I especially enjoyed the part about commenting and responding to readers. It gets hard to respond to every comment sometimes, and I too try to get to them before I write my next post. And if I miss any in between, I just hope they don't get offended! :)
Thanks for the links in between, especially those to HTML and other tips, very helpful!
And before I forget, Happy 2nd birthday!! Where's the cake?
if my food blog was a fifth what yours is i'd be very happy. Thanks for taking the time out to write this, really giving something back, good to see! I hate comment whoring but feel it is always what i am up to with a new blog! What are your takes on food video blogs like mine, are they the future, are text blogs finished or do we all have a happy future together?
This is an outstanding post with sound advice for all bloggers. I appreciate the time and effort that you put into this one (as you do for all your posts).
You follow your principles, and clearly it has paid off. Your blog truly is delicious.
Happy 2nd Blog B-day! I'm enjoying your blog tremendously! These are definitely great tips. Thanks for sharing!
WOW, for me as a beginner in the foodblog-community (since 2months!) these are very helpful notes! Vielen,vielen Dank........
Greetings from Berlin,
Martin
thanks a lot for all those interesting and useful tips
Be yourself and don't forget to enjoy !
It's not a job , it's only a hobby .
Don't be serious .
Keep your intimity .
Only beautiful photos , not many but one well-done is enough.
These are my rules .
What do you think about them ?
Wow, 2 years, congrats.
And I'll never ever write anything about wonderful pics and such things even if I feel myself overwhelmed and breathless by some photographs.Thank you to share so many useful information about blogging.
Brigitte
it’s virtually impossible to always guarantee 100% XHTML & CSS compliance.
I must disagree with this statement, it is no where near virtually impossible to have 100% compliant code. This page for instance has 6 errors and 3 warnings and they would be quite simple to fix.
EDIT Nicky: Thanks! Fixed now.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write all these tips... I've been blogging for a while now, but feel like I am only just starting to focus more specifically on food (becoming an obsession!) and perhaps I need to think about the direction I am going in...
I am new to your blog and am thrilled with this post . The generosity of spirit in sharing tried and tested tips is, I agree, part of the essence of food blogging and cooking as a whole. I'll try to take as much as possible on board. Happy Birthday and enjoy the cake when it comes (even if you have to make it yourself!)
I'm a newbie to this blogging world and your post was incredibly helpful, especially the admonition that you might want to take a break every now and then. I was beginning to feel like I was annoying my friends and partner with my constant picture-taking :)
Thanks for sharing your views on the techie stuff, as well. I was wondering if bloggers were a secretive group, not wanting to help the New Guy and share trade secrets. It's refreshing to see that bloggers are open and honest and willing to help the newbies.
I'm making my way slowly and it's nice to hear, "just have fun with it" because that's why I started!
I’m right in the middle of setting up my own foodblog and have to say your list is a tremendous help for me (and others) to avoid typical mistakes. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and taking the time to write such a profound essay!
Thank you so much for taking the trouble to write out such a detailed article giving novices like me an insight to food blogging.I agree with you on the quality of matter and reader value.I'm fairly new and have been tyring to get my blog noticed.Your article has given me many points to ponder on and definetaly a new perspective.
And oh by the way just yesterday i tried your mini bagels and i had a slight problem.I followed your recipe but my bagels bottoms stuck to the baking paper and eventually i had to rip them off and it was'nt too pretty.They tasted alrite but what do you reckon went wrong ? I'm guessing the oven.I am going to try it again in my oven this time and see.I'll keep u posted.Thanks again......
And congratulations on your 2nd Blog Birthday.
Euch, wie der Mittagesser schon sagte: Queens & Kings o’ Foodblogg’n, alles Gute zum Geburtstag mit eurem Blog! Der Blog ist wunderbar, und ich genieße ihn sehr. Was ihr macht, ist hervorragend! Vielen Dank dafür. Eine ganz kleine Kritik würde ich aber gerne anbringen, wenn ich darf: Die Site ist durch das neue Design unübersichtlicher geworden. Vor allem vermisse ich den stets so schönen Header, da kann der neue nicht mithalten. Ansonsten: Danke!
Merci beaucoup for the great article. I'm in the process of trying to improve my blog, so you're tips have come in really handy.
Love your blog, specially you're articles on Munich. I lived in Landshut for 5 years, have a sudden craving for some leberkaes and bretzeln. Not sure how easy it will be to track that down in Paris.
Keep up the good work.
Bisous
This is one of the best "Do´s and Don´ts" in my knon Blogsphere. Thanks a lot for this intense article. I was always thinking about running my own foodblog and I get more and more confidence that it could work out if you only put 10% of the passion and energy in it that you two do.
I will think about it and we will see...
Thanks!
Wie löst ihr das mit den unendlich vielen SPAM mails? Ihr seid ja davon frei oder wie geht das?
Forget Blogging For Dummies, this blogging guide is way better. Holly from decor8 told me about your blog and I really enjoy it. My husband and I are making a trip to Munich in October and can't wait to check out some of places I've read about here! erinn*
This is a fantastic guide. Well done :)
Grace
Happy blogbirthday ....
Great, great post (:
Very useful for building up my (non food, sorry) blog.
Happy Birthday! And thank you for sharing what these two years have taught you. Considering the traffic you have and the fantastic reviews you get, it would be stupid not to take some of your advise to heart. Blogs -- food blogs in particular -- are such a fun thing, quite an amazing means of communication. Funny thing is that they haven't been around that long, but I can't even recall what life was without them. :-)
Good luck with this year!
We've been visiting ever since July, 2006. I never leave a comment and for that I'm sorry, this is one of our favorite food blogs and definitly one of the best. Question, I think our blog contains a few of those "Dont-do's". I'm a Chef in central Fl. and my wife is a fashion consultant. We love to blog but really don't have the time to create and photograph incredible, cutting edge dishes everyday. What I decided to do instead was join an affiliate marketing firm where I can showcase the exquisite foods we love, and write about them. I don't care if anyone actually purchases these products, I just enjoy putting them out there. My question is, do you think this turns people away, or interests them to read on? I can't help but feel a little weird when it's not actually MY food. Any advice? Thanks.
wow - great post, great site
Thank you, Thank you! I am (as many have commented here) a new blogger. The information you offer here is tremendous! I know this is not going to be the only time I come back to this particular post.
And, Happy Anniversary! I look forward to reading many more years of posts here.
Happy blog birthday! I'm not a food blogger but an avid reader and think you have written an extremely neat and helpful guide. You are right, it annoys readers (at least me!), when a blogger raves about his home-cooked dish but does not add the recipe.
awesome tips that I ever had. This post is inspired me to restart my food blog again. Thanks...
very informative post. actually funny as well which is good. i think too often non-professional (food) bloggers forget there is life outside the food blogosphere as well, and they take themselves too seriously. at times it feels there is little fun and a lot of work, and i am sure no one longs for a second job :).
Thanks for this post. It's really useful for me because some friends and I are going to open a wiki with all out recipes.
You have a wonderful site so it's very generous of you to share your blogging philosophy with us. Not to mention very educational. Such sound advice, especially the last two parts--have a life and keep it fun. That's why most of us get into blogging in the first place and for it to become a burden defeats the purpose. It's funny, I was cooking dinner with some friends the other night, and they asked, "Don't you want to take photos for your blog?" And I replied, "No, sometimes I like to keep my food experiences just between friends." They were both a bit surprised and relieved. Happy B-Day!
We just launched our blog a few months ago and your tips are fantastically helpful! I am printing them now to pass along to my team. Thanks so much and happy 2nd bday! :)
I've not been blogging for very long and like a lot of the others who've left comments I found this article to be very useful. Thanks and happy blogbirthday!
Bonne anniversaire!
Your blog has always been an inspiration; the great photos and extraordinary design, coupled with the personalized (and yes, witty!) writing have made for many delicious:days around the blogosphere.
Part of having a blog is getting to meet great people from around the world. We don't always meet in person, but it's nice for me to be able to pay a visit to Nicky & Olvier's Munich from time to time via your site.
(Or via care packages!)
Thank you for taking the time and energy to put this together. I have been blogging for a while now but this really helps. Great list of do's and don't's! You have one of the best blogs out there, in my humble opinion, and it's great that you are so generous eith your expertise! :)
Congrats on 2 years and a hearty 'thank you' for the blogging advice. I'm relatively new at blogging and wondered where to find information on dos and don'ts. Now I know of a few things I should do that I haven't and a couple that I should stop doing.
Your advice about maintaining a life/blog balance is crucial. Let's face it, people get into food blogging because they are already devoting substantial time towards cooking and eating. Blogging exponentially increases that commitment. Your post is beyond excellent, it is comprehensive.
Great photos. Oh wait, great post. Oh wait, no really, I mean it! I've had one half as comprehensive circulating in the back of my brain, now that yours is done, that bit of my brain can rest. Thanks for the leadership ...
Very good Post. I just started blogging a few months ago and I'm learning a long the way about the blogging world. It was very nice to read all your tips.
Very informative post, thank you. Happy 2nd b-day.
[...] guess posting frequently is a good idea. A very good post on blogging from Delicious Days which always has fabulous photography and recipes. Happy 2nd blog [...]
Happy birthday to Delicious Days! And many more!!!
Happy Blog Birthday! Thank you for the great post and informative points. If only I had your computer and design skills!
Thx a lot for this brilliant article. Many things U mentioned were in our mind, but some are new and helpful. Congratulations to 2!
Happy blog birthday and thanks for taking the time to share your expertise. Very nice job summing up a lot of information.
Happy anniversary.
You are right about the photos. I come here from time to time just to drool over them. I don't cook much and will never try those recipes but the photos. Yum.
Happy Birthday, Delicious Days! Your photos and passion for food are an inspiration ^_^
Excellent post - I agree with most of what you've written. Definitely worth reading whether you're a new food blogger or have been at it for years. Happy 2nd birthday!
Happy blog day. I guess that's as bad as saying "great post" or "fantastic photo". ;)
Congratulations on an excellent blog. Your attention to detail never ceases to amaze me.
Thank you for giving us this present for your birthday. True excellent an elegant as ever. Where ist the „print” button?
Nicky - This is an amazing guideline. If this post existed a year ago, my blogging life would have been a lot easier.
A year ago, it was Delicious Days and Nordljus that inspired me to start a food blog on my own and it truly added a new dimension to my life. Thanks for the constant inspiration and happy 2nd birthday!
Dear Nicky & Oliver - happy blog birthday! The above comprehensive do's & don't's is indeed more like a foodblogging philosophy:) Your site has wonderful design, and beautiful photography, and eventhou we've never met, I feel I get a sense of your very admirable, and even inspirational, lifestyle. Here's for many more years of blogging!
Hi Nicky & Oliver, happy 2nd blog birthday!
What a great comprehensive Dos & Donts - it should be a foodblogging bible. I can relate and agree to 'most' of what you've written above.
Here's to more quality blogging! :)
That's an amazing list of tips... I just started my food blog and I'll try to follow that list for it.
Thank you
*** Thanks everyone for your wonderful feedback and birthday wishes! Looking forward to another 365 days with you on board!
Hi Niall, I think there is a place for everyone, especially in times (WEB 2.0) where everything seems to become bigger (e.g. fonts) and more colorful it is good to have a few quieter places to retreat to. Some prefer video blogs, others prefer to read text entries, I see a happy future together - like you said ;)
Lili63, Thanks for your additions, I agree one good photo is much better than an array of mediocre ones.
dah, Considering various sources of input, some of which you don't have control over (3rd party content), makes it tough to guarantee compliance. Regarding one's own code/content, sure that certainly can be be made W3C compliant at all times, but at what expense, provided one has the technical skills (which not everyone has)...
Kate, Hmmm, I haven't experienced a problem with these bagels so far, but maybe you want to try a silicone mat instead? They are reusable and so far I haven't found anything in my kitchen (even caramel decorations) that glued to it. Or you could spread a thin layer of semolina (gives the baked goods a crunchy bottom) across the baking paper before placing the bagels on it, should help, too.
Gloria, Spam bekommen wir jeden Tag in Unmengen, sowohl in Form von Kommentaren wie auch Emails. Comment-Spam können wir gut mit Wordpress' eigener Spam-Blacklist und Oliver's Plugin im Zaum halten, Email-Spam per Spamfilter, sowohl per Internet Provider, als auch per unserem Email Client (Thunderbird).
Erinn, Let me know, if you need any more recommendations for your trip to Munich ;)
Hi Tom, Difficult question. I personally only read other peoples reviews or product features, if I'm already an avid consumer of their blog and somewhat of a relationship and basis of trust has been established and thus know I can follow their recommendations, but maybe others think differently about this?
Tanks for a post that is really helpful for new foodbloggers like myself. I agree that one of the most important things is to offer something people can't get elsewhere- whether it be writing, recipes, reviews, or a unique perspective. I have already learned a lot hands on and will be incorporating your advice to continuously improve!
Thanks a lot, I really appreciate your tips and recommendations, they are very useful : we all want to do things well and that our foodblogs become interesting and it's not always easy.
Absolutely wonderful and encouranging information. I have found this so useful. Great job and keep up the good work. I will be putting a link to you on my site. Thank you so much for making some things more clear. Cheers Amelita
Thank you for sharing your experience. You confirm what I was doing right. But most importantly, you give me food for thought to help me build my readership.
I was interviewed yesterday by a university student for a school paper about this subject. I will pass along your post to him. Happy 2nd Anniversary!
Whether you're a new blogger or a pro, great, informative piece. Happy 2nd birthday from another 2-year-old. ;)
I wish I'd thought to get my own domain before I was a year and a half into publishing my first site. They're so affordable these days that even if your enthusiasm dwindles, you haven't really lost anything.
What a wonderfull article. I am new to the blog world, and you have given me many wise and informative tips which I will use with care as I enter this new world
I'm grateful for your insights and advice. I have my own domain name for my website (www.claire-walter.com) with links to my three blogs (including a culinary one), but I've been content with a blogspot URL for the blogs themselves. Also, I've made do with blogger's template -- serviceable, but uninspiring.
Thank you for sharing this excellent overview and Happy blog birthday!
Thank you for a great list of good things to do. I need to work on the technical part. Been contemplating whether or not to stay as a "prefix" or not . Also need to get that "feed thingy" more prominent. I think I just have that Atom thing on the end. Probably should just give my kids my password and ask them to update some things!
fantastic 101! i'll link this up in my post about food blogging. thanks and happy blog anniversary!
This post is an essential primer for all bloggers. Thanks so much for sharing your expertise and inspiring many of us.
Cheers!
Very gud n beneficial post , a great gift especially for a new blogger like me , found some much needed advice which i have been looking for ,truly appreciate your effort , Vielen Danke! :)
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Boy, I wish I had stumbled across this post BEFORE I started my blog! I can already see that I have made a few of the newbie faux pas that you highlighted. Still, I was happy to see I've done a few things right too. I will be back to read more!
1000x thanks for this great course of "How to".
Invaluable information and guide coming from one of the PRO is really a gods gift.
Keep on the good work!
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What a fantastic piece of information. Thanks for sharing this! I read every word.
This is sound advice. Next month is the one year anniversary of my food blog. I still learned a lot from this post. The most important part is that you can't simply sit still and think people will find you. ENGAGE!! MAKE FRIENDS!! But, most of all, add value.
It's very beautifully.
I hope to start my blog with the advent of the new year in January. I'm doing some research, working on design and content, and your list above is by far the best advice I've found online, especially regarding starting a blog with sustenance at its core.
Right now I'm all over the map regarding content since there is so much I want to share. Historical meals I've had that just remain in your memory forever. Learning to cook as a little tyke from my Nana and Great Aunt. Mistakes I've made. Successes I've had. Your advice will hopefully assist me in focusing and paring what I want to say.
One thing I'm coming to realize in life is that there is just too much information available to all of us. Between newspapers, magazines, blogs, rss feeds, music, TV, and movies its a wonder any of us can focus or strive to present our own POV. I've started to really scale back on what I take in, and concentrate on what I put out. It is proving better for me in the short term, and hopefully will be better for anyone that decides to give me a go in 2008.
Thanks for this article. Eventhough I've been blogging for a few years, you've taught me quite a few things.
I am fairly new to the blogosphere. Great "introductory" and comprehensive article for me.
Thanks!!
[...] First things first. If you are an aspiring food blogger, you must read Nicky’s “Foodblogging Do’s and Don’ts”. [...]
Nicky, great post! And you are a great inspiration to a lot of us! Thanks for the tips!
Hey that was a great read and especially useful considering I'm a newbie. Your blog is fantastic and I can't even begin to imagine the time and effort that you have put into it, its very inspirational!
I'm just working on a revamp of my own, partially dormant but soon to be revitalised food blog - this is great advice that I'll certainly follow ... thanks
Thank you for your post, it's really usefull!!! I'll try to apply your advices... Your blog is beautifull by the way!
[...] Food blogging do’s and don’ts at Delicious Days [...]
i always think...once a passion became a responsibility, things get harder.
at this stage, it is still a passion for me. i hope i could still have the same old fun when it became a responsibility :)
your article shortened my initial learning curve dramatically. thanks for the generous & comprehensive tips. goshh i hope i didn't commit too many blogger sins. sorry y'all!
A little bit of this a little bit of that is something essential and you never thought about before.
I've always got a useful idea and good stuff from you, Thanks guys.
I have to rehabilitate mine right away.
I need glasses. I misread the addends below so my comment disappeared. Now, I have to reconstruct it.
Glad to have visited your site today. Thank you for these foodblogging insights. Now, I realize I've committed a couple of blogging sins.
Last night, I saw another foodie site with a similar topic to mine. I became frazzled and insecure. Your words regarding just being one's self, enjoying the act of blogging, not be defined by it...these were just what I needed to get back on the right track.
Thank you so, so much. I'll keep coming back.
Thanks for this great post! Those advices are very helpful for all food bloggers :)
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Very good information, that I wished more food bloggers and other blogger alike would not only follow, but learn some things or two. You pointed out a variety of ways the common and not-so-common blogger can do help play nice with others. Thank you for being very insightful, your knowledge was not wasted on this blogger at all!
Thank you for putting out such an informative and helpful post. I am in the process of beginning my journey into food blogging (well, to be honest, it is a first dabble into blogging itself). I will definately be keeping this information in the back of my mind. Cheers!
This is a very good - wish I'd seen it before starting on my own endeavor. Some comments on the points raised are included below:
a) Create value - Reader come back!
What we have tried to do here is create a framework for consistent content across multiple authors. We have a little plugin the ensures a common style for recipe content and the process.
b) Technology & tools - Make 'em work
for you!
We build out own theme but I must confess that there are some nice things your doing here that keep us inspired to go further.
c) Blog identity - Blog ID, please!
Not sure how we are going here - after all, we are aiming for a collection of authors - not a single identity (although the support for the different identities we have in the blog is up at no. 1 priority for improvement).
d) Posts - Daily business!
That's an ideal scenario. For the moment we are managing about 1 or 2 posts a week and thats across three contributors. But I agree - because when you look at stats and traffic etc. there is a return visitor factor - or loyalty factor if you prefer. Daily post reward that factor and its probably the easiest growth path.
e) Commenting - Say it!
Not much experience here. I'm not seeing many comments, and while our site is rather new - I don't really have a grip on if this is good or bad or something I should be focusing on.
f) Photography - Say cheese!
And this is such a fun part of the exercise although a published an article about a garlic crusher and included a image that was 'artistic' - but I received heavy criticism from members of the family because it was 'out-of-focus'. But I liked the image - it felt right. But at the same time, there are some really good food photography blogs that simply inspire you to go further, to be be better, ...
g) Recipes - Feed me!
Totally agree.
h) Copyrights - Copycats aren't cute!
Am looking into the collection commons license, but if your going out on the licensing ledge then you enter the game of enforcement - and then you wonder - you doing it to make the world a better place. OK - I'm conflicted on this as concerns my own works.
i) Links - Group hug!
Difficult ... sure the directories suck. This comment will generate more traffic to my site than all of the directory registrations for the last month. What does that tell us? It means that content and opinion is more important that a list. As far as my own blogrollis concerned - I'm still thinking - yes - delicousedays would be front and center but part of the process is establishing the collection of peers - and that's not as easy as it sounds (but to explain that I would need an entire post).
j) Increasing traffic - This way, please!
It's only been one month - I'm still watching stats and looking at time spent, loyalty numbers, getting excited when someone from Russia visit the site. It's kind of so cool - but I guess it will ware off over time.
k) Advertising - Payday!
This is a personal interest subject - I'm interesting in understanding the business model from multiple dimensions. So far my conclusions are that I have a lot of work to do on the commercial front directly with distributors to make things interesting.
l) Interaction with readers, press and
public relations
Baby steps for me - I'm heading into new territory. But yes - I think this is a core element to site development.
m) Have a life - and live it!
Yes - but doing all of this is a lot fun - and part of that is that the meals you friends and family are eating are just simply at the next level. I figure if they arn't ready to wait that extra 5 min. - let them eat cake.
n) Have fun and break rules
Certainly have fun - but the rules are not really defined so whatever we do, its like the wild west - it's frontier territory and a never ending horizon.
Cheers.
This was so informative for me! I JUST started my food blog and this is priceless info! thanks!
Thanks for your time sharing your precious experience with us, really appreciate it.
I thank you from the depths of my hungry stomach. And blog. :)
Blog rolling you. Now!
I stumbled across your post in my never-ending quest to find new and improved ways to tweak my pubescent blog. Thanks for the useful tips and awesome links. Your blog is to be revered and certainly creates a standard I need to test myself against. Thanks, again!
I too am a food blog newbie, launched not more than a month ago (but who's keeping track!) I'll admit an obsession quite like that I have with eating nuts has settled upon me, so it's great not only to read your technical pointers but also to hear your 'philosophical' advice... here's to food and having fun! Thanks again...
Oh My. I only started blogging a few months ago. It is so overwhelming. So much to learn. A whole world on its own, and so many beautiful blogs out there and very talented people...
I am particularly reflecting about your “growth versus forced growth” which is where I am at right now. Excellent point.
Thank you for sharing your experience!
Great post...As a chef I often find it a bit annoying when people take shots (flash) in a dimly lit dining room. Tacky, yes...good judgment and knowing when it is proper will keep most restaurateurs on your side.
Thanks for all of the tips! I found this page through David Lebovitz (don't we all love him!) and it has certainly been helpful. I'm looking forward to exploring your site!
Thanks for all the 'food for thought'. Some very tasty, others ideas needing some digestion here. I love honesty and appreciate all of your ideas and tips.
I just found your blog through a search and found your tips very usefull! Thanks for taking the time to share them with fellow bloggers! I am new to food blogging and love doing it. I think your tips will really help!
I love cooking and I love blogging, these tips where very helpful. Thank you so much!
[...] read several how to articles on some great food blogger sites (Last Appetite, Amateur Gourmet and Delicious Days it seems like fun, and a great way of meeting people who share my enthusiasm for all things food [...]
Hello,
I enjoyed reading every word of this great post! I have my own blog which is dealing with hiking tips in the southern alps and the idea is to combine that theme with culinary experiences an tips.
I can relate to almost all of your advice, but to a large extend I learned it "the hard" way. I wish I had read your post earlier!
I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to write this all out. It has been a tremendous help to me! Thank you!!!
[...] de dois anos atrás o blog Delicious:days publicou o artigo “Foodblogging - Do’s and Don’ts” com algumas dicas sobre essa fatia da internet que o PratoFundo e muitos leitores fazem [...]
I won't repeat that this post contains some excellent tips, since I think all the preceding comments are evidence enough. May I add two more things: Beyond creating value for your readers, your goal should be creating value for yourself. Your blog should be something you look at with pride, a portfolio of sorts. And in order to take a break from the time-consuming task of food-blogging (no matter how much you love it), posting via timer can be a wonderful thing.
I wish I had found this post ages ago. Thank you for the wealth of information.
I found your site today via the Wordpress Showcase, and I must say how impressed I am: it's beautiful!
Thanks for all the really useful comments in this article, I will be taking them to heart and hoping to improve my blog as a result.
Tim
Wish I'd read this article a month ago when I first started blogging. Very informative and much appreciated. I'll be making some changes on my site and will certainly try not to "tick" anyone off. I'm having way too much fun! Thanks again for your help.
First! Happy Birthday! I hope my blogging lasts that long! I think you have a lot of work ahead of you if you are going to address each and every comment :-)
I am very new to this bogging world, and I am loving it so far! Thank you for all the advise and help. I have been wondering if there were rules of conduct , and what they would be. I love the part about leaving comments, it is so fun to get real and personal comments on a blog. Perhaps I would rather have quality comments than clicks!
Thanks again and keep up all the good work!
thanks for a great article! I just started blogging with not one, but two new food blogs. this ariticle has been very helpful and i am sure i will refer to it often in my first few months of blogging - or longer!
thanks!
Thank you for a great post. Funny, written over 2 years ago and still right on target; you have addressed (comprehensively yet concisely) all of the key points I have pondered as a new food blogger. I am curious: what is your take on this topic now with 2 additional years "under your apron"? Anyway, I appreciate your generous sharing to us newbies. Funny, but I originally came to your site a few days ago for the form plugin to use for a non-profit site I am attempting to develop and then I came across you in the Time list of top food blogs. Fate. Now I will explore yr recipes and find the one waiting for me. Thank you again and happy belated 4th anniversary.
Happy (belated) 4th anniversary! A friend just sent me the link, and I LOVE your blog!
Thank you for an excellent article. I'm relatively new food blogger, so it is very helpful. There are a lot to be done (and corrected) yet I'll follow your advice one bite at a time!
[...] Delicious Days has a cool name and a huge following, currently Technorati’s highest ranking food blog. Well-conceived, with an international flavor but healthy dose of German influence, its easy to navigate sections include a food news feed. DD features the author’s own recipes, as well as adaptations from other cookbooks. An invaluable article offers FoodbloggingDo’s and Don’ts. [...]
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Thank you for writing such an informative and comprehensive article! I have been a big fan of your blog, and it's so nice of you to give some advice to us fledgling bloggers!
It is overwhelming these days how many food blogs there are, and I'm distressed that I don't have time to keep up with all of them or explore all the new ones! I agree with your points that it's more important than ever to have a tight focus on your blog, to have good presentation, and to let your personality show through. I've found that people tend to respond most to my posts when I include some personal story, instead of just saying, "I made this last night."
Thanks for the reminder to keep a sense of perspective too. One of my biggest pet peeves is the stranger who e-mails me asking for advice and who never bothers to respond after I try to help - a little appreciation would be nice! I guess one nice thing to remember as we're all trying to write our posts and respond to comments and keep up with other sites is to be patient with each other and to know we're all trying our best to stay in touch and support this community!
Thanks again!