I haven’t seen one of these posts in a long time, but it seems like there are more and more blogs being posted that are, for lack of a better term, generally useless. Hopefully I’m not repeating anything that’s been posted before, but these are my suggestions for writing a blog that people will want to read and comment on.

PREPARE FOR WALL OF TEXT. If you want a summarized version just read the bold stuff.

*Edited to add new tip! Thanks MaxVest!*

PROTIP #1:
Don’t just post links to things with no/little explanation or comments!

It’s cool if you find a news article something related to video games, but at least have something to say. Showing a news article and saying “This is cool” (or nothing at all) is neither informative nor enjoyable to read. If you’re going to post a link to a news story, you should:

1. Briefly summarize what it’s about
2. Provide fun and insightful commentary on what YOU think it means or what impact it’s going to have
3. Watch everyone else comment on your well thought out and entertaining blog post!

PROTIP #2:
Proofread your blog posts!

What you wrote might have been the single best post in the history of the internet, but unfortunately no one can understand it because of your awful spelling/grammar/insane ramblings. It just takes a little bit of time; make sure everyone can read what you wrote.

PROTIP #3 (And this is just a matter of opinion, some people may disagree):
Don’t neglect the forums! They’re lonely!

Since the cblogs became a big hit, the forums have been abandoned, and that makes them sad. While it’s cool to think that the hilarious video you’ve posted that is totally unrelated to video games should be seen by everyone who visits the front page, or that the crazy anime video you’ve thrown up on your blog is the neatest thing since sliced bread, those kind of posts really belong in the forums. If the video has something to do with video games, I have less of a problem with it, but randomly posting an SNL skit or anime music video to your cblog isn’t really what they’re for (Or at least isn’t how I think they should be used. I could be wrong). Put that kind of stuff in the forums, go participate over there and revitalize them, and leave the blogs for discussions of things directly related to gaming.

PROTIP #4:
DON’T POST ABSOLUTE SHIT BECAUSE GOD TOLD YOU TO.

You make the baby Jesus cry.

PROTIP #5:
If you have a lot of stuff to say that’s even somewhat related, try to say it in one or two blog posts instead of posting 6 different blogs back to back in a misguided attempt to get your score up.

It’s kind of lame to see the same person has posted 5 different blogs all at the same time, especially when they all could have been posted in one post.

PROTIP #6:
It is better to post a few good blogs that everyone enjoys and comments on and have a lower Dtoid score, than to post tons and tons of shit and have a higher score.

Self explanatory.

PROTIP #7:
If you post something (like a piece of news) that you later discover has already been posted multiple times, do the nice thing and just edit out your post, unless you are contributing something significantly new to the discussion.

Blogs that say “I know this has been posted 4 times already but fuck that I’m blogging about it anyway” = EPIC FAIL.

BONUS PROTIP #8 (From MaxVest. Thanks Max!):
"Don't blog more than twice a day unless you have an awesome reason.

Once the cblogs work their way out of the most recent 20, most people won't read them. If you spend time crafting your cblog, it's annoying to see it get shoved into no-man's land by a handful of prolific posters. If you're not spending time on your cblog, why are you inflicting it on the rest of us?"

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Thank you for reading through that whole thing! Unfortunately, it might not have been super enjoyable, but I hope it was at least informative. I would like to conclude with two more tips, one for blog commenters, and one for the Dtoid staff.

COMMENTER PROTIP:
If someone writes a super shitty blog, don’t comment on it.

Having 45 different people write YOU FAIL just gives them the attention they crave and encourages them to keep posting. Instead of doing that, find a blog that you think was well written and didn’t get much attention, and leave a comment there instead! Everyone wins!

And finally:

DTOID STAFF PROTIP:

I don’t think this is a major issue, and I don’t want to be an ass trying to tell the staff what to do. I think it would be nice though if someone posts a blog about something, and later that same thing ends up on the front page, mention the blogger, even if you got your information from a completely different source. Just acknowledging with a little “Thanks to ____ for blogging about it!” keeps morale up and encourages good blogging.

THE END!
Feel free to leave me angry comments about how I’m an ass.