Profile tactics – Look Who's Talking

As we mentioned in the first lecture, the Internet has grown from read-only mode into Web 2.0, a veritable mosh pit of participation. From wikis to Twitter and user-generated-content sites like TripAdvisor, the line between storyteller and audience has flown right out the window. Those old roles are litter on the side of the information superhighway.

So too, the best blogs are more than soap boxes, they are conversations ... and sometimes even Fight-Club-style debates.

Some of you may prefer to fight masked like luchadores, Mexican wrestlers. That can work wonderfully, as proved by blogs like Belle de Jour: Diary of a London Call Girl, repeatedly voted best UK blog. (The author maintained her anonymity from 2003 to 2009, when she unveiled her identity, fearing exposure by a big-mouthed ex-boyfriend. Research Scientist Brooke Magnanti finally claimed the site and two memoirs, which inspired a popular British TV show.) From Mark Twain to George Orwell and Isak Dinesen, the nom de plume is a time-honored literary tradition.

Should you take that route, don't turn your back on an authorial persona. You can still construct a character via tone, topic and – most immediately – a prominent "About this blog" section with a profile link.

Readers are naturally curious about the people behind compelling posts. Give them a chance to understand you and find points of commonality, then they're more likely to become repeat customers. The "About" section and profile are also fine places to emphasize your qualifications for pontificating on a given topic – the basis for your authority.

Some authors, like the esteemed Tim Footman, rely on detailed "favorite" lists to flesh out their online persona. Others, like LC and Iain, provide only the barest outline, while the writer behind Crying All the Way to the Chip Shop shares little. The "about" area simply declares: "The sentimental musings of an ageing British expat in words, music, and pictures. Files are only up for a limited time so drink them while they're hot."

My profile is minimalist for several reasons: laziness being prime among them. But I also feel plenty exposed and explained on my website ... and I'd rather funnel traffic to that professional space anyway. Finally, my profile has to do double-duty, representing me as a writer and an instructor. In the latter capacity, my cinematic tastes don't factor in much. So I keep things sparse.

I've also edited the blogs visible from this page, hiding scratch pads and students' sites where I have admin privileges. To control this, go to Dashboard –> Edit Profile (second link, top left) –> Show my blogs (the fourth line down under Privacy). On this panel, you can also adjust other details.

Profiles have no right and wrong, of course, so decide what suits your goals – and comfort level. But remember that people really are curious. Since December 2005, for example, 3,100 readers have viewed my profile. Blogger displays this info at the bottom left of each profile page. Have a look at your own stats: chances are they might surprise you already.

Single author versus group submissions

You can share the risks, burdens and excitement by co-authoring. Many blogs, like the venerable BoingBoing, rely on a handful of posters, rather than a single voice. The advantages are obvious: more entries, more often and from more perspectives ... not to mention the camaraderie of a shared project. But that breadth can also dissolve the focus of a site, unless an "editor" figure runs herd over the bloggers. Posts can ramble off topic or vary wildly in tone, giving a ragged impression. As one blogger commented: "it can all go Lord of the Flies very quickly."

Make a strategic decision. Road Remedies, an author-promotion platform, is naturally a one-woman show. Mike co-chairs the class blog, so we can all plunder his tech mojo. Sites such as the Travelling Mammas have a select number of writers, each with a nuanced persona. Others like Gizmodo have a larger cast of characters, detailed in a hierarchy similar to a magazine or newspaper's masthead (black background sidebar on the left, listing the various editors, reporters, etc.). The Huffington Post has hundreds – including founder Arianna, singer Barbra Streisand and comedian Bill Maher – but hasn't yet found a way of paying them...

To add comrades in Blogger, go to Settings --> Permissions --> then Blog Authors (up to 100 potentially). Below this, you'll see the Blog Readers section. The radio dial buttons there control privacy.