Taken from American Majority's "Activist Training" pamphlet.

Blogging offers great opportunities for local leaders. A well-run blog can share information on key issues, keep people interested in your project, help you to connect with like-minded leaders, and strengthen your messaging.

How to start a blog:

• Register for free on the internet: check out www.wordpress.com or www.blogger.com.
• Post original content and links at least once a day -- the more often, the better. Your research will help you generate fresh blog posts.
• Spread the word and connect with others. After you have consistently blogged for about a month, start leaving comments on like-minded blogs -- and include a link back to your own.
• Connect with other bloggers via e-mail. This will weave a network that brings more readers to your own site, and will also help you stay informed about important developing issues.
• Link to related blogs.
• Be interesting and confident. There are many blogs in the "blogosphere" all competing for attention and readership. If you have something to say, say it!
• Don't give information that everyone already knows about -- find the interesting details, the unknown tidbits, and report them. People read blogs for the behind-the-scenes knowledge; give it to them.
• Give the facts, but also give your opinions. People read the news for facts, they read blogs for opinions.
• Keep it short and to straight to the point. Remember that your readership has many demands on their time and respect the time that they spent reading your entry.
• Encourage interaction. Blogs are most effective when they serve as two-way communication tools.
• Don't use long, rambling sentences. Keep sentences and paragraphs short, and write a trail leading your reader through your entry, from the first sentence all the way through to the closing paragraph.
• Again, don't use long and flowery words that your readership is unfamiliar with. Write to the eighth to twelfth grade level to ensure that your readers can easily comprehend your writing.
• Insert links into your entry. If you reference a bill, a news story, or another blog, include a link to that particular article so that your readers can find more information about the issue.
• Be fun. Use humor and sarcasm to make your point.
• Be personal. Illustrate the issue by talking about your personal experiences. Not only does this make your writing more interesting to read, it also personalizes the issue and shows your readers that it matters.

Resources:

• How to Write a Successful Blog: Ten Tips
• News Blog
• Political Blog Tips
• Blog Challenge: Write a Political Post
• Some Pennsylvania Political Blogs (Scroll to end)