This weekend I abandoned our boiling city to plunk my butt on a weather beaten Adirondack chair in upstate New York’s great North Country.  Lake Placid, a 6-hour Amtrak ride from Penn Station, is a magical place just two hours south of Montreal, and a must-see for all of us living in the East.  It’s so magical, in fact, that cell phones do not work in many areas and people are so busy canoeing and hiking that they seem to forget about the life they could be living online. Shocking.

I spent 4 entire days without internet, reading, thinking, drinking, and dining my way through the blissful relaxation that is nature (or so a city slicker thinks). The extra time for contemplation, however, brought about a strikingly sour thought I am compelled to share with you.  The thought:  I blog like a sophist, a narcissist, a windbag. Well, this thought wasn’t conceived purely on its own, helped greatly by a voicemail left by a loving, yet very harsh critic of my work. Whyyyy did the Verizon gods pass this message down to me, oh why?

It turns out my critic never read a word; however, I was inspired to take these sour thoughts and make some lemonade.  When you have a minute — or days — to contemplate, ask yourself if you fall into any or all of these personality traits.

Clueless Crafter personalities to Avoid

The Sophist:  A blogger who makes confusing or illogical arguments, sometimes to deceive.

When posting or commenting avoid using language that asserts yourself as an expert if you genuinely are not.  It is key that we work together to spread truthful information in lieu of our personal need to be #1.  Be honest about your knowledge and your experience.

This does not mean that we cannot speak authoritatively about being clueless!

The Narcissist:  A vain, conceited, self-oriented blogger.

Have you been placing yourself in your readers’ position?  Know what their needs and desires are?  Readers can tell when you think only of yourself and when all you care about is your reflection.  Step outside that by using language that invites their participation.  Honor the value of their knowledge, assuming that they know more than you.

The Windbag: A talktative, arrogant blogger who conveys nothing of substance or interest.

Don’t blow your readers away with verbal diarrhea.  They’ll just think your windbag-ness is a huge cover up for what is sure to be a shallow blog. Use the simplest word that comes to mind, always.  Don’t be an ignoramus.

I invite you to think hard about what personality you fall under.  While these categories share common principles, the subtleties make all the difference. How exactly do you miss your target reader? Give your personality a good edit, I guarantee you will craft a reader into an eager follower.

P.S. And, because I’m a very visual person, I could not resist putting these images in.

P.S.S And, oh oh oh, go ahead and give my old posts a look.  See what traps I walk right into. Ouch.

For more tips on writing your blog visit these reputable sites

• Chris Brogan, new media marketing guru shares a how-to for effective blog post structure
• Psychotactics, Sean D’Souza knows the psychology of good marketing
• Problogger, an indispensible all-things-blog guide by Darren Rowse

Selected articles

• 10 Tips for Writinga Blog Post
• Blogging Is about Writing