by May Monten

Created on: May 10, 2010   Last Updated: September 27, 2010

The tone of your blog matters because it conveys your personality to your readers. Blogging is very flexible, and you could choose to blog using any tone you like. Most blogs, however, use an informal tone, probably a reflection of blogging's roots as a form of personal journal.

You can see that clearly if you look at the blogs on mainstream news sites, and compare them to the articles on the main portions of the sites. The articles will be written in a formal third-person style that conforms to an overall standard, so that one article "sounds" much like the next. By contrast, the blogs will usually be written in first-person with distinctly individual styles.

Also keep in mind that because blogs are usually interactive, readers may consider them more like a conversation than a one-to-many broadcast.

The best way to capture an informal tone is to try to write the way you speak. Not *exactly* the way you speak - you don't want to be typing out your "ums" and "ers" or your meandering digressions - but you should aim for a tone that captures the directness of speech and, ideally, the uniqueness of your voice.

Because blogging is extremely flexible, you don't have write in a casual tone if you don't want to. You could choose to write in a more formal third-person tone if you prefer. Just keep in mind that most readers do not want to feel that a blog is lecturing to them from on high. If you can toss in even an occasional personal remark or something that will reveal your opinion, that could go a long way towards humanizing your blog.

Another thing to consider when you are thinking about tone is whether you want to take a confrontational tone or a warm, friendly tone. Your choice will be based on your personality and what you are trying to do with your blog. There's no question that outrageous attention-getting tones can attract tons of readers - think of the in-your-face snideness of Perez Hilton, or the call-to-arms anger of many of the political blogs - but that's clearly not a good strategy for everyone.

If trying to think about tone head-on isn't getting you anywhere, then you can just take your time and experiment. Write in different ways and see which way feels the most comfortable to you and/or gets the best response from readers. Like everything to do with blogging, there are no absolute rules. Keep on playing around with it until you find the tone that makes blogging the most enjoyable for you and your readers.

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