Don’t Forget Your Sense of Humor

Before I forget, happy Blogger Appreciation Day! Show another blogger how he or she is appreciated by offering encouragement and support.

Yesterday I chatted for a bit with another network blogger who was a bit down about the direction her blog was taking. As a health blogger who discussed a chronic condition she felt her posts, and her community’s comments about their health issues, was bringing the community. She felt her blog was so depressing she didn’t want to do it anymore. A couple of other bloggers chimed in and we discussed ways to add positivity to the blog. Especially through humor.

I think as bloggers we feel our primary goal is to teach, but it’s also to entertain. There are people who come to read our blogs not to learn something new, but to read and interact. Humor is a great way to encourage positivity and get some great comments rolling.

The benefits of using humor in your blog posts:

• Humor makes people smile and laugh. It makes them want to show your post to others and encourages them to come back for more humor.
• Laughter is contagious. Laughing makes people positive and upbeat.
• Humor shows a human side. People like to see you’re not perfect or that the same things happen to all of you. "Slice of life" humor is always well received.
• Humor helps others to forget about their problems for a while.
• Humor lets us all stop taking ourselves seriously for a while.
• Humor breaks up the day.

How to use humor in your blog posts:

• Tell a funny story or anecdote.
• Find a funny video.or
• Ask readers for their own funny stories.
• Look for humorous cartoons or articles and bring them to the attention of your readers.

I think bloggers forget they don’t always have to be serious. Bloggers who discuss topics such as illnesses or sad topics especially have to be careful not to become too depressing. Don’t forget to inject a little humor in your blog posts. Watch and see the difference it makes with your community.