*Update* Check out the latest Blogging 101 posts here: Blogging 101: Intro Why I am a Shy Blogger Tips for Starting Your Blog How to Write a Better "About Me" Page (this post!) Getting Started with Social Media in 8 Simple Steps ******************** Writing an "About Me" page is extremely daunting to most folks. Blogging is writing all about your passion, your likes, your dislikes, your life, your family, and everything else, but when it comes down to giving readers a snapshot of just you, it is super tough to know where to start. Add to that the pressure that it is consistently one of a blog's highest viewed pages, and it can go untouched for months. (No judgement from me, because that's what I did. Eek!) I suggest to new bloggers that you write your "About Me" page before even hitting Publish on your first post. I mean, if a stranger burst through your door announcing, "It's me! I have so much to tell you about my day, an awesome recipe I made, and some of my travel tips!", you would probably call the cops. If that same person introduced themselves as your neighbor who moved from California and tells you about their family and a few other tidbits, you might strike up a friendship. The more info you share about yourself, the more likely someone is to connect with you and want to hang around with you! That's what the "About Me" page is, in blogging terms. Someone stumbles on to your blog through a specific post, and to find out more about you, they click on your page. If they like what you have to say, they decide to start up a "virtual" friendship by subscribing, and you just gained a new follower and friend! ******************** For this Blogging 101 post, I include a few sections that every page would benefit from having. Then, I go into a few general tips for writing your page. If you take a peek at my "About Me" page, I write a lot. I am wordy, and I own that, but if you want to shorten it up because you are a person of few words, that's perfectly fine! Feel free to switch up the order so your story flows better, or omit sections that don't apply to you. Are you ready? Here are a few tips to putting together an even better "About Me" page for every blogger, not just newbies! Sections to include Intro This is the speed-dating version of how you would present to someone in 10 seconds. In a few sentences welcome your reader, say thank you, and introduce yourself. Easy! All About you This is the hard part, right? Wrong! You know all the answers, so here are a few pieces of information that you might want to include: A picture of you (or not, if you are a shy blogger like me) Where you live now, and where you were born and raised About your family A bit about your childhood and college life Your work Favorites! (see below) Random facts (see below) What are the favorites and random facts list? A quick way for people to get to know you without having to think too hard. That's a plus for me! :) Here are a few ideas to get the creative juices flowing: Favorites: Movie, TV Show, Song, Food, Snack, Sport, Holiday, Travel destination, Day of the Week, Season, Animal Random facts: Who is your celebrity crush? Do you play an instrument? Do you have a special talent? How many pets do you have? More: Include other items or facts that are pertinent to you. I included my favorite Musical and Director because I love vintage things, but you can include anything you want! Make sure that you aren't lecturing or bragging about yourself. You want to share and connect with your reader! About Your Passion People want to know about your history with your blog topic. Show them what excites you! Why do you love it? Has it always been a part of your life? Who introduced you to your hobby in the first place? In fact, is it a hobby or is it a full-time job? Make it specific: If you blog about family life, introduce each of your family members and how they have changed your life. For food bloggers, was there a first recipe that you remember making? Sewing bloggers, do you have a specific style that you gravitate towards? Travel bloggers, do you remember when the travel bug bit you, and where have you visited so far? Why do you blog? Now that you explained what you are passionate about, explain why you blog about it. There are tons of people who love to cook/sew/travel/decorate, but not everyone blogs about it. Why did you start a blog? When did you start? Is this your first blog? What do you like about it? Why do you continue to blog? Where did your blog name come from? Self-explanatory! Sometimes I wonder how a blog got its unusual name, and there's no explanation. Ack! Reader Favorite Posts New readers will want to see what other people like about your blog. Include a top ten most-viewed posts of all time, recent favorites, or posts with lots of comments. Whichever posts are most engaging will most likely lead to a new subscriber! Keep in mind, if you are a new blogger, you won't have this section quite yet. Wait at least a few months before posting this section! Ditto on the next one... Your Favorite Posts I like including this section to uncover what posts I think are hidden gems. Maybe by sharing your favorite posts, it might jump into the reader favorite posts section! Who knows? Closing Section Say thank you and give them some info if they would like to contact you. Also, it is a good idea to include your subscription buttons if they want to follow you through e-mail, Bloglovin, Google plus, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, tumblr, Ravelry, Flickr, or whatever else you use! General Tips Include Pictures This is pretty simple. People love pictures and connect more if they can see what you are talking about. Remember, I am a shy blogger so my picture is not shown, but I try to connect with as many other pictures as I can, without turning it into a photo album. If you refer to a specific posts, include pictures of them! They are worth a thousand words... Link to Posts Remember, this is a completely new reader to you! That means that they have absolutely no idea about the trip you took to Bruges, the awesome coconut macaroons you baked, your link party, or your weekly giveaway & small business feature. When you introduce yourself, link to posts that make sense! If the picture of you was taken from a specific post, link to it. While explaining your passion, link to a recent project. If your favorites list includes a food that you have a recipe for, link to it! On the same token, don't link too much or it will take over your content and the information you want to share with your new buddy. Be Yourself Your mom was right! Be yourself and the people who become your friends/followers will really like you for you. *Sniff* That's so touching... But really, if you end up copying and pasting someone else's "About Me" page and inserting your own info, it won't sound like you at all. In blogging, your voice is everything, so make sure to use yours! Besides, it is much more natural to blog as yourself because then you won't worry or fret about editing every post to match what you think you should sound like. ******************** Hopefully you found some good tips to help write a better "About Me" page. To see what I ended up with, check mine out right here! For seasoned bloggers, did you find any helpful tips above? I would love to know if you have anything to add! Now, get writing!