Starting a Blog? What NOT to Do

Melanie at the wonderful Blogging Basics 101 posted two great "what not do do" posts this week that all new bloggers (and especially mommy bloggers) should check out.

Some of the "Don'ts" from the first of the posts, Beginning Blogger Checklist: 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting a New Blog, include items we've moaned about here at BlogCoach--blogs that play music, clutter, and (of course!) plagiarism.

The second, 5 MORE Mistakes to Avoid offers some tips that are discussed less frequently:

• Choosing an uninteresting or redundant blog title
• Not owning your blog's domain name
• Having a huge header
• Not considering privacy issues
• Allowing blogging to become a chore

The section about choosing your blog's title may be the most helpful tip of all. Says blogger Melanie Nelson, "Try to avoid words like musings, ramblings, thoughts, mommy, etc. Trust me when I tell you it’s been done. ...Choose something reflective of your personality and niche, but be creative."

How about you, BlogCoach readers? Share your best "What NOT to Do" tips!