About Pages for Personal Bloggers

A lot of the professionals will tell you that having a well-written about page is essential. If you’re running a business, it certainly is. But what if you’re a personal blogger? Do you need an about page?

I’m going to go ahead and say yes.

I know that there are some blog platforms that, until recently, did not allow separate pages unless you were really good at hacking your code. I’m not here to tell you how to put up an about page. I want to talk about why I think they’re important for personal bloggers and what you should consider including in yours.

As personal bloggers, we write about our lives – the people in our lives, the things we do, and the things that interest us. We also read other bloggers, many of whom are like us in a lot of ways. So why do we want to read the blogs we read?

I asked this question not too long ago in my post What Makes a Personal Blogger Worth Reading? Often times, through link surfing or stumbling, I’ll find myself on someone’s blog who has compelling stories, or I’ve come across a post that’s clearly small chapter in a bigger story. I’ll turn to the about page, if it’s available, to find out more about the blogger without having to sit there scrolling through years of posts to get to know them. If I like what I see, then I’ll stay on their blog and read some more.

Think of your about page as an introduction. Tell your readers a little about yourself. You don’t have to give an in-depth biography, but a little bit of background is always nice. If you regularly blog about other people, introduce them as well. If you use pseudonyms, let us know who’s who. For example, when we’re reading a story about John Doe, it’s nice for newcomers to have a cheat sheet so we know that he’s your husband. If there are other things you blog about regularly, like crafting or cooking or whatnot, let us know that too. Basically, I want to get to know you a little bit, and the about page is the perfect place to do that quickly. The about page is a great way to help you make new friends in the blogosphere.

Here’s a compilation of tips I picked up from around the web for writing your about page:

• Have some personality – Your personality shines through on your regular blog posts, and you should show it on your about page as well.
• Let us know why you wanted to have a little piece of internet to call home. Even if it’s just to showcase your hobby, telling us why you blog can help us get to know you a little better.
• Photos can help add that personal touch. If you’re not comfortable showing your face online, then a quirky photo of you partially hidden behind something, a childhood photo, or a drawing can all help liven up the page.
• Tell us a bit about what you do. Nitty gritty details aren’t necessary, but tell us about things that are relevant to the topics you blog about. You’ll notice on my about page that I don’t mention what my day job is, but everything that is there can be found within my blog posts.
• If your blog name or pseudonym is unusual, tell us about that. More often than not, there’s an interesting story behind it.
• If you’re active elsewhere on the internet, let us know where we can find you. You might have a link to your Twitter profile on your front page, but put it here as well.
• Don’t include personal information that you wouldn’t put elsewhere on your blog. Keep it safe.
• Let us know where you are. You don’t have to give your exact address, or even your town, but I like to know what general part of the country or world someone is in. It can help readers get to know you better in a cultural sense.
• Keep it updated – if you wrote your about page when you were single, and you’re now married with triplets, be sure to change that in your about page! Again, it’s all about getting to know the person behind the blog.

What other tips do you have for writing your about page? What unusual element did you include in yours?

Other Posts Like Me:

• Personal Blogging Crusader
• 10 Ways to Get Inspired to Blog
• Blogging Mistakes – Posting Too Soon
• When You Don’t Feel Like Blogging
• What Makes a Personal Blogger Worth Reading?