Create your online presence: Building blog cred.

Last time I wrote about how to become an “expert” blogger. Really, it’s a war of attrition: if you have 100 blog posts over a year or a year and a half, that’ll give you the credibility you want. But there are thousands, if not millions of bloggers populating the Web 2.0 blogosphere. Sure, you can always put your blog on your resume, but how do you stand out so that people actually care what you have to say?

To offer a solution to this problem, I’ve decided to use the acronym CFC to describe actions you can take to build your Web cred. I know it’s not a perfect acronym to use because of the whole global warming thing, but here’s what I’ve come up with: just like how CFCs are affecting the atmosphere, you’ll be affecting the blogosphere.

I know, it’s a crummy analogy. But bear with me.

Consistency
Be consistent in posting. Post two or three times a week, and you’ll have 100 posts in a year. Post blog entries with consistent themes. Consistently have guest bloggers post little entries on your blog. Write consistently well. Consistently read other good blogs, and consistently have friends give you constructive criticism on your writing.

Following
Publicly follow the blogs you read, and make comments on the posts you read. Here’s why this is important: when people comment on my blog, I notice them. If you’re writing a public blog, that means that your writing is meant to be read, and when you get those indicators that people are reading and thinking about your work, it feels good. Just like how you’d enjoy sincere and thought-filled comments on your blog, the bloggers you read feel the same. And often, when you follow them and actively comment on their blogs, they’ll take a look at your blog and comment there. If you’ve got good content, they’ll recommend your blog to their own blogging buddies. It’s like how Ellen DeGeneres follows several Twitter accounts of her own readers every week. Bloggers love celebrity, and they might even bounce some of it back to you if you stand out as a solid follower.

Cooperate
Find friends in your major who are also blogging and encourage them. Follow each other. Comment on each other’s blogs. Write guest posts for each other. This is the networking age, and finding success today is dependent on who you know. If you help out your fellow bloggers, they’ll help you and put in a good word for you when they have success. It all comes around.