Who are you?

This is not a philosophical question. It’s the question every visitor to your blog asks you. Can you answer it and be clear, engaging, and open? You need to answer this question on your About page.

Writing an About page is one of the most difficult tasks facing a blogger.

I know – because I’ve struggled with my About page a number of times. It’s hard to write enthusiastically about oneself.

Why is the About page important?

Imagine that you’ve met a friend on the Internet. Let’s call him John. He’s invited you to stay at his beach house in Hawaii. You’ve never seen John face to face. Would you trust him blindly, or would you want to check him out before staying with him?

You’d probably want to check him out — I would. Why? Because I would need to trust a person I’m going to spend time with, and knowing more about someone is a way to build that trust. We learn to trust someone as we get to know them. Trust grows through knowing a person.

That’s why the About page is important. People who consider becoming a subscriber want to know whom they are following. They want to be able to trust you. And they need to like you. After all, you wouldn’t hang out with someone you don’t like, would you?

What’s more, in addition to trust, readers like to feel a connection with an author as they read his or her writing.

Think about the last time you read a book — chances are you checked out the author’s bio and maybe wanted to see his picture in addition to the bio. This helps you get a feel for the person writing the words you’re reading, helps you feel more connected to the words, helps you to care about them more deeply than if you were reading an anonymous person’s post.

Here are five basic questions you need to answer on your About page:

1. What is this blog about and what does it have to offer the reader?
2. Who are you?
3. What’s your story?
4. What do you look like?
5. How can I contact you?

Let’s look at each of these questions in turn.

1. What is this blog about and what does it have to offer the reader?

This is the first question a reader asks when he goes to a blog. What the heck is this blog about? And what does it have to offer me?

Your blog should give some indication of the answers to these questions from the home page — maybe have an About paragraph, or indicate through the blog’s title, subtitle and posts. But the reader might want to know more, so this should be the first thing your About page answers, before you get into the next few questions.

It’s a mistake many bloggers make, only telling about themselves and not about the blog. But remember: the reader comes first. So put the reader’s interests first, and show what this blog will offer. A few paragraphs or even a list of benefits to the reader would suffice.

As an example of how an About page can quickly deliver this information, here’s the first paragraph of Smashing Magazine’s About page:

Founded in September 2006, Smashing Magazine delivers useful and innovative information to Web designers and developers. Our aim is to inform our readers about the latest trends and techniques in Web development. We try to convince you not with the quantity but with the quality of the information we present. We hope that makes us different. Smashing Magazine is, and always has been, independent.

 

2. Who are you?

Trust comes through knowing you.

To subscribe to a blog is an act of trust. So, who are you? The real you — don’t make the mistake of hiding behind a pseudonym. There are some bloggers out there who do that, but if you want to become super successful, have the courage to be who you truly are. Be a person with strengths and weaknesses, and with a unique life history. This genuineness will come through, in your About page and in your blog.

Here are some basic questions that reveal the real you:

• Are you a man or a woman?
• Are you a physicist in New York or a homemaker in Delhi?
• What special knowledge or experience do you have?
• What are your credentials?
• What’s your real name?
• Where do you live?
• What are you like?
• What are your passions?

Don’t worry if you don’t have any formal credentials. On the Internet, experience is more important than formal education.

3. What’s your story?

The way to capture not only the mind but also the heart of your readers is to tell your story. After all, telling a story is an ancient way of communicating. The easiest way to find your story is to ask (and answer) a few simple questions:

• Why do you blog?
• What made you start blogging? (That’s the story of your past.)
• What’s your aspiration? (That’s the story of your future.)
• What was a major turning point in your life?

4. What do you look like?

Put up an image of yourself. People like it. You don’t have to look like a film star! Even better, you might want to publish a video of yourself.

5. How can I contact you?

Your readers want to have the feeling that you’re within reach. Of course you should never publish your email address directly into your blog because there are spambots that harvest email addresses. You can use a contact form. Or do as I do, and just put an image of your email address into your blog, so it can’t be picked up by spambots.

Should you write in third or in first? I wrote my first About page in the third person. It sounded like a job application! Then I wrote a couple of versions in the third person. Now I’ve finally come to understand that first person is the way to go. Why? Well, because people want to get to know YOU!

I think writing in the third person can sound insincere. Come on – we all know that every blogger writes their own About page. Who are we kidding by using the third person?!

Conclusion

The About page is a crucial part of your blog. It’s worth spending a good amount of time on it. You may find — as I did — that you need to revise your About page as you grow as a blogger. Now is a good time to look closely at your About page, or to write one, if it’s still missing.

Author: Mary Jaksch