A few blogging tools and tips coming your way:

• Get Visual--Christine Martell of VisualsSpeak is doing a very helpful series on how to use visuals in your blogs, brochures, websites, etc.

Part One looks at visual elements and shapes. Part Two is about color and contrast and Part Three examines patterns and textures. Personally, I struggle with these things, so it's helpful to have Christine's expert guidance in this process.

• Get Usable--This Blog Usability Checklist from Skelliewag is a good tool to use in auditing your site. I may have some more work to do around here after looking at this, though.

• Get Conversational--This article is old, but it definitely made me think--It asks if you kill the conversation on your blog by writing posts that are too complete and saying all there is to say on a subject. This is something I think I do more often than I'd like. After reading the article a few days ago, I've been trying to deliberately leave some loose ends and questions. I've noticed that I have more comments on those posts, so there must be something to the idea. I suggest giving it a try.

One final blogging resource--if you want to connect with a community that's working to make their blogs better, we're always looking for members at Building a Better Blog. We have over 60 now and you'll find some great conversations, great ideas and great feedback coming from a fabulous group of people.

Photo via Sue Richards