After only a few months at this blogging thing, I think that I have found something that I can truly say I have incredible perspective on: being a terrible blogger.
The blogging world has a set of values and ideas. I am certain that this phenomenon will make for the kind of stuff that fine academic institutions will soon create use to create literature and sociological theories. It sounds like the kind of class I would have taken, ENG 562: Blog Theory.
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Here are some of the blogging communication mistakes I have made.
THE LIST (of unwritten miscues…well, I guess they ARE written now, but, nevermind)
- Don’t post regularly. If you are not posting at least a couple of times a week, then don’t be shocked when nobody is regularly commenting or digging or stumbling or whatever stroke of validation you were searching for. In blog world, as well as the world outside, consistency matters over being clever…much to my chagrin.
- Being a great writer is better than being a good reader/listener. Blogging is to offer something to the world, so it needs to be unique. You begin this process by looking at and imitating other’s blogs. Find some to whom you can relate. Write down what you like. Start doing those things. If you are even mediocre, you are ahead of the game.
- Fall victim to overt ploys at traffic-nabbing. Being Stumbled Upon can be great, but that is the ADHD of web browsing. Stumblers and traffic seekers are sometimes like Homer Simpson when he was saw a military-grade deep fryer that could flash-fry a buffalo in 40 seconds, he whined, “Forty seconds? But I want it now!” Nothing is more important than consistent, relevant content. There is no secret traffic pill/search engine optimization pill. Anybody who says differently is selling you something.
- Join everything. It is not required nor is it an advantage to rocketship your name and presence into every single social networking site out there. You need something that you are going to add to each place. Also, it is not a requirement that you add every widget in the world to the side of your blog (or Facebook page or LinkedIn profile). Visit Adam Kreitman’s blog for more on how to not get sucked into the shiny, sexy, overwhelming vortex of social networking.
- Be afraid to screw up. I only learned these rules by breaking them and not by following advice. So, I really should have taken my own advice, not posted these, which allowed you to figure these out for yourself. However, these are merely suggestions, so, if you think I am off my blogging chair, then try it for yourself. If what I said doesn’t apply to you, please let me know how you did it. I need to learn.
- Feel the need to create the deepest most Earth-shattering idea before you start writing. I do this a lot. Ask yourself some tough questions…what types of readers do I want? What would they need? What is my goal in communication? Usually, they don’t need your ability to sound incredibly clever. They need something real they can sink their teeth into and implement.
- Don’t worry about your readers. While “good content” means relevant, it doesn’t mean clinical or verbose. Be terse. Be entertaining. Be authentic.
Looking over the list, it strikes me that these mistakes apply to the world outside of blogging. Being consistent, authentic and truly seeking to serve another person is just a more effective way to live and communicate. It took screwing up at blogging for this guy to get that.
ANSWER ME THIS
Here is my question…if you had to teach the ENG 562: Blog Theory course who would you use as your examples? How would you structure the course? What is unique to blogging language?
Also, please let me know if I missed anything important. I am still new, you know, with much to learn.
The person with the best reply gets to have a FREE lunch…note, that I am not specifying where the lunch would take place.
- Jeremy Nulik, Creative Energy Officer, St. Louis Small Business Monthly
You like? Let others know:
I think you share some good advice in this blog. I’m new to blogging as well and haven’t been at it long enough to hit these pitfalls yet. I can already tell that #1 will be a struggle at some times. Unless I decide to post garbage, but I think that’s what gives blogging a bad name.
In an academic pursuit of blogging, I think I would first look identify the goal of blogging.
Glad you liked it, Brad.
I am not sure that “garbage” will give blogging a bad name. I know it gives the blogger unsatisfied readers.
What do you think that the goal of blogging is? Academic minds are thirsty for knowledge. Anyone? Anyone?
The goal of blogging? Either for money or vanity. Sometimes both.
A Friend –
Do you feel that there is no other reason outside those?
Which category do you fall into?
I guess I do it for vanity, since I have yet to receive a paycheck from this blog. I would like to think that I do this to help inspire others…folks who most label as cynics, but are really not yet ready to give up on humans. Maybe I do this, and maybe I am not there yet.
I am certainly not above being vain, though. Thanks for your insight.
Hi Jeremy
I started blogging very recently with a different motive in mind. I want to reach a very specific audience. As a startup founder and doing a lot of presentations about the “idea” or “opportunity” the feed back I’ve received has been your business/idea/presentation is too complicated — too technical. I want to engage a reader and educate them with a basic knowlege of the underlying issues invovlved.
Blogging allows me to create unique headlines and go off in tangents that may make some, while not others, eyes gloss over. In essence It gives me the opportunity to present a buffet for those to sample and consume a hearty meal if they want.
I’ve planned it for a while and I’m rolling out new posts but I do find it time consuming with everything else going on.
http://www.EfficientFactory.com
I find these very helpful. I am trying to get my company to start a blog, but I am getting a lot of push back. I printed you article out and emphasized your point number 7. However we can’t get past not having something important or interesting enough to keep people constantly interested. How do you go about content creation? I know you have to be authentic, but authentic about what? I have been told that the main failure of blogging is doing it poorly, not putting the effort into keeping up with responses or posting new material. How much time do you spend on average in any given week working on your blog?
Sorry about asking so many questions, but I think blogging is great and am having trouble justifying creating a company blog.
@RP – Thanks for sharing your personal mission on why you blog. It is a good reason. Sometimes, I don’t know what I am thinking until I put pen to paper…or fingers to keys. The nature of blogging allows for as much or as little depth as readers would like. Great insight. Keep fighting the good fight.
@Justin – Wow. I am the journalist. I am supposed to be asking the questions, dammit.
You bring up some valid points. Here is the best I can do.
“How do you go about content creation?”
Conversations with business leaders, pastors, rabbis, random people, etc. Life is full of inspiration for content. You have to be looking for it.
“How much time do you spend in a given week?”
I know very little for certain when it comes to blogging. What I do know for sure is that blogging is different for each person who has a blog. Some people are on it all the time while others are like me and have a work, kids, community stuff, etc. If you are disciplined (I am laughing at myself for writing that) about your approach, then 15 to 30 minutes early in the morning or in the evening is really enough time to do a great amount of blogging and conceptualizing new ideas for blogs. Creating an editorial calendar (topics or regular formats) helps you to spend time wisely. Also, that helps your readers to know what to expect.
Here are some questions that you can ask yourself or your colleagues/superiors:
– What would be the point of your blog?
– Who do you want to read it and what do they want?
– What expertise do you guys have that most don’t understand but want desperately to understand?
– To what extent are you willing to help other people with no expectation of immediate return?
Note: I am not saying that you will have no immediate return. Just know that there may not be ROI in 6 months…or a year. The blog world is where you give. You should give until they want more and more and more. Then, your readers turn to you for more insight. They knock your door down to get what you have.
– What makes your company unique?
– How willing are you to write stuff that is not self-serving? (Scott Ginsberg and Seth Godin share the opinion that people really don’t care about you…they care what you are passionate about and how your experiences can help them.)
If you want more insight on blogging and what is involved, go here: http://www.hellomynameisblog.com
http://www.swissmoneyblog.com
These guys are local, do it right and are infinitely smarter than me. Or, shoot me an email: jeremy@sbmon.com. I usually can point directions to more resources.
Hope that helps.
@Jeremy – We were probably being a bit facetious with our response, but it’s more on the mark than not, we think.
Writing a monetized blog is obviously for money, but we can also argue that anyone who writes blogs related to their professions do it to further promote themselves, so they also do it for money. Writing is your profession, so while you claim vanity, there’s probably some indirect financial reward for you in this as well.
People who do not monetize their blogs and who write about random things (we loosely define this as anything outside of their professions) do it for fun, interest, boredom, and whatever else. But there’s another reason, often left unsaid: for readership; and thus, for vanity. We submit that blogs that don’t get the required readership numbers to stoke the blogger’s ego won’t last very long.
@A Friend –
You have a well-thought-out (am I supposed to hyphenate that?) idea here. Certainly convicting. I do write for money, so I guess blog for money AND vanity now. I’m cool with that. I wouldn’t mind more of either.
4 Things –
1. I like that you don’t gloss over the human condition. Indeed, even with the most altruistic of motive, a blogger is searching for some form of validation through his altruism. Therefore, it is a still self-centered in nature. I guess there is no escaping this state of affairs. A bit bleak, but I can’t really argue. It has been true for me.
2. You didn’t tell me why you blog. Which one are you? Just inquiring.
3. When you post, I feel like I am reading a message from the Borg (sp?). While you are one, you are many. Therefore, you get to use “we” as a pronoun. We, meaning Jeremy, may start doing this as well, there are many voices in here.
4. I believe you all, A Friend, have won the lunch. Unfortunately, I don’t know how many to purchase with so many of you out there. Please send your address to jeremy@sbmon.com and I will send along the gift certificates. Claim your prize. Think of me when you have your future calorie intake.
- Jeremy and the voices in his head.
@Jeremy -
We use a blogging platform that does not allow ads, we blog anonymously, and we address ourselves in the plural form. That points to a heightened sense of vanity, don’t you think?
As for the lunch, thanks for the offer, we’ll email you privately.
Jeremy,
Thanks for this post!
I agree with you on being regular and found that some/all the top blogs are posting very consistently.
I am new to blogging and get overwhelmed with all the choices and then realize that I have not posted regularly: Blog Constipation comes to mind
Thanks again, and please check out my blog and leave a comment/suggestion. http://www.johncharlesmorgan.blogspot.com
John Morgan
Wow,what a touching blog post. And so helpful! Thank you so much for being so open and vulnerable with us. Truly inspiring.
hi Jeremy
your post really makes it easier. but i still dont get how will readers opt for my blog???
Написано со вкусом, по этому думаю стоит присоединиться к предыдущим комментариям
not everyone will have time and energy to blog as a pro. Blogging for a lot of people should a way to share their ideas and put their thoughts across. Here is an article which does exactly this, authored by a change management expert Hammad Siddiqui:
http://hammadsiddiquiblog.com/blogging-for-beginners-why-blog/