Been pondering the purpose behind this whole Blogging thing.
It's hurtin' my brain.
Great post today on Copyblogger by Laura Roeder - I'll insert part of it here along with my own notes:
Lesson #1 - Find your blog's core purpose.
Lesson #1 - Find your blog's core purpose.
I've been searching - no answers yet.
Here’s a question that never seems to go away: what is a blog?
Feel free to answer this one for me.
Is it a public journal? An online magazine? An extended way to connect with friends and family?
Good questions to which I offer all no answers
And the answer is . . . a blog is whatever your audience needs it to be.
Oh great! I don't know that I have an audience that needs anything from me!!! That's the problem!
Whatever your topic, you need to get crystal clear on why people are there.
Yay!!! Here we go again, back to square one. This is annoying.
Is it to read the hilarious details of your personal life?
My personal life stays pretty personal (though it's often hilarious).
Watch detailed how-to videos on watercolor painting?
I don't know how to add videos to the blog. Did place 1st for a watercolor that I did - in 10th grade!
Hear your latest celebrity rant?
Puhleeze - I avoid anything celebrity - I don't want to hear their self-important rants.
It doesn’t matter what it is, only that you know it ............
This is lookin' more like a circle. Toldja - I don't know nuttin'!
I'm not the next Mark Twain, so me offering writing tips would be ( ____ ) fill in blank.
Don't know all there is to know about publishing or book sales - no help there.
A daily/weekly infomercial on BAD LATITUDE or RECKLESS ENDEAVOR - THAT would be a drag.
So really - What's the _______________??? (hint below)
I've met some seriously awesome (& helpful) folks (now friends) through blogging, learned quite a bit, even sold some books, but I can visit & comment without actually posting (& needlessly torturing readers).
So.... when you stop by to visit JaxPop - Whaddya expectin' to find? What would y'all want to hear or (hah!) learn about? What would make it a worthwhile stop as a reader - besides Debs pictures?
(BTW - Today's pics are from the Internet.)
I dunno - so I'm throwin' these questions out there for feedback. Any ideas, complaints, suggestions???
Hmmmmm????
10 comments:
All this assumes you think your blog has to have a por... oops, purpose. Along with a few others, my blog was reviewed/evaluated not too long ago and the recurring comments about it and some of the others was that it wasn't clear what the purpose is.
Right now there isn't a clear cut one. My header says it all: "mental meanderings on life and writing". I'm no expert on writing although I've collected a lot of other people's ideas on the subject. I tend to share how *I* feel about what I do or about things in life that catch my attention. I suppose when the day comes that I have a book published I will use the blog to let people know about it, but for now my only real purpose is to communicate with others who have some things in common with me... to develop my own online community of supportive friends. As in real life I don't go peering into people's psyche to see if they'll make suitable friends. I just lean towards the ones I like. :)
That's why I come back to your blog, Dave. I like the way you express your thoughts, whether with humour or seriousness. I like hearing how another writer faces not only the writing challenges but also the other ordinary things that make up everyday life.
Carol
Could it be that it's just a place for fans of your work to get a small peak at your process and what makes you tick?
And your opinions, (though you might not consider them "expert") do matter. You've written a book. You must know some things that would interest other writers and readers.
I'm way new to the writer blog scene so I too am trying to figure it all out, but for now I try not to worry about what people want, I just offer my perspective and open it up for discussion. Then again, I'm so new that there has not been much discussion yet. :)
Carol - You know, I'm always serious. Have a tough time looking at the lighter side of things. I just really need to reach that million follower mark by year's end to validate my efforts here. I'm already up to ten. Only 999,990to go. It's just that, if I don't express my thoughts here on this incredible literary example that is my blog, I get cranky & lose my temper with the evil deli lady (I posted about her once). I still can't think of a good theme but was thinking of a 27 part series of posts about the proper use of nail clippers. Think that would draw the masses? There's still time! Right?
Hi Liesl - Ah, what makes me tick? Actualy I'm over that now - new medication. As much as it pains me to say, my two fans don't read this blog. One is only six years old & prefers video games. My other fan is hooked to a respirator & has a hard time holding the monitor over his head.
I have written a book but even I haven't read it yet! (Clears throat.)
Seriously, my 1st book is doing remarkably well & I've had great feedback from readers & teachers. My 2nd is in the editing stage. You make a good point about worrying about what people want. Gotta write what's inside & enjoy the ride. I've taken pieces of my favorite things - kids, the beach, boats, history, ghosts, etc - & mixed 'em together in a story with an ending that freaked people out (in a good way - it's for kids). Now both fans want to know what happened next - people are never satisfied - so here we go again. Thanks for stopping by. (I was teasing about the tick... & a few other things. Someone should have warned you.) DE
Of course there's still time. But clippers? Hmmm. Just keep expressing your thoughts and the masses will continue to enjoy reading them and the deli lady will be relieved that your temper is being kept in check.
My blog heading says One Day at a Time on Cluculz Lake. Which really means, I have no idea what I'm doing. Ranting, raving, speculating.
What draws me to your blog is your humanity and your humour. It took probably one para to sense that you were a big teddy bear, a man awestruck by your blessings, and a guy crazy about his family.
You aren't full of yourself. You aren't raving about your work. You'll just sharing.
All those things are so appealing. I come back each time not hoping for anything in particular, yet certain you'll make me smile ... and ponder.
You make me laugh, think, wonder. Oh, and appreciate all the good stuff in my life.
Joylene - I've been very blessed & try never to take that for granted or adopt that "I deserve it" outlook - 'cause frankly, I don't. Glad my posts about general craziness make ya smile. Guess I'll keep doin' what I'm doin'. Thanks for the noce comment. Preeshiate it.
You crack me up. I come here because I enjoy whatever you have to say--about whatever you want to talk about.
This is Jenn Hubbard, commenting as anonymous because OpenID hasn't been working lately:
I think your reference there is kind of going about it the wrong way. That is, if you're getting paid to blog about something specific, I suppose you have to serve that audience and talk about what they want you to talk about.
But in a blog that you're keeping voluntarily, my philosophy is: say what you want to say, and the right audience will find you. For example, if you are fascinated by lighthouses, you can blog about lighthouses, and your blog will attract people who are interested in lighthouses. I blog about writing and books because that's what I want to talk about, and so the people who read my blog are interested in writing and books.
Thanks Becky - We'll be on the road again - for about a month. Suspect there will be plenty of "stuff" to post about. Soon I will post about how women shop for clothes - from a man's perspective. Stay tuned. I'll probably get shot. Glad your visits here aren't too boring.
Jenn - You right & you're write. Wait a minute, that's not write, I mean right. Some middle-aged guys get red convertibles, drink martinis (even though they hate the taste) & color their hair. I blog about everyday nonsense, write for kids & drive my saintly wife crazy with one-liners, pranks & last minute trips. Don't think anyone's going to learn much from me like they might from you.
Jenn's right, write and rite -- you choose to blog, Dave, and because you choose to share whatever pops into your mind, we get the benefit of your humour and spontaneity. You're here because you want to be, and so are we. :) Just keep blogging!
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