We R+Mers are a passionate lot. We discuss and debate anything and everything. (See the above photo. Discussion topic: do dogs make good art directors?) When it comes to blogs, our discussions cover a gamut of topics: How often should you blog? How long should it be? What’s the point? Does there need to be a point? You start to get a taste.
The awesome thing about blogs is the conversations they start. So we decided, hey, let’s open up this dialogue to the entire Interwebs. Blog fans or haters, chime in. If you have a favorite blog, tell us about it. Or do you think the masses should have their keyboards taken away. What do you think?
With that said, the floor is yours.
I love how blogging opens the door for anyone to share an experience or an opinion. If I’m trying a DIY car or home repair, I always start by looking for blog posts that could give me a few pointers from someone who’s already been there, done that.
Also, depending on the importance of the information I’m seeking, there’s a blog that can provide an opinion from a source of equal importance. Looking for tax tips? You might enjoy Going Concern’s irreverent take on the world of tax accounting. Wondering if the Red Sox are legitimate WS contenders (or a flash-in-the-pan, *cough*BaltimoreOrioles*cough*)? Check out your favorite beat reporter’s take on his personal blog (the answer is yes). Deciding on which grade of motor oil to put in your car? I’m sure somebody’s dad posted about that last week (also, check your car’s user manual… and see my forthcoming blog post). Urgently seeking safe removal procedures for that pesky salamander in your office? Okay, not sure about that one, but I’ll keep looking.
Expert or first timer, blogging is for everyone.
Ethan, some of your one-off examples (DIY home repair) may have better info in a forum, whereas blogs are better for more general insight on broader topics. Would you agree?
Blogs, forums, digg it, poke it, wow … I think the pace of the Internet means what was once is quickly no more. With that said, I see your perspective (that a forum may be more niche), and raise you one (that its bulletin board origin is a bit dusty). All that to say, I think a blog can be anything the writer wishes it to be from a diary of sporadic thought to one’s adventures in home repair. Most important, the use of categories and tags to help us land safely.
Ms. Bev, thanks for weighing in. You bring up an interesting point about the importance of categories and tags. Sometimes posts are so riddled with both, that I can feel the desperation of “find me!” I love that anybody and everybody can have a voice, I just wish some had the common sense to go with the voice.
The very first blog i ever followed, nearly 10 years ago, was dooce.com, by Heather Armstrong. The content was daily-grind, but with twists and turns most daytime dramas only wish they could think up. It’s called true life. Thousands upon thousands were sucked in and soon the blog produced a full-time job and a paycheck — thanks to the advertisers who wanted to get a piece of the audience. Some folks call that selling out, but I give it a big “you go girl!!” Blogs can change lives, solve problems, make problems, inspire, motivate, calm, instruct or just waste your time. But it’s your time. And it feels good to share.
In that spirit, check out http://dooce.com/category/photos/daily-chuck/ for some of the best dog photos ever!
I like your take on blogs, Ms. Susan. As a copywriter, I’m drawn to similar blogs – ones that are like reading a great book or an article from an awesome writer. I think of blogs as a way for unknown writers to become professional writers in this online world where “nobody reads books anymore.” No need for publishers, editors, and the like. Just the writer and his or her words.
Bloglandia is really overwhelming to me. Everywhere you turn, somebody is blogging about something and everything. I love it and hate it at the same time.
I think what I find damaging about blogging today is that it is too easy to rehash information and share content that originated from another source and claim it as your own. You can now find blogs blogging about other blogs; sweet blog-on-blog-on-blog action. This adds a lot of white noise to the Internet.
The blogs that often succeed offer fresh content and a unique perspective you can’t find anywhere else. Blogging should be an outlet for originality, while I think social media should be utilized more so for rehashing interesting information you find to share with others.
Blogging essentially started out as an online form of journaling, but obviously, it has become so much more than that. A good journal is an amazing practice for anyone and can be very therapeutic . The process of writing something down forces you to think it through until you understand it. If we treat blogging as more of an act of journaling, would we be better off?
Now I am sick of the word blog…
Thanks for your insight, Chris, Schwing if I may. I wonder if the glut of bloglandia will make everyone readers of real books and magazines. Old Skool.
Does the visual length of a blog determine whether you’ll read it or not?
TL;DR
I love good writing in any form, wether it be a long or short blog post in a subject that interests me, but I do think the saturation of the internet has limited our ability to pay attention to something longer than a few minutes.
It’s often refreshing to get out of the internet and into a book or magazine.
For a writer, that’s the worst abbreviation ever. But it is true.
Unique, expert, indexable content. That’s what a blog should be.
Unique and expert: it’s your voice … your value … your opinion … your differentiator.
Indexable: it enhances SEO … it’s available to search engines to evaluate and distribute.
A good portion of a website is really just a brochure. The blog is a conversation between you and a prospect/customer. It’s an opportunity to remain visible and stay relevant after the introduction.
If a website with a blog were to be embodied in a person at a networking event it would look like this:
You (the company) walk into a room. You’re well-dressed and presentable (user interface looks good). You meet someone, introduce yourself and tell them a little bit about you (a visit to a few of the static pages of your site – home page, about us, etc.). After this initial introduction it’s time to engage in a thoughtful, engaging conversation (the blog). Are you funny, smart, intriguing? Is there a reason to continue to speak to you as opposed to moving on to meeting someone else in the room?
Your ability to engage and differentiate isn’t going to happen on the handshake. It’s going to be in the conversations you have afterwards. That’s the value of the blog.
I love your analogy, Chris. I can see it benefitting a client trying to figure out how to “conquer” the internet. Wonder if you could elaborate on your analogy, tying in other social tools (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, et al.) to the networking discussion.
Social tools (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, et al.) are just another opportunity to extend and elaborate the conversation so you can make an emotional connection.
Our family, friends and coworkers know us in multiple ways from multiple angles. We share the same hobbies, taste in food, books, movies, etc. They can finish our sentences and know us beyond our station in life (father, troop leader, marketing director).
The B2B/C connections that our company nurtures can be enhanced in a similar manner. Social tools allow the prospect/customers the opportunity to get to know us through multiple channels. (e.g. Twitter is your voice. Facebook is your interests. Youtube is your achievements.)
When you make a meaningful, emotional connection, you become greater than the service or product you provide. It’s true in your personal life and it’s true for your business.
Chris, I like your description that Twitter is your voice, Facebook your interests and YouTube your achievements. Of course there’s going to be some crossover, but another simple analogy that can help clients to understand each’s value. Put that one in your repertoire.
The word Blog itself is antiquated. What started off as a web-log is now so much more. A Newsfeed is closer to describing what we’re after, but as several have pointed out, ongoing conversation is what makes sites worth coming back too. The other aspect of blogs that makes them lovable is their impermanence. We aren’t typing in ink, which allows us to explore ideas in ways that we otherwise might not. We can take positions that we don’t necessarily believe in order to strengthen our arguments. After all, on the internet, no one can tell you’re an Art Director.
http://goo.gl/DdaLaI <—–click-safe link, I promise
Well said, Doc. I like your impermanence thought. In some ways what we’re typing online is even more permanent thank ink, yet we can always go back an edit. I think it’s important for people to remember when you have a face to face conversation, you say things incorrectly or things you may not quite believe, it’s part of the exchange, and that’s what I think people should remember with blogs. It’s ok to be wrong. Thanks for joining the conversation, Doc. Of what might I ask?
“It’s ok to be wrong.” What’s cool about that is you might have been right the day you wrote it, but wrong the day I read it. It’s important for all of us to aware of when we enter a conversation and the context surrounding the writer’s opinion. Plus, we all evolve as people. Our experiences continue to shape us.
Ditto to that.
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