I was reading a really interesting post on another blog that struck a few nerves with me. Made me feel all tingly, in a not so warm kind of way. So that made me want to do some writing. And here I am, writing about why my blog sucks.
It was a post on various methods needed to make a great blog, and how without engaging in these methods, your blog is likely to suck. I decided to write about my own blog in the same format.
Epic Posts
Long, descriptive, valuable content that readers want to bookmark and share. I certainly don’t have that, and I never really have. I’m still trying to work out what knowledge I have that others might find of value, and present it in ways that others might think is amazing and want to share it with everyone they know.
To be honest, I’m not good with epic posts. I always think that most people don’t have a lot of time to read something ‘epic’, so I try to write short articles or posts that will fit into their available time for my material. If they like it, I hope they’ll stick around a bit longer and read some other short pieces as well.
As for epic posts in my future, I don’t know. I’ll work on it.
Be Helpful
Great bloggers solve problems for their readers.
There’s a part of me that wants to solve people’s problems, but another part of me wonders what problems readers might have that I could possibly solve.
I know that I want to help people make better choices in their life, but I also think that most people don’t even see that as a problem. They’re usually completely unaware that their choices might be a problem, so they’re not looking for help with that.
I’m not sure how to help people with something they don’t think they need help with. Maybe I’m approaching it all wrong? I’ll work on that too.
Networking
If you want to promote your content […] online you have to build relationships with bloggers that are more popular than you are.
I’m an introvert, so building relationships is a little difficult for me, regardless of whether it’s in the real world or online. I’ve made some online connections over the past 17 years of being online, some of which I’m still in touch with today, but a big part of my personality resists establishing relationships simply to promote something.
I’m uncomfortable with saying, “Hey, I want to get to know you and develop a relationship so that I can ride the coattails of your success and maybe get a few scraps from your discarded bones.” That’s just not me at all.
However, I know that most people enhance their audience by getting someone popular to help them out, and it’s at least a nudge for your own success. And many people out there just love to use their own popularity to help other people get their own following.
So I’ll work on getting over what I’m uncomfortable with, and to contact other like-minded bloggers out there that might enjoy or appreciate my work enough to mention it to their own fans.
Tell Stories
If there’s one thing I do really well amongst my closest friends when I’m socialising with them is tell stories. I can sometimes deliver a story in a way that has people rolling with laughter.
I’m going to try and write some of my stories as if I’m telling my closest friends, and then publish it here. I have a feeling that could work out quite nicely.
Be Unique
“You are all individuals!” “Errr… I’m not.” – Monty Python’s Life of Brian
I’m still trying to find my niche, to find that which stands out from others. Or, as some say, I’m trying to find my ‘voice’.
I think I have it, and I think that it works for me. But where’s the readers arriving in drones to read what I write about? Well, they’re not coming, so that tells me my voice not only isn’t being heard, but it isn’t worth listening to.
I’ll keep exploring my ‘voice’, to see if I can find a topic that people want to hear about, as well as a way of writing that they want to read more of.
Have A Story
In order for people to take notice, you have to be doing something worth noticing.
This is true. What am I doing that’s worth noticing? Not much.
What guy are you?
I’m the guy that’s still trying to work out what kind of guy he is. Maybe that’s the kind of guy I am? Maybe that thing I could be doing that’s worth noticing is writing about trying to find out what kind of guy I am?
I’ll keep looking into it.
Be Everywhere
Super bloggers […] are active everywhere.
Yeh, I just can’t be. At least not yet, and maybe not for a long time. I work 8 hours a day, and when I come home I’m usually brain dead from my work. The last thing I want to do at home is to do more ‘work’.
I know it’s kind of a ‘catch-22’ situation. If I didn’t have to work a ‘day job’, I’d be able to spend more time to be active everywhere. But until I’m active everywhere, I don’t see myself as being able to quit the day job.
What to do? Obviously just the best that I can do within the circumstances of my life.
Promotion
…you have to promote it to get more traffic. That means getting guest post and mentions from popular bloggers.
I’m not sure how this is any different to Networking, but maybe they just wanted to add another bold heading and couldn’t think of anything else?
In Summary
This exercise has given me a few pointers to helping me make a better blog. Will it become a great blog? I’m not sure. Time will tell.
Thanks for reading! Please add your own thoughts below.
Don't forget to subscribe for new posts sent to you by email!