You’re a HUGE Part
Information is everywhere. My younger, older brother said once,
“Our parents we lucky. They had less information. Information is the curse of this new era. We have so much information. We can’t move for sorting it out.”
He was right in so many ways.
My answer is to ignore most of it, only take what I need now.
I’ve talked to a few readers about why they read blogs and about how they choose the ones they go back to every day. Information isn’t the key ingredient. With so many blogs out there and so much information, we gotta wonder. Here are ten reasons people read YOUR blog.
10 Compelling Reasons People Read YOUR Blog
- You have ideas not just information. You look at what’s happening and add a thought about it. You’re there in the text giving the information context.
- You have thoughts, not just ideas. You look at your ideas from a variety of views giving them a “once over” with possibilities.
- You have experience. You may not have a resume from here to Mars on the subject, but you’ve tried what you’re talking about and you’re willing to say how it was for you. That’s key. Like listening to my favorite movie critic, I may not like what you like, but I know where we agree and disagree so I can tell how what you’re saying applies to me.
- You don’t try to teach me. You don’t write so complete that I’m not left with nothing to say, but “good job.” You show me what you’ve learned and how you learned it. That’s a big difference. I like learning with you. Being taught isn’t quite so appealing.
- You don’t try to be someone else. You know what you bring is of value. It’s attractive to be with people who know who they are.
- You interested in me too. Every question you ask is thoughtfully posed to find out more about me as a person who reads your blog. You don’t expect me to answer question that are too big or too personal for the comment box.
- You make me feel welcome. I get the feeling that everyone who stops by is a friend, even if he or she just arrived. That’s very appealing.
- You don’t apologize for what you write or take people down in public. It’s nice to know that folks who come by your blog get great information and get treated well too.
- You do what you can to make it easy to comment. Other than a small fence for spammers, you take the load of keeping a “clean yard” on yourself so that folks will find it easy to be part.
- You don’t write other people’s blog posts. You know you can only be a bad copy of who they are, but that you make a really good you.
More than anything, you know that you are the only you on the Internet. You’re the one we come for.
As I said, information is everywhere.
What are you doing to put more of YOU into your blog?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!! SOBCon08 is May 2,3,4 in Chicago. Register now!
