Yesterday I was having a WTF day. (Also known as a duvet day, a piss of and leave me the f$%^ alone day or a "I definitely think I could immigrate to Turkey" day.) Today is better, which is a good start.
I've been doing some research on what other people blog about. I, for one, am not keen on sharing my entire life story or my emotional ups and downs with the world at large. I'm also not interested in becoming an industry expert on a particular topic as it will require far too much time and energy that quite frankly, I don't have.
So, with the limited time at my disposal, I have opted for Google Reader, which has truly been a life saver in terms of categorising blogs and aggregating interesting content. I'm a firm believer in listening to what the audience wants despite what the individual/brand wants to communicate. I have therefore been perusing blogs who, despite their popularity, have as yet not sold their souls. Their followers are numerous, outspoken and active and form part of interchangeable communities that have clear, yet complex wants and needs.
The one that currently stands out from the crowd is Chris Roper's blog, which seems to hit the mark on numerous fronts.
Chris is an opinionated guy (to put it mildly) with a dry sense of humour, a firm grip on current affairs and an insatiable desire (or is that a need?) to comment on all things weird and wonderful. The sheer number of hits and comments his blog receives is remarkable and gives a clear indication of the power of the 24.com community.
Anything but mainstream, his blog boasts an impressive 13 000 hits since its inception on 22 May and is categorised under the most read blogs on the blogs.24.com homepage. What I find most interesting though is that his blog proves two very powerful things:
1. You don't have to conform to the so called bloggerati in order to be heard (a popular misconception)
2. Content is king. As long as your content informs, entertains, educates and/or amuses, the consumer is ready and willing to engage.
My big question though is: How many blogs can truly say that they write with the end-user in mind? Isn't blogging by definition a self serving activity that offers those with too much to say (or those with zero social skills for that matter) a platform to be heard? Which begs the last question: WTF am I doing this for?
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10 comments:
So why not change to 24com blogs. We'll make you famouser.
Because I have no desire to be famous. I quite like the idea of going to the 24hr shop in my PJ's without having to worry that I'll land on the front cover of HEAT.
WTF are you doing this for?
Because you want a space to explode your thoughts, ideas and opinions. You need some kind of release and the idea writing suits your creative spirit.
You're not doing it for anyone else - it's a personal blog, you don't intend to make money from it or become a blogging rockstar. You just want YOUR place to let loose.
Don't worry about anyone else or what they think, just write!
Dive into anything and everything you have something to say about. And if you don't want to write for days or weeks at a time, who the hell cares??!!
Just enjoy it, have some fun, explore new ideas and exchange opinions with others if you want to.
Do it for you. Screw everyone else and what they "expect" - pull your own strings. This is the one place you can absolutely do that.
And if this space is not useful to you anymore after a while, you move on ...
So serve yourself, get what you need out this experience and enjoy =)
@justbcoz you have hit the nail on the head.
Thank you for saying what I have been struggling to verbalize and for making me realize that it's OK to sometimes not have the answer.
I really look forward to meeting you soon :)
Totally agree with justbcoz.
I created a short lived blog a while back without giving it much thought. After just a few posts, i wasnt happy with it. I wasnt writing for myself. I had some of the same feelings you do. One of my last posts was "Where am i going with this?".
The way i see it is that a lot of blogs are not particularly interesting, its often used as blatent self promotion and a vehicle to be involved in the constant pissing contest of what or who they know. It completely takes the soul out of it.
I think this medium could be alot more than that. It could be forum for a personal expression that is interesting, creative, original. Something unique to your perspective - not driven by a potential reader, but rather your own interests/needs.
Im going to get a blog up and runnning again soon, and im quite excited about it. I dont really care what anyone will think about it. If i dig it, then its a raging success. And i think thats a good way to look at it...
Good luck, and i hope you carry on.
@Brendon Thanks for the support. Please send me the link as soon as your blog is up. I'm keen to read more blogs that are honest, creative and above all else harness this medium for something other than self promotion.
We'll be meeting soon ...
Have decided to definitely, absolutely, wild-horses-couldn't-stop-me come and celebrate your birthday with you!!
Looking forward to it =)
@justbcoz Yeeeeeehhhaaaaa!
I'll be sure to do that :) Im not making any promises as to the WOW factor of my blog - it might end up being a little ridiculous and absurd, but then again, im both those things at times.
Im going to be partnering cow_grrl to your shindig tonight. I look forward to meeting you.
@Brendon That's the point, it doesn't need to be wow. All that matters is that you digg it.
I look forward to meeting you tonight!
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