May 14, 2009

The three "C"s of blogging

Quick story: I was talking business with my wife last night. We both have jobs in Social Media, so we often talk business. Anyway, she was telling me about a presentation she would be giving soon entitled “The three Cs of Social Media.”

I smiled, but it was the nervous kind of smile one might flash while in the presence of a mind-reader… or a plagiarist (just kidding, dear).

Anyway, I told her about my idea for a post entitled “The three Cs of blogging,” and she flashed the same smile.

Great minds think alike, I guess.

Blogging is a hobby of mine. I enjoy expressing myself, and I operate under the assumption that someone, somewhere (probably in Malaysia) likes what I write.

During the course of all this blogging, I’ve picked up a few principles I try to live by when I write. I call them the three Cs of blogging.

1. Content. If blogging were Lincoln Logs, content would be the long fat pieces you use for the foundation. You can’t build a good cabin without long fat Lincoln Logs, and you can’t build a good blog without compelling content.

Before you even begin blogging, identify your area of focus. What will you write about, and who is your audience? Start by filling in the blanks of this “Focus Statement”: My blog will be where ______________ come to learn about _______________.

Once you identify your theme and your audience, write passionately. You probably wouldn’t be blogging at all if you didn’t have a little passion, so let it shine through your writing. Write with emotion, and keep it light. I got a great piece of advice once: Write like you’re trying to make your two best friends laugh.

2. Consistency. Nothing kills off readers like inconsistency. One post to your blog every third month just won’t cut it. Before you start your blog, figure out a schedule and stick to it.

You don’t have to post every day, but your readers should know when they can expect a new post. And they should start to get antsy when that post doesn’t come.

I have a good friend, for example, who posts to his blog just once a week. One post a week isn’t much, but we all know that post will be there every week.

3. Communication. So you’ve created a new blog and you’re extremely proud of your work. The writing is crisp, the sidebars are filled with crazy widgets and ideas are buzzing all the time.

Problem: no one knows about it.

Now it’s time to promote yourself. Remember that audience you identified earlier? Well, find those people and tell them about your new project! Send emails, encourage people to subscribe to your posts and be your own publicity agent.

Promote your blog (in an authentic and not-annoying way) in other forums. Tweet about it, Send links through Facebook, leave comments on related blogs and otherwise keep your friends updated. No one will read your blog if they don’t know it exists.

So what do you think? Feel a little better about starting your own blog? I hope so. Please leave a comment and tell me your thoughts.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to follow my own advice and tell everyone about what I’m doing here.

2 comments:

  1. Adam, you are a blogging machine and I will let you know that I am akin to that boy in Malaysia who also finds joy in your writings.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good choice of three relevant C's that truly are essential to blogging.

    ReplyDelete

 

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