A woman on my Facebook page shared an article on the 7 mistakes a beginning blogger makes. They include believing that writing well will bring readers, or that having a well designed webpage is important, or that writing every day counts. The author also sneers at what he considers another misconception: using search engines to attract readers. Having dismissed these commonly held ideas, he invites folks to sign up for his blog to gain more insights.
After reading the article, I was convinced of one thing: the man knows how to sell. Signing up for his blog is free, but I suspect it will cost me something in the end. He does, however, offer one piece of good advice:
… the primary reason blogs fail isn’t because their content is bad or their keywords are poorly optimized or popular bloggers are ignoring them. It’s because they are publishing what they want to say and not thinking for a moment about what anyone wants to read.
Certainly, the difference between a diary and a blog is precisely that point: a blogger, having an audience in mind, is obliged to chose topics of general interest. Where the author and I disagree is the presumption that a serious writer chases numbers, bagging people as if they were commodities. Chasing numbers is what marketers do to sell products. A writer seeks like minds with whom to share ideas. If all that matters is numbers, then here’s my advice which is also free: be outrageous, be insulting, and write about sex or politics. It’s a no brainer.
(Courtesy of preicfreshhumat.com)
*Anyone wishing to learn the location of the website mentioned, leave me a note.
