Thursday, June 11, 2009

Day 3 – What should I write about?

So this is day three of my blogging! I hope you know I really am serious about this. I am only trying to figure it out – what better way to learn to blog that to write a blog about me learning to blog! Not unlike Cramer's coffee table book about coffee tables.

So how do I pick something good to blog on? This seems to be the great challenge to starting a good blog and actually keep it going. In fact, this is where my previous attempts have failed! So what makes a good blog for both the reader and the blogger? That is really the question I am trying to address in the post.

After doing a little research and thinking about it for the past 24 hours or so, there seem to be a couple of key's to succeeding in creating a good blog that people will read and that is enjoyable to create. I have boiled into two key points, expertise and passion. Blogging on a subject that you have clear command of, or are developing yourself into "expert" status is a great way to get yourself out there, expand your skills on the subject, and attract others to benefit from your knowledge. Passion for a particular subject is also a great motivator.

The main problem I working to overcome is focus. In past blog startups I have attempted to either be too broad, covering a broad range of topics. After a couple of weeks I was already losing interest. I just couldn't keep up with all of the topics. So, from my experience, the breadth of the topic seems to be an issue as well.

So, 2 simple rules to get started:

  1. Write about a topic you are either an expert on, passionate about, or both.
  2. Start with a narrow topic to keep focused.

I would also add #3: Start short! Don't start attempting to write War and Peace – just get the habit of writing on a routine basis down then start worrying about the length and breadth of your ideas…

Adios for now amigos…

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