Being A Better Blogger
I can’t believe I’ve never thought of this / done this before. In the process of catching up on my outstanding RSS feeds I found this interesting post by Adii where he poses the following question to his readers:
I’m regularly astounded by the number of you that take an interest in what I blog here on a daily basis… I’m committed to giving you what you want; to ensure that you keep reading me… please be as honest as you like and request any topic relevant to those I’m already covering
Adii has rightfully acknowledged how cool it is that anyone, with the proliferation of options available, would consider reading his blog. I realised that I feel the same way – I’m pretty lucky that of all the blogs available to you (never mind newspapers, mags, etc.), you still bother to come here / fetch my RSS feed / check my newsletter for new articles, and sometimes even bother to comment. Other than my mom – hey ma! – I can’t really expect that from anyone.
Then it dawned on me that considering how diverse the topics are that I cover in this blog, from arbitrary personal stuff, to branding and marketing related thoughts, to technical stuff, I really have no idea what you enjoy reading and what you really don’t like reading!
I’d really appreciate your feedback on this one – do you find what I write helpful or are the good posts few and far between? More tech? Less marketing? More global best practice stuff? Less arb personal stuff? You tell me. I’d love to concentrate more on writing things that add super value to you and your company.
Popularity: 5% [?]
What!? You read my blog!? :)
I think you’ll have a way better blog with a new design! :) Hehe…
@Adii – I do indeed! Ha ha, yeah I’m working on that. As for the content?
Good question, Mike. You really do seem to cover a wide variety of topics ranging from personal to professional, so its difficult to limit that or streamline it.
All in all, seems to work well for you and the audience you speak to, even if every post isn’t relevant to everyone. That’ll always be the case.
Perhaps a short list of 5-6 main themes/categories would make it easier for readers to find specifically relevant posts… eg. personal, social media, business, etc.
All in all, you’re doing an awesome job and leading the way for the rest of us. Keep it up.
Thought I’d surprise you and post a comment! With your busy schedule reading your blog keeps me up to speed. Love Mom
@Darren as Adii so deviously alludes, there is a site redesign coming, hopefully elements of that redesign will help readers find / enjoy content more :)
@MOM hey! Good to know someone’s benefiting!
I’m not your mom, but I am almost old enough to be your mom.
I like all the things you write about, I especially like it when you write about things you are passionate about (personal, general etc). The posts I don’t like as much as the review ones, but that is because I (a) dont really care about some new techno geeky site and (b) therefor am not really interested in your opinion on the new techno geeky site.
What I love about you is that you are passionate about life, and I love seeing that passion in whatever you write about
Make sense?
xx
To tell you the truth… your blog is fantastic. The only thing I’d say is write more, more often! It’s honestly one of my faves (along with Melissa’s & Bev’s)
Keep up the awesome work!
Oddly enough I really liked your blog showcase feature :). I do think though that it’s a valuable service.
I would be interested in hearing more about Cerebra and 27 Dinners though. They both seem somewhat mysterious :P
@Tertia thanks dude – I can’t motivate myself to write anything if I don’t feel something for it so hopefully that’s coming through – I learn from the best!
@Heidi thanks! Maybe I need to write less more often… hmmm.
@SaulK sure – what do you wanna know?? In the next blog design I’ll put more effort into the info on the site about other stuff I’m doing…
I want to come to a 27 Dinner but I’m allergic to geeks :P
I’ll hopefully be at the next one assuming I don’t have an exam the next day.
Tell us a bit about Cerebra. I’d love to know how it started and what exactly you guys do. I love entrepreneurial stories. I find them very inspiring.
Hey Mike, 10:25 pm and I should be sleeping, but noooo…
So, with the possibility of opening up some harsh (and much needed) crit on my own blog, here goes:
1. Your blog design sucks dude. Big time. You get a sense of something amazing when introduced to the header and it fades away into oblivion covered in white.
2. You have wayyyy too many categories. Once read a post, and I agree, that too many categories make it intimidating for readers.
[I'm sure you'll take both points above in good faith]
Onto content.
1. I agree with SaulK, would love to know more about Cerebra the company, hits and misses, new projects, collaborations. Seeing that this is your personal blog, I guess I can’t be fussy about that.
In all honesty, I had to fish for two critical things just to sound smart. I love your content, love your thinking and value your passion and commitment toward work, life and family.
I enjoy reading about your personal ventures. It helps me set goals and your passion encourages me to meet them.
If this sounds like a suck up comment, it’s only because I regard your contributions as extremely valuable to me personally.
We haven’t met yet due to my own poor execution and once that could be established, I’ll even retract my criticism of your blog design. ;-)
@Henre – thanks, the most valuable response I’ve had yet :)
I am working with Adii to spruce up my design, that should be ready in about two or three weeks. I wonder if perhaps it wouldn’t be an idea to get the insights of a trusted few before it goes live? Hmmm… Thanks for that :)
I clearly need to talk about Cerebra more, and it would be wise to do so, so I’m going to do that.
Need to sort out the categories too :P Will do so ASAP.
@Mike: Thanks.
I would love to have a look at the design before it goes live. Would be great to talk some blog strat and view different perspectives.
Looking forward to some insider info of Cerebra. I think there’s lots of ideas to share there and also to absorb from others in a similar position.
Finally…I can’t wait for the day my mom leaves a comment on my blog. ;-)