Evolution of Your Blogging

[williamjackson]

Evolution of Your Blogging

Bill Gates, 1996 “Content Is King”
The evolution of Blogging can be seen in the increase
of content that has a wide range of subject matter and
relevancy to life experiences of the writer.

The importance of Blogging and use of Social Media
can be seen in the engagement and connectivity as
individuals are becoming forces that are rivaling
traditional media. Because there is growing content that
easily crosses time zones and international borders the
effects of Blogging are seen in education, business,
finance, family growth and development and political
arenas.

There are no barriers of any kind that would delay the
posting of content even by age or gender. Students in
elementary schools are creating content based on their
learning experiences as well as middle and high schools.
This explosion of digital content has created a challenge
in determining what is important to read and what is not.

The “Elements of Blogging” and the “Significance”
of content creation is an area that must be addressed.
Workshops, seminars and conferences are available to
help people and businesses create worthwhile content.
No matter the purpose of Blogging the ultimate goal is
to have people “READ” what is written.  Certain criteria
must be thought of and used as a gauge to help Bloggers
in their quest to develop content that pleads to be read
and acted upon.

In education you have Objectives, in business you have
an Agenda, other areas have their own design. Bloggers
must ask certain questions to help them align their content
to obtain readers.

Listed are a few guidelines that I use to help me develop
content and keep me on track during my creation of content to post.
1. Why Do You Blog â€" any blogger must have a
reason to do what they do. There should be some passion,
excitement and commitment when you put fingers to keyboard.
Why is a very important question and should have a definite
answer. During the blogging process it may change just as the
content changes, but every  Blogger should have an answer as
to Why Do You Blog.

2. What Is Your Demographic â€" an important element to go
along with Why is What is your audience? Is there an age group,
gender, nationality, culture or specific group you want to connect
with? People enjoy having a connection with their Bloggers. Any
successful Blogger knows what/who their audience is and tries to
give them what they need and to keep coming back for more.

3. What Type of Content Do You Share â€" sharing is very important.
You want your audience to understand that you are sharing a part
of yourself with them. You’re not thrusting things down their
throat, but providing something that they need or as you grow in
your writing giving your readers something they think they need.
Create the atmosphere of sharing which help in receiving feedback
from the reader. Don’t make it a give/take relationship, but a sharing
and beneficial one.

4. Where Do You Blog and How Do You Support Your Content
Do you have a domain name, are you using a free site, is there a lot
of advertising, is there adult content, video, audio, and multimedia?
Supporting your content requires some research on your part to
validate what you are stating. In the educational, political, and
business environments you have to backup what you have stated
with links, quotes, and additional resources for people to believe
you and continue to use your content outside of your postings.
When I Blog I try as much as possible to obtain valid and
trustworthy resources to backup my comments/statements. In my
Blogging I’m at times competing with traditional media so I have
to go that extra step to help my readers understand where
I’m coming from, how it can help them and where else they can
go for additional help.

5. Do You Use Photos, Video, Graphics â€" The power of a picture,
video or multimedia can never be under estimated. If there is a video
that can be used or you create your own do it. This provides an
extra element to attract and keep readers to your content. Search
Engine Optimization does not just work with text (words), but
additional elements that provide audio (podcasting), video
(Youtube) and multimedia to create an interactive element. Never
be scared to branch off into new areas to help engage and excite
your readers.

6. Do You Offer A Service â€" What can you provide your audience?
Do you sell something, what type of service or services do you have?
The popular Blogs of relationships, natural hair, nails (hands and feet)
provide a service that can be seen and engaging. There is a service
that results can be seen. Think very hard on what service you can
provide if this is your choice. Be sure that you can keep your
customers happy.

7. Do You Evolve â€" One of the important things about Blogging
is keeping your audience and that means evolving. No Blog stays
the same, there is an evolution process that writers go through.
Just as age and maturity happens so should Bloggers content evolve
because their readers evolve and change. What you wrote about 3
years ago may not be of the same interest for your readers now.
Their lives have evolved (changed) so as a Blogger your content
must evolve also.

8. Do You Have a Brand â€" Can you Brand yourself to the public?
What are  you known for, what does your title of  your Blog site
bring thoughts and feelings of . Branding is important because of
the interest it generates in readership. Creating a Brand allows for
Marketability especially if you are trying to make money with
your Blogs. Branding make you who you are so the public will make
that connection.

9. Can You Be Marketable â€" to make money is an important
aspects of Blogging. Eventually a Blogger considers how can they
make money so must be wise in how they Market their content.
Who do they market too? Basically selling yourself to the world
so they can pay for your content. This may take a team to get the
word out about you and promote what you are  doing. Using Social
Media tools is another way, but this must be strategic and planned.
These nine elements are worth considering and using as a guide to
anyone Blogging. Your Blogging content, goals, designs and
objectives will change the more you Blog so be ready to make
adjustments and evolve to keep pace and stay important
enough to be read.

Blogging at My Quest To Teach
http://myquesttoteach.wordpress.com

[ronchamblin]

Good points WJackson.  I’m not so much interested in making money in blogging, but I occasionally think about the impact of the MJ forum on those who post within.

I have used the forum as a form of exercise in thinking, which is then extended to exercising my writing.  When I find an issue that interests me, then I enjoy thinking about it, and then, if I arrive at a respectable image of it, I then might attempt to convey my thoughts to others on the forum.  Prior to the Internet, one could only exercise one’s writing, and thus one’s thinking ability, in a university environment, to friends and relatives via post mail, or in a journal.  Most of us probably agree that attempting to write about a subject improves one’s ability to think with greater clarity and depth.   

This is fun to me, as I could not write with any depth or clarity in earlier years, perhaps because, being a late and slow reader, I did not read much during early years.  Perhaps  I still can’t write clearly and concisely.  But it’s fun to try.

In any case, the Metrojax forum has proven to be a good thing for me, and I suspect for others.  Not only can we see how others think about subjects and issues, we can attempt to arrive at an opinion which might be worthy of conveying to others on the forum.

So………. the writing effort, in my opinion, allows one to improve one’s critical thinking.  I usually do not engage in frivolous argument or banter on the MJ forum, preferring a more direct engagement of ideas as presented by others, or as generated by my own interests.

Therefore, I have nothing but praise for Metrojax and its crew, as they have produced a site which not only provides good news and journalism about the city and further subjects, but they have provided a discussion community in which many of us can participate as we are inclined, and as we are able.

And the future for Metrojax is open.  Who knows where it will go.  Since I’ve been reading and posting, which has been about three years, I’ve witnessed impressive improvements and expansions, plus a general improvement in the posts offered by the members.

If I was in the money, I would probably offer a monthly gift to Metrojax, just to insure that it continues to grow and improve.  Unfortunately I’m temporarily in a deep hole called debt.