Stumbled across this blog post by Jonathan C. Gillespie regarding blog content. My writing chapter has been discussing promotional efforts and which ones work and which ones don't, so this caught my attention right away.
All writers know that content is subjective. There are some books I don't read because the subject matter doesn't interest me. A fiction book where the main character is restoring a car, for example, would probably have to have someone I trust recommend it to me, and even then I'd probably read a few pages to see if I'd buy it. Some people ONLY read specific content--Regency romances, for example. I'm a pretty broad reader, but WWII battle descriptions or someone's trek to the North Pole isn't probably going to be high on my reading list. Don't know why, but it's not.
I'm pretty sure the same thing applies to blogs. A blog readership will hopefully be interested in what the blogger has to say, but I'd venture a guess that few bloggers just ramble on about any old thing. That's what Facebook is for. A blog has an audience just like a book has an audience, and if the blogger wants to maintain that audience, he or she will address subjects that the audience wants to read.
Gillespie's post is a good start, but he never defines "meaningful content". I agree with him that status updates don't count--no one cares about all your submissions, because anyone can submit a manuscript and have it rejected. But that one submission that results in a sale--now THAT is one that others will care about.
Which brings me back to that unique perspective. I think it's that new twist on something, or a new way to look at something, or a new interpretation that catches readers' interest.
What types of content do you like in a blog? In a book? What draws you in? What keeps you there?
2 comments:
This is an interesting topic for discussion. I'm currently part of 2 blogs. One has nothing to do with writing, really. We talk about everyday events. Grandkid visits, recipes, anything that's on our mind. It's the most relaxing blog I've ever belonged to. I enjoy our discussions. The other blog I have is my personal blog. I really only use it for writing news. (Sales, not submissions).
Lately, though, I've realized something about my comments on other blogs. I like it when I can find a personal connection to the topic. Hmmm, that sounds like I enjoy talking about myself. It's not that so much as I enjoy talking about fun things that have happened in my live or in my family's lives. So I believe a blog that interests me is one I can identify with personally.
and now that I've practically written a blog here in my comment, I'll stop typing. lol
LOL, Laurie. I think you're spot-on with your comments, though. And I was thinking that a good blog writer is someone who can interest me in something I wouldn't otherwise care about. So maybe there's someone out there who CAN make me care about fixing up that old Mustang!
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