Building a Better
Blog
The blogosphere is unique social
construct, a community in which thousands of voices speak into the darkness and
hope for a whisper in return. Even though nothing committed to the internet
ever disappears entirely, the life of a blog is always uncertain. Some voices
seem to continue to ring on strong, but these are the exception. Most speak out
for a while and then die off into nothingness. There are several important
differentiating factors that I have found as both a reader and a writer to be
good indicators of the health of a blog.
The first predictor is the
dependability of the people behind the blog. If they have a schedule set, do
they fulfill those promises? If not, do they post regularly or is it months
between new content? Do they have some way to communicate to their readership
when new content becomes available? As a reader, I have neither the leisure
time nor the inclination to browse blogs that haven’t been updated. Go too long
without new material, and I will not be back. Chances are the blogger won’t be
either.
The next sign I look for is the
self-awareness of the blog and blogger. All writing must have a target
audience, a group of people whom they wish to reach and influence. Whether you
are trying to reach a niche, sub-culture or an entire demographic, it is
essential to know what interests them and to tailor the blog’s culture to
fulfill those needs. Do your readers seek entertainment? To learn something or
keep up on news? To share in the thoughts and art of another? These questions
change the nature of the posts themselves.
This leads directly into my third
flag. Does the blogger produce high quality content, or can most of what they
post be considered “fluff”? More importantly, is the type of content that they
produce consistent to the needs and expectations of their audience? Both are
legitimate strategies, after all. For instance, a blog that seeks to target
geeks with science and entertainment news may be posting many short, graphic
centric articles. They do not rely on readers going in depth, but rather depend
on a high frequency of shares and new visits to spread their message. A blog
that discusses the finer points of restoring classic cars, however, would rely
on a small pool of devoted readers and discussions generated by more detailed
content.
The final and most important aspect
that I use to predict the success of a blog is its focus. Bloggers who write
for their own satisfaction, who are internally focused, tend to be less
reliable, and frankly, less interesting. They write for an audience of one. If
that is enough for them, then I hope that they have fun with their little piece
of the internet. Bloggers who are truly successful tend to be externally focused,
seeking to reach people in order to share their passion and interest. They seek
to form a community.
When I think of the blogosphere, I
can’t help but picture the club fair that occurred during the first week of the
fall semester at my college. Back then, we dragged tables out to the middle of
our campus, and freshmen wandered around, trying to find what extracurricular
they wanted to be a part of. These days I sit behind a digital table, but the
goal is the same. I want to attract people who share my interests to stop and
talk to me. If I’m lucky, they’ll even join my club and stick around. Community
is what matters to bloggers, it is what supports and sustains us. It is our
raison d’être.
The lovely people of Vision and
Verse have become part of my personal blogosphere, part of my community. Though
we only met a short while ago, and our relationship is just beginning, I’m
already glad to have met them and am joyful for their success. The one-year
mark for a blog is a tough milestone to reach. Most don’t. Reading their blog,
I see many of the indications I mentioned above that point to a long-lasting
and healthy community.
Most of all, I’m thankful to all of
you, dear fans and readers. Both my own, and those native to Vision and Verse.
Without y’all, without your willingness to listen from within the darkness, and
occasionally even whisper back, we would not, could not go on.
Happy birthday Vision and Verse.
And, many, many returns.
Though Nathan Barra is an engineer
by profession, training and temperament, he is a storyteller by nature and at
heart. Fascinated with the byplay of magic and technology, Nathan is drawn to
urban fantasy and soft science fiction in both his reading and writing, though
he has been known to wander off into other genres for “funzies.” He is an
active blogger, not only on his own site,
NathanBarra.com,
but also with a group blog called the Fictorians (
www.Fictorians.com). Nathan is always up
for a good conversation, so please drop him a line through his contact page or
write on his Facebook wall (
www.facebook.com/WriterNathanBarra).
