Is it more about who’s reading it than who wrote it?
Photo credit to scaturchio
I remember when I started blogging(I like to call it blog writing) I did it for my own entertainment. There were a lot of people making money from blogging. And a lot of people, like me, who thought I could get rich from blogging also. After a bit of playing around with various blogs I started to enjoy writing. Not that it ever was my thing, I’ve been a tech nerd for a long time that never really cared about presenting ideas or sharing something that might inspire someone else. Lots of my blogs just got trashed and they turned out to be extremely worthless. At the beginning, getting caught up in the “bloggers get filthy rich” idea and putting in a 0.05% effort kind of ended up discouraging me, as you could of guessed, it didn’t work. Then eventually I became driven to write for the readers. I finally realized that it is more about who’s reading it than who wrote it!
What I’ve learned from blogging is this: To own a truly successful blog, you need to write for someone besides your self!
This blog is no where near what you’d call successful but I write it for a reason. I know everyone’s out there to “get their voice out” or to get heard. That’s fine. But lets remember that your blog doesn’t mean a thing unless it sticks to your readers. And unless you are writing it for your readers you’re writing it for no one but your self. And being your only reader isn’t too rewarding! Seth Godin said that the two elements of a great presenter are: “Respect (from the audience) and Love (to the audience)”, and I believe that this applies to bloggers also. We’re presenters of our own ideas and thoughts.
Blogging shouldn’t be solely about entertainment, if your blog is based on entertainment you’ll only be committed as long as you’re entertained. If you’re a “cheapo” blogger who jams keywords into posts to get search engines excited you loose the authenticity your writing needs to make your blog worth while. One thing I love about the Internet is the information every day people are capable of passing along. These people all have something important to share. They don’t have to be best selling authors, politicians or award winners to be heard. And some times the most inspiring people are hiding away. Add the Internet to the scene and there adds a load of information and ideas that we would have otherwise never heard of. When you think of it it’s amazing. Not the technology, but the people behind it all.
Photo credit: www.dvd-film-review.co.uk
We make the biggest impact on the very few we come in contact with when we write for the reader.
This may sound overly simple but it’s entirely true. Authors who offer us the most value through their writing always write for the reader. They’re not always the ones with the fanciest words or the most complicated vocabulary but the ones who leave the most impact on others through words. Using words to do what they are intended to do, communicate. Not impress. Maynas Eric Chua, a writer who I find very inspiring said this, “Many people are writers, but not all writers write for readers. That is your window of opportunity.”
So many people have started blogging in the past 3-8 years. But lots of those same bloggers quit. Why? Could it be because they felt that they were wasting their time? If you feel you’re helping other people succeed there’s no reason to give up blogging(or general writing for that matter), however there’s a reason to not start blogging unless you’re planning on doing just that.
A few steps to more effective blogging:
- Use the right words instead of “big impressive words”!
- Write so they’ll understand exactly what you are trying to say!
- Read to be influenced, write to influence. If you read the right stuff(exclude the news) you’ll write the right stuff. Always think of ways to influence people!
- Think of blogging as “open source”, you find something that influences an aspect of your life in a positive way, and then it’s only fitting to share it in your own words. Pass it along.
- Always stay authentic! It is what it is.
Read much, read wide, and if you do write, write it so people can and will read it. They are investing their time in what you have to say and time, is it not one of, if not the most precious thing in life? *Smiles*- From
by Maynas Eric Chua
I hope you’ll pass this along! I’d like you hear your thoughts on the subject. If you have time, please drop a comment!
Tags: audience, blogging, reader, success, Writer, writing
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