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The most successful bloggers on the web will tell you this: to be The Best Blog you need a niche. You need to assert your authority and establish a following and be super specific. Sometimes the posts we work hardest on are the ones no one gives a crap about. My own blog has slowly started to focus more and more on what other people find interesting, and not the ones I have the most fun writing.
This is my long-winded way of saying I’m a little bored of writing about social media and the job hunt. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s all valuable information and I love sharing what I’ve learned, but at the same time I don’t feel it truly expresses me. Except I don’t want to lose readers. So how to I stay “true to myself” (I’m aware I’m causing you all to vomit up rainbows so that’s the only time I’ll be cheesey) without sacrificing what my blog has become?
I posed this question on a Brazen Careerist network, Blogging Ideas and I got some really wonderful responses that hopefully will help me (and you!) develop my blog the way I want without losing whatever niche I’ve developed.
Tips for figuring out your blog’s niche:
- “Write an entry that is direct with your audience that takes time to explain where you are at now in your career and the focus you would like to take with your blog.” ~ Jennifer Gleason
- “I don’t see a problem straddling two or more topics; most blogs do this. To do it successfully, try tying it back to a larger theme.” ~ Rebecca Thorman
- “The three topics you mentioned: publishing, job hunting, social media are already (or can be) integrated into one. I am not sure if the best blogs niche themselves or just describe what they do. Penelope’s blog, the starting point for many of us including me, is her personal life account wrapped in career advice.” ~ Isao Kato
And my personal favorite….
- “Your blog is turning into a compelling story of someone trying to get from point A to point B and finding some distractions in between. You can refocus yourself, but don’t lose the human touch that seems to be getting the most attention and comments. Start applying this job search/social media knowledge to publishing and freelancing.” ~ JR Moreau
I’m really starting to love the whole Brazen Careerist network. It’s surprisingly helpful and the people I’ve connected with so far are encouraging and lovely people. Hopefully I’ll be able to find my footing sooner rather than later so I can get this show on the road.
That being said, if I read one more blog with the words “musings”, “ramblings” or “rants” in the header or subtitle I might stab someone in the face. Just a warning.
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Comments
01.22.10
Haha, of COURSE you'd feature this one!
01.22.10
I'm glad you wrote this and it was featured. I've been tossing around the idea of starting a personal blog - isn't everyone? But wasn't sure where to start, what exactly I wanted to write about ... etc. So I started thinking, maybe a general "musings" blog!! And then I read your article. It makes sense to be niche because I don't read "musings". I read blogs that are about categories I care about. So thanks again for keeping it real!
01.22.10
LMAOO, I literally laughed aloud when I saw the title to this blog because in the course of writing my blog there was a brief moment where I chickened out of committing to one theme and temporarily changed the name to...yep, you guessed it...musings. I realized that the blog would be a much more useful asset if I stuck to a subject aligned with the kind of work I want to do, rather than waxing poetic about everryyyyytthhinnnggg under the sun. Now I make a concerted effort to bring all the posts back to the business of doing good in the world. I just think you get so much more in the long run when you choose to actually blog about something rather than putting down whatever waltzes into your head. I'm just starting out...so we'll see. :)
01.24.10
After reading Penelope's guide to blogging, I decided to just go ahead and start a blog while making alterations along the way. I've always been interested in various topics and I thought blogging was a good way of helping me collect, organize and share all that information on the web (instead of me randomly emailing or posting links on my Facebook status).
It seems that the best blogs in market themselves as a niche, but their blog posts can differ widely. They're just able to tie whatever they blog about back to their original main niche as well as explain how their target audience can benefit from this piece of information. Just like how Penelope sometimes talks about her past battle with divorce, etc but i don't think she loses her audience in any way.
I was reading the 50th Law by Robert Greene and in one of his chapters, he talked about how everything seem be "hardened into rigid categories" and "after college, we're all encouraged to specialize.. but end up strangling ourselves in the narrowness of our interests". Truth is, the greatest minds, such as Leonardo Da Vinci, recognize that all ideas are interconnected in some way.
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