One of the things that first attracted me to blogging was the creative genius that I saw at work in many of the blogs going around at that time.
There was an ‘anything goes’ type attitude among bloggers who were pushing the boundaries of what could be done on a blog. Of course I look back now and much of this past creativity has become quite normal now (for example I clearly remember seeing a blogger include a short video in a post a number of years back and thinking it was cutting edge).
Another thing I loved about blogging was the humor, irreverence and fun I saw happening on blogs. Bloggers were not constrained by the editorial process, policy and standards that journalists worked with and as a result some of the content that they produced was like writing I’d not seen before (note: I’m not saying that editorial processes, policy and standards of journalism are a bad thing – but that what I saw bloggers doing was markedly different to what I saw happening in mainstream media at that time).
Blogging was an exciting genre – we were cutting new ground as a community of bloggers.
Of course this tradition of pushing boundaries and expressing ourselves creatively lives on – in fact it’s a real feature of many successful blogs.
Be a Playful Blogger
In a presentation last year on principles of successful blogging – one of the points I made that tried to get at this pushing of the boundaries and new way of writing was titled – Be Playful.
Not every successful blog is ‘playful’ but many are. Whether it be in the experimentation with new mediums, tools and ideas, or whether it be in the type of content that they produce – almost anything goes when it comes to blogging.
In fact as I look back on the most memorable posts that I’ve published on my blogs it is often the ‘playful’ ones that stick out. A few examples:
- 5 Things You Should Know about My Dad the ProBlogger (I wrote this post in the voice of my 2 year old son – the voice seemed to capture the imagination of readers)
- How to Reduce Camera Shake – 6 Techniques (the pictures in this post where the author scribbled over her butt and asked readers to ignore it (by drawing attention to it) went over so well with readers. The post went viral on Digg and many other sites.
- Does My Butt Look Big in This? – What Clothes to Wear in Portraits (the title of this one drew in a HEAP of visitors)
A few quick starting points for being playful
There are many ways to ‘be playful’ on a blog but a few starting points include:
- Experiment with your voice – it is often not ‘what’ you say but ‘how’ you say it that grabs people’s attention.
- Humor – careful use of humor can really make an impact upon readers.
- Surprise – much of what I’m trying to get at with this post is to allow yourself to do things a little different with your blog – things that surprise your readers will make them stop in their tracks a little and take a second look at what you’re doing.
- Fun Projects – pretty much any project that allows your readers to do something fun and interactive would fit into this category. On DPS this would include our Weekend Photography Challenges where we ask readers to submit an image on a theme each weekend or here on ProBlogger it’d include our group writing projects over the years. These projects are largely about fun, interacting with others and a little self promotion for readers.
How have you been playful on your blog?
Being playful is not something you can make a definitive list of how to do. Playful blogging comes in all shapes and sizes so I’d love to hear how you’ve done it on your blog (or how you’ve seen others do it). Please feel free to share a link below to your examples!
PS: playful blogging is also fun and can help you to get through tough patches where you feel like giving it.
Darren, nope I haven’t really tried. But may be I should… :P
Thanks though
Proson
Hi Darren
I’ve come to your blog for the very first time tonight after listening to your interview with Brian Clark. I’m only a new blogger, which explains why I’m the only blogger in the whole blogosphere not to know you!
Great to see you writing about being playful. I’m only beginning to discover my voice… And it’s really fun. Looking forward to going through the rest of your blogs now! I’ve got years to catch up on!
From another Aussie,
Lina
Lina – welcome to ProBlogger – I hope you find your stay to be useful. Nice to have another Aussie on ProBlogger.
Hem … new thing for me. It may work great so i will try more playful with my blog from now on.
This post really hit home for me. It’s so easy to get caught up in the “rules” and the “must-do” checklists that we forget to have fun. I can honestly admit that sometimes I allow fear (yep, there it is) to hold me back from just going for it. Thanks for the great tips and reminder to be playful.
Darren,
Thanks for the awesome tips! Since I am new to blogging (but not writing) I am wondering how to reach out to fellow veteran mommy bloggers to come check out my funny blog. There seems to be blogging manners and etiquette, and I am not sure of the do’s and don’ts. Could you throw a girl a bone? Thanks so much! Elaine
Darren:
Thanks for your post: it is a valuable contribution, to be sure.
Yes, we need to bring out our sense of humor–bask in the glow.
A smile, laughter, tears of joy: this can do wonders for our lives.
We need to let it all hang out, hang loose, and let it pour forth.
Our child-like personality lays dormant, hiding behind the facade of adult behavioral patterns and cultural/social conditioning.
We need to break free of such illusions, every once in a while.
Being playful can help us resolve personal issues and cement relationships and form alliances and friendships with strangers.
We all know those blessed with a sense of humor very often are perceived differently too: they become the life of the party and maybe they have the potential to be social butterflies as well.
People with a sense of humor tend to be popular too, and can be perceived as having an extrovert nature even when they do not.
Even if you think you don’t have a sense of humor, you can cultivate it by watching old Jerry Lewis movies, reading Mad Magazine, watching Saturday Night Live, etc. There are so many ways you can develop your sense humor. I personally have been inspired by the syndicated columnist, Dave Barry. Dave cracks me up big time. And, of course, who can forget Friends, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Johnny Carson and Carol Burnette?
Your post could not have come at a better time. We work too hard and play hardball, when what we really need to do is to slip into our pajamas and have a good belly laugh. Thanks so much.
I recently did a post (God hates donuts) about a counter-protest in San Francisco. The notorious Fred Phelps and gang showed up at Twitter headquarters and were met by a number of other protesters holding nonsensical signs and shouting absurd directives, which in my opinion is the perfect way to deal with such hate mongering. I posted a pic of our family holding our own nonsensical signs. It was one of my most popular posts and was shared by a number of readers on twitter, facebook, stumble etc.
http://kbxmas.blogspot.com/2010/02/god-hates-donuts.html
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Well, I believe when the time you started to blog, there is not too much blogs around the web, so I think beating them is easy, but now, as you can see, over a million blogs are running on the net and competition is getting harder.
This has helped me re-evaluate the way I blog.
I was definitely trying to hard to get relevant information on my blogs, that I didn’t thing about having some fun with it.
Hello Fellow Bloggers,
Here is the link to my post, Are you Hard-Boiled or Sunny-Side Up? which was my attempt at adding a little playful humour to my blog a couple of weeks ago: http://www.homespunspa.com/blog/?p=913
I’m going to try to write more playful stuff like this in the future — thanks for the reminder, Darren.
Maria
i am agree with you Darren
blog is an informal media of speaking
i think people will love blog that uses communicative language better than the rigid one
:-D
One way to have some fun is to come out of your comfort zone and see what happens. Write a Q&A with yourself. Write is someone else’s voice. Use a series of odd photos to make your point. Basically, try something new and generate sparks.
Great things to keep in mind! Blogs are always helpful and they should be very creative with the genious content to the page.
This came at the perfect time! I’ve been blogging for quite awhile now but just recently started a new blog to document my weight loss “story”. I have a goofty, fun-loving sense of humor and while healthy eating & weight loss isn’t a fun topic this just reminded that I can add my personality and make it fun!
Your post has been more than helpful. I just started a blog and I’m not getting any traffic at all. Can you help me out? Thanks Dave
Sometimes reverse psychology works in a little humor:
http://sallyswords.braveblog.com/entry/29511
Personally I feel that Google Buzz’s release was a little too early, especially with the privacy issues. I also think that Google is going down the path that Windows went through around the era of Windows ME. The latest releases and products appear to be less planned and I feel that rushed to attempt to be a first to market, and compete with its competitors releases. The privacy issue was was a problem that did not require was a very simple issue to figure out, a very basic review session would have shown these issues. Do you think Google may have received too much credit last year?
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I follow your blog for quite a long time and should tell that your articles always prove to be of a high value and quality for readers.
One of the reasons why so lots of people do not benefit greatly from speedy weight loss diets is because they go from eating heavy meals to starving themselves suddenly. This is the most harmful thing that you can do to your body. Your body needs lots of minerals and vitamins to function properly. Suddenly, you go on a starvation diet supposedly well calculated to lose weight. Yes, you are going to lose weight, because the body is going to start burning up tissue to compensate for the loss of food. So, if you have already been undergoing a speedy weight loss plan or diet, you require to know whether it is working in a positive they are in a negative manner.
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Going through your site gives me a chance to recall why I enjoy reading things with so much ideas. It is nice to know that there are still serious bloggers out there that can put fun into knowledgable info. Thank you for your contributions and eagerness to share your ideas with us.
All of my ‘problems’ started in about 7th grade (currently in 11th). Basically, I get headaches everyday that start from minutes after I wake up until when I go to sleep. Which leads me to my next big issue: sleep. I cannot remember the last time I slept all the way through the night without waking. I wake up at least 2-3 times around midnight till 6 am usually. I get back to sleep relatively soon, but it’s frustrating.
What are some examples of websites, online businesses, or personalities that use a “playful” voice in their content? I want to apply some fun and infotainment in my new blog.