Stephanie asks – “I’d like to know: As a blogger: What matters most to you?”
Wow – this could go in any number of directions including the philosophical!
I don’t think I could name one thing alone but here’s the first few things that popped into my head (I’m sure I could write a lot longer list if I were to give it extended thought):
- Useful Content – as a blogger wanting to both build a successful blog as a business but who also wants to build something of value to help people I spend a lot of time asking myself how I can provide something that is useful to readers. The longer that I blog the more I am convinced that building something useful online is a key to it’s success.
- Sustainable Model – as a blogger earning an income from my blogging I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in the money side of things. While money isn’t everything to me and V and I do strive for a relatively simple lifestyle – it’s important that what I build has a way of both sustaining us and building an income to a level where it can also help others.
- Stimulation – over the years I’ve built blogs on topic that I have limited or waning interest in. I don’t want to do this any more. I’m happy to help other bloggers with a passion for a topic build their blogs in the network I’m a part of (even if the topic isn’t of great interest to me) however life’s too short to be writing about something that doesn’t stimulate me.
- Conversation – by no means am I satisfied with the level of community that currently happens on my blogs but it’s important to me that it’s growing. I’m not satisfied because I know I could contribute to it a lot more and I often feel torn between the many roles that I have as a blogger these days (here at ProBlogger alone I get 100 or so comments on an average day and to respond to them all could be a full time job in itself). My hope is to build blogs that don’t rely upon me as the only ‘expert’ but rather to build communities of expertise where the conversation is rich as a result of the knowledge that the community as a whole has.
Like I say – this is just the beginning of a longer list that I could spend a lot of time upon.
What matters to you most as a blogger?
To me what matters most is that what I am writing is helpful to my readers. I got caught up in attempts to make money and started to focus more on that than on whether or not my blog was doing that for which it was first intended. I have realized that I have a limited population of individuals who will be served by my blog and that I do not have the time necessary for this to become a big income resource, but my original goal remains in tact.
I want my blog to provide support to others like me and for them to find it encouraging and supportive. I have to keep coming back to this. All the rest is just gravy.
I think that’s an excellent question. For me, it’s just to have some kind of connectivity with other adults. I live on a ranch out in the middle of nowhere so when I do see people, it’s mostly all the cowboys or my postmater. Being a stay at home mom, my stories aren’t that interesting but with any luck, one of my posts might spark someones interest and then maybe a friendship will be established.
I do have other make money at home blogs and I try to make extra money from them but I also try to show and explain my journey to making money on the side. I want to convey the real path to blogging successfully and so far it’s going good but definately needs improvement. http://www.resourcesavvy.com
That is why I visit your site. You are my inspiration. Your writing techniques, know-how’s, how-to’s, and your ability to convey your knowledge towards beginner bloggers(like myself), as well as, well established bloggers. Thank you.
I like the idea of creating something of value – of writing and creating material that is useful to your readers and interesting to you as the writer too. It’s a good question to ask ourselves as bloggers: what are we creating that will be of value?
This emphasis and focus is certainly evident in the stuff that you post and I’m sure that’s the main reason your blog has so many readers.
Joanna
I’d have to say there are 3 things that are most important to me as a blogger.
1. Write about things I love. As long as I’m writing about topics I love, then it doesn’t feel like a chore or work. It’s all natural and of course it all comes out in the posts.
2. Make people feel better. This is probably a little strange since my blog is a tech blog, but I try to write my posts in a casual and conversational way. If my visitors become amused at my posts and leave in a better mood, then that’s a victory for me.
3. Build a community. I’d love to have a vibrant community at my blog. I’d like every reader to feel that they belong to the blog, like it was a close relative’s home.
Joanna took the words right out of my mouth. Being able to contribute to the blogging community and your readers is what matters most.
Ha ha, now I just need to find what sort of compelling content I can provide on a regular basis.
While professional bloggers would have their own say, I am generally the one who has a personal blog. For me the most important thing about blogging is that I can express myself and share my feelings and anecdotes with a lot of people I know.
Cheers!
As a semi-pro blogger, the most important thing for me is to provide useful content. My blog is for the independent musician, which is something i am passionate about, being one myself and having been involved in the independent music scene for over 10 years.
Conversation and building a community are a close second and something i am hoping to increase over time.
One of the reasons i’m happy to stay a semi-pro blogger is because i don’t want money to get in the way of my passion; by keeping another income stream (eg my part time day job), i can maintain a clear focus on content for my blog.
First on my list would also be great, useful, and entertaining content. My blog is, in part, a continuing adventure, so hopefully by content brightens someone’s day and is content that he/she looks forward to reading. Along with that, I try to make my content informative for those who have a similar lifestyle. I enjoy sharing my unique lifestyle, thoughts, and lessons learned.
And, that’s a great question to ask myself, Joanna; what am I creating that will be of value? Thanks. My answer will definitely be what guides me in the future.
Hi. It is very interesting to read your comments. I tried to start a blog but the biggest problem is that I don’t know how to begin . I want to make it in English although it is not my native language. However the most difficult for me is to refresh the blog and to add new information. I think I will renounce…
For me it’s about the egoboo. I want to write material that grabs people’s attention, makes them think, and gets them to link to me so more people can read it. Ultimately I want to be a source people will immediately click to when a political story comes up. I want to be one of those people others go to for analysis and interesting commentary.
No question, what matters to me is providing information that helps my readers. In addition to the Writer Way blog for web content writers, I maintain a personal blog that often includes step-by-step “how-tos” for solving home and gardening problems. When I check stats for that blog, it is humbling for me to see that those “how-to” pages are 10 or 20 times more popular than my essay-style entries or amusing rants about lifestyle topics. “How-to” content has real staying power.
This tells me that the challenge for me is to develop “how-tos” about writing for Writer Way.
I simply love blogging about topics that I’m passionate about as it allows me to write with true intensity, which in turn generates more interests from readers. I love the community feel and like being able to contribute and shape it.
A good question. For me above all else, the content must be of use and interest to my readers. But like you said there are a few other reasons.
Stimulation – That is the best thing to think about when starting a blog. I have tried different topics because I thought they would be easier to monetize. It never works out unless I truly enjoy the topic.
What matters to me most is useful content and conversation. I want to always put out something that is useful and educational… and at the same time, I want people to not take it as fact and if something seems off… I want to debate or shown the errors of my thinking.
As someone who has just started a blog about drawing the most important thing is to draw nice pictures and to learn more techniques so I can draw even nicer pictures.
Working on SEO is also important but I spend far less time on that.
I blogging to learn more about some marketing topic. I have to read lots of blogs, articles, diferent opinions, statistic and then this information that I get, I write on my blog.
To share information and to learn more.
Léo
Hello, I definitely agree with you. In fact, this article sparked me to write my own 4 C’s to blogging, found here: http://ebizz.wordpress.com/2007/06/13/the-4-cs-of-bloggingwhat-really-matters/
I’d be curious to hear your thoughts, especially since you are an experienced blogger.
-Chris
Dear Darren,
I would be really grateful if you could advise me on where to find the pictures for my website. I sit possible to have them for free-at least some of them?
I really think that a simple and clear blog would fit my content best…However, I would really like to compensate the simplicity with great pictures…And also I cannot find (already for 2 months) a picture for the top of my website…
Thank you very much for the inspiring an dup-to-the point content
Dilyana