Blogging Tips From A Remarkable Blogger

Writing by Brick Marketing Staff on Monday, 3 of December , 2007 at 9:13 am

I like Michael Martine. He offers useful insights from time to time, but I also reserve the right to disagree. This is from today:

Write your posts like they’re news stories: pay attention to your headlines and leads like a reporter would.

I somewhat agree. Yes, headlines make a difference. I believe news-style headlines are best. Action verbs, sentence-like structure, eye-catching and appealing. However, unlike news headlines, blog post headlines are more effective if they focus on the benefit of the content rather than sensationalized.

I can go two ways on blog posts. They can be like news stories. There’s nothing wrong with that style. But they can also be like op-ed pieces. People do care what you think. You are the expert and they are reading your blog for your expert opinion. Don’t be afraid to give it.

Always credit your source or inspiration for a story. The internet may be built out of html and links, but it’s “made” of people, and people deserve credit for what they’ve done, just as you would want to receive credit.

I fully agree with this. By giving credit to your sources you are not only covering yourself legally, but you are also drawing others into your blog, into your content, and into your conversation. More people will read you if they see that you are trying to do the right thing and giving credit where credit is due.

Maintain good relationships with others who are the sources of the information that’s in your blog posts.

Again, I agree. Business - online or off line - is all about relationships. That doesn’t mean you can’t disagree. You can. But when you disagree, do it in an agreeable manner. People will respect you more and your blog will be read.

Boing Boing doesn’t have a niche. Which I find really interesting, because nearly all of the blogging advice you ever read says thou must haveth thy niche as though it were a commandment, or something. But Boing Boing isn’t in a niche. Boing Boing appeals to a certain type of person: tech savvy, pop-culture aware, liberal, biased towards open source, sexually active, pro human rights, and anti-DRM (digital rights management). That’s not a niche… it’s a demographic, which is a much broader marketing category.

This is where Michael and I have hopped aboard different trains. I’m not sure why there is a distinction between niche and demographic. In my mind, they are the same thing. Boing Boing does have a niche. Their niche is providing interesting news and commentary on tech-related issues for a hip, culturally aware audience.

I tried to find Boing Boing’s mission statement, but it wasn’t there. Maybe they’ve decided that their niche target market will find them. It obviously has. But a difference between a demographic and a niche is like the difference between a squad of cheerleaders and the clothes they wear. One is about the people and the other is about the content. They go hand in hand. Your demographic is defined by the people you serve. The niche is defined by the content you offer. I’d like to know more about why Michael Martine makes the distinction the way he does.

This is where a lot of bloggers fall short: other than writing on a blog, they’re not doing anything interesting or worth blogging about. This is especially true of “make money” blogs.

This is useful advice, but I’m really not sure what it has to do with blogging unless the blogger includes details of his personal life on his blog. There’s nothing wrong with doing that. John Chow does it and he has an interesting “personal blog” about making money. Other make-make-at-home bloggers don’t get so personal and they appeal to a different audience. I think you have to determine who your audience is and what they want. Do they want to hear about your participation in the march for equal rights for penguins? If not, it doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that you provide the kind of content that your target demographic is looking for.

So many blogs are the same! I can’t stand it. One way to stand out is to champion your peculiar tastes. Each of the boingers has some interesting and different likes and dislikes, and their personalities come through on the blog.

Yes, I absolutely agree. You have to stand out. Be controversial, have a sense of humor, show a little bit of your vulnerable side. Get angry, be sad, get happy, be glad. You know, write interestingly about interesting things. The No. 1 rule of blogging is Don’t Be Boring!

One thing you don’t want on a team blog is too much similarity between the team bloggers. You want each one to offer something strong and unique, so that collectively as a team, the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts.

Yes, I’d have to agree with Michael on this one, but since I don’t write or participate in a team blog, I suppose I don’t have much to say about this one.

One of the reasons for Boing Boing’s success is simply its longevity.

Blogging is a commitment. If you’re not in it for the long haul then you’re not in it for the right reasons. Don’t do it just because it’s popular or because the competition is doing it. If you start a blog, be sure to follow through and post to it often - 20 times a day is fine if you have the time. You should blog every day. If you can’t, do it once a week. That’s better than nothing. If you have to, hire a ghostwriter.

Read Michael Martine’s full blog post here

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