Here we are at day two of my expedition into 3 Very Important Rules for Successful Blogging (and How I Break Them). Yesterday, I talked about how a successful blog needs to have a specific focus and how this site really doesn’t. Today, I’d like to get your feedback on another widely accepted nugget of blogging wisdom.
Image courtesy: Alan D's photostream on Flickr.
Rule No. 2: Write for your audience!
This rule makes my skin crawl every time I hear it. Sure, there’s merit in approaching your writing in terms of covering topics which would be of interest to your audience. It makes sense that you would want to cover subjects which are important to the people who actively participate in your community, but there’s something disingenuous about that concept to me.
“Write for your audience comes across (to me) as “Write what will bring you the most readers for readership’s sake!” What about creating an audience? The social media crowd does a fine job of patting themselves on the back with all their good advice. I should know, I pat myself on the bat every time I click “Publish.” Likewise, the gearheads are experts when it comes to talking up the best new cars. But do the two meet somewhere in the middle? Can automotive enthusiasts step across the line into social media and take advantage of ideas? Can social media types share specific plans to create real case studies for businesses on the fence about adoption?
Writing for your audience means creating content which is of value to your readers, but what if you’re on the fence between two camps (like me) and just looking to find others who feel the same way and maybe want to collaborate? What if there are no readers? Then what?
Is there a need for gearheads to get an idea of how broader online connectivity fits into their lives beyond the forum, Twitter, or Facebook? What do you think?
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