Are there ways to stand out from the 133 million blogs which are tracked by Technorati (and probably a gazillion more which are untracked)?
Can your blog be a favourite bookmark for the thousands of online surfers?
How can one distinguish and differentiate one’s online real estate against the competition?
Yes, you can! (with apologies to Obama).
Sonia Simone of Copyblogger shares with us some brilliant tips on how you can do so, and I have reproduced the key points below (and added some inputs) for your reading pleasure.
1) Don’t write in a tired space. The world doesn’t need yet another money making online blog, video game review blog or socio-political analysis blog. That is unless you are confident of triumphing the incumbents.
2) Don’t write in a space no one cares about. Yeah, and this includes rare Siberian silkworms.
3) Share a unique voice (and pay attention to your writing). Not every mummy blogger can be a Dooce (or an Eastcoastlife).
4) Be genuinely useful. People will love your blog for it and come back often (plus recommend their friends). Usefulness can also come in the form of entertainment or destressing you know….
5) Have real authority. Of course, if you know nuts about fixing Harleys, don’t try to be too clever and expound about the art of motorcycle maintenance.
6) Focus on your community. People like to know what’s happening amongst other folks whom they know. Like attracts like and birds of a feather flock together.
7) The key to creating a memorable web presence is to uniquely communicate as opposed to uniquely do. So what if you are the greatest lover in bed, if you don’t share what your secrets are…
Obviously Sonia says it a lot better here.
That’s a nice list, Walter. I think I’ve tried to convey a few of those points across when teaching others about blogging.
I don’t quite agree about the second point though. The more niche your area, the more you should blog! Surely, there will be more than one person interested in rare Siberian silkworms.
The trick is finding those who are interested. And that’s going beyond just blogging. It’s about reading others, commenting, really trying to connect with others in a similar space.
Question: Does great blog equate to most bookmarked blog? There are music that do not enjoy commercial success but are great music to those who care to discover. There are books that do not enjoy commercial success but are great too.
Like any successful business out there, you can play in the arena of the crowded space, but you can also play in the niche space. How about passion? How about growth? Like today you may not come with authority, but in time to come, as you blog, you may?
I think the intend of your post is good (if “commercial success” is what the end game is, but if that’s the case, the title seems a bit disconnected to me), the instructional tone such as don’t this and don’t that make me ponder: Shall I just forget about blogging and do another hobby? Because I can never be that “great”?
A genuine comment from a genuine regular reader of yours.