After a brief hiatus, I am back to my favourite subject which is blogging. In the true tradition of a marketer, ad man and publicist, I have coined my latest post as the “Rs” of blogging.
What makes a blogger effective? I believe there are a few basic “Rs” to take note of.
Relationships
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This is probably the easiest to explain. You don’t call it the social media for nothing. The blogosphere (podosphere or vlogosphere) exists largely because of the incredible opportunities to make friends with each other. Put in that extra effort to know people and it will pay emotional dividends in your blogging adventure.
Richness (content)
No, I am not talking about making money online (although that doesn’t hurt). Rather, it is the age-old notion that content is king. Without having stuff that people are keen to read, view or listen, your blog will end up duller than plain old bread and butter. Invest some time and energy in making every post at least mildly engaging and you will be rewarded with a regular following.
Rhythm
You need to establish a certain flow in your blogging patterns. Some highly prolific bloggers can achieve about 5 posts a day, while others may put up a post only once or twice a week. Both categories of bloggers can probably still retain their readership base if they sustain their blogging speed. Personally, I find that a speed of about one post per day or two works best for me.
Reciprocity
Do unto others what you want others to do unto you. This rings more true than ever in the web 2.0 universe. If you would like others to read your posts, offer a comment and spread the word around, you should also do likewise. Its all about getting and returning favours and helping each other out.
Resonance
I have blogged about this topic before so I won’t go into too much detail. Suffice to say, you need to be able to strike a chord with your audience, and blog about topics which they care about. Otherwise, you may end up talking to yourself!
Have you got any other “Rs” to share?
I was thinking Research? I think it’s important to get your facts right.
My R’s? Relevance. (I don’t know if this is already covered by Resonance.) Of course, what is relevant to me may not be relevant to my readers. People will look for blogs and posts that interest them.
My other R’s are Rantings and Ravings. Sometimes what I say may not be relevant to other people but I just need to “let the steam out”.
Resposibility. Do not write things that will lead people astray especially if you have young readers. Avoid obscenities; in language or graphics – flies not included.
Agree with your 5Rs.It may depend on the kind of blog one is maintaining. I hope I have hit the 5Rs you mentioned. 😀
victor,
Good suggestions there. I think relevance is probably one notch before resonance. Being relevant is of course important but being able to elicit sympathetic feelings is better.
Ranting and raving is what we do occasionally in our blogs. Some blogger’s rants are very well received but those of others may not necessarily strike a chord though with others though.
kenny,
Research is a good one though it depends on what you blog about. Some personal blogs may not research very much but are highly entertaining such that they attract huge followings. However, some degree of fact checking is always good for anybody doing journalism whether online or offline.
tigerfish,
Your blog certainly hits most of the Rs. 😉
chun see,
Good and timely reminder about the accountability which comes from any form of writing in the public space. Other than shielding our young from undesirable elements, one should also be mindful of statements that can be litigious. Somehow, the world isn’t as kind a place as it used to be, though I still believe that to err is human and forgive divine!
I agreed with Mr Lam. There are some famous bloggers out there which seriously lack of sense of responsibility. I myself find it kinda frightening: looking at the popularity of these blogs, while thinking of the influences they might bring to their young readers. It pains me to see the younger generation behave in sucha selfish and inconsiderate ways with no sense of regret.
zeezee,
Well I guess like all humans, you do meet bloggers who are well behaved and those who are rude. Sometimes, the bad guys can be more popular than the good guys. 😉
How about “Ramble (not!)”, heh.
Oh yes, but of course Ivan. Rambling is what many of us do best online!
I am a little surprised that Chun See didn’t mention his “R” word as “reminisce”. Shouldn’t it have been “reminisce responsibly”? Haha.
I think I scored 1 of out 10 for Reciprocity! :p
victor,
Reminisce responsibly is a good one! Better than reminisce rowdily? 😉
wokking mum,
Aiyah, I think its tough to always reciprocate. We must always remember that we also have First Lilfe 1.0 plus your kids 1.0 to take care of!
As a sign of reciprocity, I am adding a link to your blog. 😉
Hahaha thanks for helping me find excuses :p To increase my Reciprocity score, I’m adding yours too! 😉