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Blog Content – General or Focused?
By Deb Gallardo
There is an ongoing debate about blogs. Should they be general, potpourri mixtures of random ramblings? Or should they be focused on a single topic?
Blogger Lee Kottner recently had this discussion with a friend who asked why she had split off so many of her blog topics into separate entities. His blog, she says, is like reading a personal newspaper, and she enjoys that since he lives so far away. It’s a way to keep up with what’s going on with him.
He feels that, inasmuch as blogs are journalesque (my term), that she “should” keep her blog broad in scope, the same as he does and not spin off specialized topics.
She had this to say in reply at I Can Has New Blog:
“Blogs are much more than just journals, which are almost always intended to be private and all-encompassing. Blogs serve varied purposes precisely because they’re public documents.
…I have to disagree with you that blogs have anything they “should” do beyond that they should do what the writer wants them to. But that’s the writer’s problem. It’s a bit like saying paper should only be used a certain way. Blogs are just another tool. I don’t think you can treat them as a separate genre with rules. Just by virtue of being on the internet, they are boundaryless.”
I have to say, I agree with Lee. There are no blogging rules. That said, there are some recommendations that experienced bloggers support, at least for business.
Keep your personal blog and your business blog separate. This isn’t to say you can’t reveal anything personal on your business blog. The point is, a business-related blog has, by definition, a focus – i.e. – your business. If you’re a writer, your business is writing. I recommend a book promotion blog and perhaps a related blog — linked to each other — where you provide tips on writing, commentary on your writing process, your personal writing journey, etc.
And above all, your writing should be the best it can be, as it’s like a big business card. It should crackle with life and personality, being uniquely you, while keeping in mind that editors and agents might be among your readers. For the sake of personality, don’t go too far off the deep end. Leave that for a personal blog read mostly by your friends.
No rules here. Just some friendly advice.
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3 Comments »
June 25th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Hi Deb,
Thanks for citing me here and the support too. I wonder if you’d mind linking to my site since you’re mentioning my blog. I’d be happy to return the favor. I emailed a while ago to ask if you would but didn’t hear anything, so I thought I’d comment here instead.
Cheers,
Lee Kottner
June 25th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Lee,
I’ve just gotten my email working. I’m sorry I didn’t get your message earlier. Actually, I thought I linked to your site. I’ll include a live link in this post.
Thanks for commenting.
Deb
June 26th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Many thank, Deb. Much appreciated.