Happy 4th of July everyone! In honor of Independence Day, I need to become less independent and more dependent on you, my readers (ie Vanessa, Hannah and Tim). What should be the overall theme of my blog? Right now, it's just a bunch of random stuff, which is fine I suppose, but I would like to focus on a specific topic more. Perhaps I should leave this site to random stuff, and create a new blog.
The experts say the first step to a successful blog is to pick a topic to blog about that you are passionate about. I guess that's the hard part for me - I am a jack of all trades and master of none. There's not much I am passionate about, but there are a lot of things that interest me. In no particular order - my family, my friends, the Christian life, parenting, technology, gadgets, slick deals, lifehacking, photography, web design/development, the NBA, a good book, current events, graphic novels, humor, witty people, the Wii, sentimental stuff, creating stuff, making new friends, downtime, travel, exploring new places, BBQ...and the list goes on. Yeesh, I am definitely all over the place.
The second step to a successful blog, besides updating often, is to get to know your readers. I know my wife pretty well (love you!) , and I've know Tim and Hannah for awhile. For example, I know Hannah has no interest in all things NBA, despite the fact that her hometown Celtics are once again the reigning world champions. So if I were to focus my blogging on the latest NBA news, I would immediately lose one of my most devoted readers. Boo, wouldn't want that to happen. But, Hannah does love all things parenting, and she has some great posts about her experiences with parenting and with life in general. Another example - I enjoy Tim's posts on his adventures on the bike, but I know my dear wife has no interest at all in bicycling, sorry Tim. What is my dear wife into? She loves making her cards, which I'm pretty sure don't really garner much interest with Tim the biker. Is there some way, pardon the cliche, to have your cake and eat it too? Hmm, guess the lesson is that there is no subject/topic that appeals to everyone, so maybe I am asking the impossible in regards to focusing on a specific topic while at the same time keeping everyone interested.
Looking back at my past blogs, the post that generated the most response in regards to comments was my post on our water heater woes. Now I know no one in their right mind is really interested in water heaters, but seems like the story behind what happened is what appealed to everyone (all 4 of you). Maybe the first order of business is to finish the story with part 2. Problem is, it seems like it happened such a long time ago, and I already forget more than I remember. Looks like that is another lesson I need to learn - less inspiration, more perspiration in regards to timely blogs. So without further ado...
Things in my life that I need to blog about sooner rather than later
- Water heater woes part 2
- My cousin's wedding in Cleveland
- Getting in shape with the Wii Fit
- My new job
- How fast Benjamin is growing up
- My HTC Touch
- My sister's going to Kenya
- The family video I am working on
- Foundation repair on our house
- Pros & Cons of moving to Mueller
- Useful websites
- Nerds vs. Geeks
Okay folks, I've gone on already for way too long. Remember my question readers - should I focus on a particular topic, or remain random and rambling? Enjoy the 4th, and be careful with those fireworks! (I almost burned down my neighbor's house when I was in middle school due to a stray Jumping Jack, so I know what I'm talking about) Stay safe and hydrated everyone!
Oh gosh Sam, you're a closet pyromaniac! Stay out of my yard! :-)
ReplyDeleteWell, as you might guess, I'm a champion of the Random Blog Theme. I wrestle with the same question, but I've also realized that the blog is firstly for ME, even if I address my readers and yearn for comments. ;-) It's an opportunity to write about whatever's on my mind/heart, silly or serious, and since I'm not famous in the blogosphere, with fans to keep happy, or getting paid for this, I have little obligation . I'd love to keep my readers, but if they don't like a particular post, they can skip it, or if they find interest waning, they can leave. :-(
I guess what I'm saying is, I'm in favor of writing whatever you want to and enjoying the freedom. But you do what makes you happy. :-)
Go Celtics!
Sam, you consistently make us happy with funny stuff and new and interesting techy things. You've always been good at that and should keep it up. You especially have a way of bringing humor to many different things. If you want my advice, focus on that.
ReplyDelete