Who Are You Blogging For?
When I started blogging I had a goal in mind, to provide a healthy and unique perspective on matters that are important to our business and our customers. It seemed a simple enough task but the longer I consider what it means to participate in the conversation, the more I am drawn to write for other bloggers and social media pundits rather than the people whom our agency serves. Am I falling into the same trap many others have already succumbed to?
Blogging is about communication and recognition. The reason people blog is to communicate with others who want to listen. But once the blogging starts we all like to think that what we have to say has merit, which we measure by how many people actually read the darn things. Measuring yourself by your readership leads you down the always present path of writing to increase readership rather than writing to share original ideas. One quick way to increase readership is to make controversial statements that cannot be ignored in a forum where you will be noticed.
This technique is nothing new. People like Rush Limbaugh have been doing it for years. Being noisy and controversial agitates, polarizes, and motivates people to take action. One clever attempt at baiting social media bloggers was one where “social media experts” were clumped into several broad categories and then described somewhat unflatteringly. Calling out everyone who considers themselves a social media expert in one swipe was a small stroke of genius and it had the intended effect. People responded overwhelmingly, polarizing around whether the author had gotten it completely right or completely wrong.
Posturing makes me suspicious of an author. As a result, I pay more attention to what their motive might be rather than what they have to say and that depreciates whatever value I might have gained from their insight. If bloggers want to architect their work to gain numbers and recognition, it’s their business. But are they speaking honestly, or are they just creating a bunch of useless noise like those brainless political pundits who will say anything to improve their ratings? And are they really helping anyone understand social media any better, or are they just filling space with garbage to be consumed by readers who are attracted to the controversy the same way kids are attracted to a schoolyard fight?
I’d like to think I’m better than that, that we’re all better than that, but the straight and narrow road is long and lonely. In a perfect world, original content and a uniquely valuable perspective will always win out, but it’s not a perfect world. Originality takes time and thought for both the writer and the reader. We all value an easy idea and a quick read because it demands less of us. But once in a while, perhaps we all need to think about why we’re blogging. Are you blogging for fame among other bloggers, or is it because you have something to say that is worth the time it takes to say it, and more importantly, the time it takes to read and consider it?
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April 24th, 2009 @ 5:07 pm
[...] For another perspective on blogging, please consider this article. [...]