Having cut and paste something the other day on how to build a successful blog I decided against the post. There was something that left me feeling very much bereft of why I blog - it is partly to express myself and not just to highlight issues which I think may be of substance in terms of the issues of the day.
Of the notes I made they tended to reduce down to the following :-
The process of blogging is not just one of writing – to an extent you’re editor in chief of a publication and aiming to form a web community which will be of interest to a group who share concern for the main issues of the blog.
There are a number of pre-requisites which need to be fulfilled for a blog to be successful. This includes –
Researching and producing good quality material – this is the prime objective in forming a core audience. The next objective should be of developing multiple distribution channels and a core audience. Building relationships for content distribution is the important next step.
Establishing a supportive circle of readers who can act as peer reviewers may be important. Could an NHS related site have a readership partly of individuals who may be interested in getting peer reviewed publications at a later stage in their careers? A site which may have the opportunity to state within a confidential environment issues concerning the nature of organisational development which may not be getting the necessary coverage.
Setting up a network through which the blog will act is part of the process. The first act of networking begins with offering content of an article to the readership this may require some form of emotional engagement – a genuine commitment to the author. Networking here is a non-exchange relationship, where the author offers in effect a gift, something of value to the audience without requiring a response or financial or other recompense.
The blog must demonstrate commitment to the other party. Make them aware of linking, sharing and promoting yourself to other blogs and sites. Use supporting communication means to deal with this – ensure that they are used in a suitable manner.
Various communication modes will be necessary. Staying in one communication mode is a poor method of networking. Encouraging interaction between readers through group discussion – is an excellent way to draw people into your circle – there needs to be some form of commitment from them to the blog because they favour it as a product or service.
Translation of the blog into other languages also makes your content accessible to a larger market.
Practice guest blogging – blog on sites where the readership may be broadened from. This is a good means of forming a good supportive audience.
Editorial submissions - get someone to complete an article which may be suitable to broaden the readership. This is an article written for the blog by someone who may attract web traffic. Social marketing and social-media web-sites are suitable distribution channels.
A well marketed article can bring large numbers of visitors. Choose a content topic which is suitable to the blogs focus and relevant to the channel that you’re using.
Aim to be talked about, you’ll get traffic and new readers one way or another. The quality of your content is incredibly important but equally so, is the presence of a core audience that will help to push your content and brand. Actively develop a group of peers or readers that’ll support you and your efforts will pay off handsomely. The next time you create a fantastic article or break news, you’ll notice the powerful advantages that come with broad distribution channels.
Development of a core audience - is relevant, as is dissemination of the contents. Broadening the readership is important – try forming some linkages with other existing blogs about the same issue areas. Raise issues which will broaden the readership – which will need to be circulated (and can be legitimately circulated without causing any form of infringement).
Use a series of articles to develop a core readership and use this to develop an audience.
Content dissemination and the development of a supportive core audience - content is one issue it’s the channels which are used for circulation – what channels are available for promoting the blog? What are the most suitable? Is there going to be any interest in this issue area? The bloggers themselves make up a significant part of the audience that is available, not just a targetted audience.
Mindshare – discussing what is classed as familiar. Aim to become a place where mindshare can take place, i.e. that a site can be discussed because it’s one of a person’s favourites. Use of terms – core audience, network. distributive power. A core audience is faithful to the content of the blog – it allows a blog to ‘spiral outwards’ from the group members.
The core groups should be made up of:
They are bloggers, each with their own audience. They have their own websites and readership.
They are influential thought leaders in their niche. – i.e. they are key points in the network – nodal points.
They have the ability to send you links and traffic. – they are going to be a source of web-traffic.
They are loyal readers who value your content and opinions. They will stick with the blog and provide support to it. They will follow your blog regularly and read most of what you write.
They may also be the target audience for your content. They will be interested in some of the content of the blog.
Summary
The core audience needs to be developed – in the sense that the readership can be broadened and the relationship with the reader can be developed. The value of a core audience may be assessed in terms of the audience’s ability to make a blog which breaks news hit the mainstream media. Larger readership of a blog – this will be established when the blog becomes more and more credible – the trust in the blogger increases. This can increase with more citation links taking the reader through to the blog.
A broad readership to a blog provides a means of establishing the credibility of an author. The blog may as a result release information in the same manner that journalism could do. A core readership of other bloggers may be a suitable place to begin. They need to provide distributive power, and a network of links for possible web traffic. They disseminate relevant articles in the blog. Relevant information to the reader needs to be established – this can be researched. Citation links to the blog need to be increased in order to increase the volume of webtraffic. Networking, as an emotional interaction needs to be undertaken forming a dependency for the reader.
Conclusions.
Unless I can establish information relating to the action that I’ve been subject to over the last few years then I am not going to gain any degree of ‘journalistic credibility’. I also have stated points of view which have been clichéd and have reflected the state of mind I was in. This may be a phase that I need to deal with in order to develop a core readership. There are issues relating to my misconduct at work which should be considered as the basis for some behaviour change. I should address this form of issue. There are issues relating to the overall manner that I operate in considering the standard of my personal hygiene etc. which may make me less than a credible individual– this may also need to be addressed but not necessarily through the blog. This is going to severely limit the credibility that I have as a result of the ‘odd behaviour’. This has also been rather unusual formation of relationships over the past few years.
Also there have been a number of people who have been doped around me when I was a child who may relate to me as someone very young irrespective of how I behave. I won’t be believed on matters like this and I should consider the implications of stating that this type of action can take place –it would result in further loss of credibility if any has been established.
The nature of conspiracy theory as a potential source of originality of a blog could be an interesting area for development and a suitable one for gaining a wide audience which I have adequate credibility to develop. With a suitable core of peer-reviewers I may be able to develop some articles on the basics of the NHS and reform within that area. Other professional development blogs, which are going to be a substantial part of my work, may also require adequate peer involvement which I don’t at present have.
Many of these issues are possibly already better stated in the types of literature produced by Norman Fairclough regarding discourse and textual analysis. The journalistic quality of an article and the need to stay in contact with what is in the media does not get raised. Finding a suitable group of bloggers to provide the publicity and community may take much longer in certain fields where this is present at the moment. The bulk of the article is geared towards increasing web traffic and not necessarily increasing the depth that they blog is read at – this is going to be more difficult to establish.
Issues like the quality of research and the quality of input into the writing of a blog are going to be the major means of getting the blog established – dissemination of information following this then may lead to the establishment of the blog but this is the most critical thing about the blog – the quality and presentation of material.
The process of forming a web community who can then promote your blog may be very optimistic – there is probably a need to consider the blog as some form of e-zine and to establish this in respect of the normal means to get an e-zine started, through promotions and special offers? There may also be other means of establishing a readership of credible others who can source much of the stability of the blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment