Here's the list:
Merlin Mann's 9 Things To Do to Make a Good Blog (Paraphrased)
1. Have a personal voice2. Show your obsessions3. Show where your obsessions take you – the trail of attention, the evolution of your interests. Blogs are an ongoing narrative of this – a story!4. Write in paragraphs: craft, not crap5. Use style and format creatively6. Be weird7. Inspire – make other people want to start their own blog8. Try harder9. Know when to break your own rules
I think #3 might be the most interesting. I'd never quite thought of blogs as being like narratives in that way, before. It's a clever analysis, don't you think?
(Except for #7; it might be true, but it's not useful advice!)
Anyhow – listen up! Based on this list, I have a game for you. A game of death.
No, wait, not a game of death. This is the game: think about how many of these qualities your blog has. If you have 6 or more, you win! If you have all 9, you are lying. How many (& which) would you like to have?
(I'd be happy if I thought my own blog maybe had #1, #4, #6 and #8 so far, but I don't really know; either way, I'm sure I still need to try harder . . . )
Do you agree with the list? What qualities are truly important, do you think?
well you have 6 :)
ReplyDeletei think 1 and 3 are the most important. what makes a blog different will convince people to go back to it. there is so much out there that is all the same, and while this is ok if you're just doing it for yourself, there is more to a blog than just doing what you want all the time
(i should probably try to remember this more often).
i try to follow 3 the most i think. i like the idea my blog being a narrative of my life even if its only a bit of it - i think its important to be selective too. choices are important, and the decisions we make make our blogs.
that's nice of you to say..! *awshucks* *disbelief* *demurs*
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about the importance of "difference" - there certainly is a heck of a lot out there that's just the same as something else. One of my favourite blogs is fafblog, and I'm sure uniqueness is a big part of its appeal (it must be one of the most unique blogs I've ever found).
(Also, remind me to do a post sometime on why I think it's actually cool & reasonable to modify the word "unique" (e.g. "most / more / very unique")! Seriously, I have this whole sophisticated justification worked out ;)