A Blog Content Strategy

I have been milling around the idea of various blogs on topics that interest me for a while. I realize it is not something to be taken lightly. Like a marriage, if we don’t work at it, we can’t expect it to succeed. A blog requires effort and dedication with a daily or weekly regimen. How many blogs have you visited because you found an article through search that resonated, only to find the author stopped blogging a year ago? It feels like somewhat of a letdown.

I read somewhere that the only way to become a good writer is to be a bad writer and keep on improving. That gives me hope.

Some say writing is good for the soul. On this I agree. The surprising health benefits of writing have been widely documented.

So what’s holding me back? …perhaps Stephen Covey’s oft-quoted phrase “begin with the end in mind”. I’m reluctant to start something unless I’m going to really commit myself to it and have a goal or purpose.

But there’s also the nagging doubts as others point out — who will care? And it could be too late…

This article explains that we could be on the precipice of a major content disruption. The realities of economics applied to content is a wake up call. When exponentially increasing supply far exceeds demand, there’s the inevitable collapse. Mark Schaefer calls it Content Shock.



Image Credit: BusinessesGrow.com

Mark argues that this is when content production becomes uneconomical and we will have to start paying for audience time and attention. As he points out, this is also where “deep pockets win”. He thinks web content will go down the same path as TV:

"When television started, for example, the airwaves were filled with local programming (kind of like the bloggers of their day!) who created cooking shows, game shows and variety shows using local talent. Today, there is virtually no “local” content consumed on TV, as the corporations have taken over."

He also contends that the entry barriers will become “impossibly high”:

“The companies that can overwhelm the market with content can effectively raise the entry hurdles for competitors and maybe even block them out of key search results entirely.”

And now for something completely different…as the Monty Python team used to say.

Here’s the good news:

A study conducted by our very own Northwestern University in 2012 found that, ”very few Americans seem to feel bogged down or overwhelmed by the volume of news and information at their fingertips and on their screens”.

“We found that the high volume of information available these days seems to make most people feel empowered and enthusiastic,” Hargittai said. “People are able to get their news and information from a diverse set of sources and they seem to like having these options.”

I applaud you and I hope you continue to blog and that it takes you wherever you want it to.
You have inspired me to “re-engage”.
Thank you.