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Thinkering through the behavior of blogging. The data I am reading suggests that there are 5M active (updated in the last 90 days) blogs in the US out of 300+M people. However, if you ask people if they would like to have a "successful" blog most answer "Yes." That's an odd separation. Further... the most frequent objection to blogging is that it takes to much time. However, the average US household has the TV on for something like 5+ hours a day and it seems Clay Shirky is right... we have a Cognitive Surplus. So... why don't we blog more? Through a series of interactions recently, I've been increasingly interested in what's both successful and troublesome about the behavior of blogging. What makes it easy? What makes it dicult? I'd like to share some observations and then I'd consider this a successful session if there was a reasonably engaged dialogue that ensued. You in? by/ @josephrueter for/ Minnebar 2011 Description 1

Why Dont You Blog More?

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Page 1: Why Dont You Blog More?

Thinkering through the behavior of blogging.

The data I am reading suggests that there are 5M active (updated in the last 90 days) blogs in the US out of 300+M people. However, if you ask people if they would like to have a "successful" blog most answer "Yes." That's an odd separation.

Further... the most frequent objection to blogging is that it takes to much time. However, the average US household has the TV on for something like 5+ hours a day and it seems Clay Shirky is right... we have a Cognitive Surplus. So... why don't we blog more?

Through a series of interactions recently, I've been increasingly interested in what's both successful and troublesome about the behavior of blogging. What makes it easy? What makes it difficult?

I'd like to share some observations and then I'd consider this a successful session if there was a reasonably engaged dialogue that ensued. You in?

by/ @josephrueterfor/ Minnebar 2011

Description

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Thinkering through the behavior of blogging.

WHY DON’T YOU BLOG MORE?

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WHY DON’T I BLOG MORE?

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WHY DON’T I BLOG MORE?

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Not enough ideas?I was not taught?

It takes lots of time?It’s way public?

There are not enough readers?It’s not crisp and easy?

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What Wiki Says:

Bruce Ableson launched Open Diary in October 1998, which soon grew to thousands of online diaries. Open Diary innovated the reader comment, becoming the first blog community where readers could add comments to other writers' blog entries.

Brad Fitzpatrick started LiveJournal in March 1999.

Andrew Smales created Pitas.com in July 1999 as an easier alternative to maintaining a "news page" on a Web site, followed by Diaryland in September 1999, focusing more on a personal diary community.

Evan Williams and Meg Hourihan (Pyra Labs) launched blogger.com in August 1999 (purchased by Google in February 2003)

Intro

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It’s Amazing:

Tons of HUGE stories of success.

Publishing has been democratized.

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Two pieces to the puzzle:

Content Idea Creation (draft, edit, approval)

Distribution Print Non-print

Publishing combines Content and Distribution

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It’s BLANK:

Content:While a blank screen with a pile of editing tools have been democratized KNOWING how or wanting to write/create content has not.

Distribution:Further... the audience when you start is blank too.

Problem

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what’s a bookmarklet?

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A few options:

Shooting from the hipProfessional AimsNews releasesBrand buildingJournalingFun

What is blogging for?

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flickr.com/photos/corscri/1320198723/

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What are you/i looking to get from blogging?

Without an AIM it’s likely you/i will succumb to your/our perception of what other people want from you/me.

Therefore, successful blogs have - explicit or not - a content strategy… or put another way a confidence strategy.

Content Strategy vs. Con!dence Strategy

17 flickr.com/photos/48399297@N04/5036691180/

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Bloggers have an edge

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They have Access:

InformationPerspective

flickr.com/photos/83156837@N00/349367047/

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Improve the system?

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Other Problems:

Problem with distribution… # of audience limited by blog visits (via URL) # of audience limited by # interested visitors who also

understand RSS and sustain that reading behavior

Problem with motivation/satisfaction... Need others to see what you're doing. Dan Arieli ### books / stories - recognition Problem with rhythm... We watch a ton of TV and read news but as an aggregate

population we don't write. Therefore we don't have rhythm or tricks or confidence to

write.

Problem with time… Our perception is that if we do have something to say It takes

to much time… to make it bullet proof or public worthy i.e. worthy to be

scrutinized.

flickr.com/photos/52485003@N00/281640001/

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Improve the system?

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Solve for the Content and/or Distribution

Twitter… Content Problem: Blog posts are to long and hard to write Solution: Twitter limits the size of the posts

Distribution Problem: Jumping around to different blogs is hard for readers and I want readers if I am going to write

Solution: Twitter built in a reader and follower counts

Posterous… Content Problem: the process of making a post is to hard Solution: Posterous championed emailing it in.

Distribution Problem: I am in many places and it takes to long to manually make them work together

Solution: Posterous automates the distribution of content to other places.

Tumblr... Content Problem: posts can be made easier if they are built

atop reference content Solution: tumblr has a killer bookmarklet. Distribution Problem: Jumping around is hard Solution: Tumblr has a reader on the first page after login

flickr.com/photos/41864721@N00/3616409588/

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Make something new

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Agony:

Assumption that you have to make something new… agonizingIt's hard to write original stuff that is also easy to be confident in.

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Make something new

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Few willingly write for NO readers:

The most successful blogs are of two content types. - self- other content repackaged

flickr.com/photos/90046593@N00/292761778/

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Ways Forward

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We read and have opinions. Find ways to share them

We care what other people think Have a content and confidence strategy

We care that our work is recognized. Find ways to get others to share with you what they are thinking when reading your content.Find successful analytics software.

Structure ways to now they are engaging with your content in a way that is meaningful to you.

Get those metrics automatically delivered.

flickr.com/photos/34974864@N00/389537711/

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Ways Forward

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We read and have opinions. Find ways to share them

We care what other people think Have a content and confidence strategy

We care that our work is recognized. Find ways to get others to share with you what they are thinking when reading your content.Find successful analytics software.

Structure ways to now they are engaging with your content in a way that is meaningful to you.

Get those metrics automatically delivered.

flickr.com/photos/34974864@N00/389537711/

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Ways Forward

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We read and have opinions. Find ways to share them

We care what other people think Have a content and confidence strategy

We care that our work is recognized. Find ways to get others to share with you what they are thinking when reading your content.Find successful analytics software.

Structure ways to now they are engaging with your content in a way that is meaningful to you.

Get those metrics automatically delivered.

flickr.com/photos/34974864@N00/389537711/

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Ways Forward

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We read and have opinions. Find ways to share them

We care what other people think Have a content and confidence strategy

We care that our work is recognized. Find ways to get others to share with you what they are thinking when reading your content.Find successful analytics software.

Structure ways to know they are engaging with your content in a way that is meaningful to you.

Get those metrics automatically delivered.

flickr.com/photos/34974864@N00/389537711/

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flickr.com/photos/7900943@N06/3985803157/