To Blog or Not To Blog… What is the Intention?
To blog or not to blog?
For many, it’s a no-brainer: “No, that’s not for me. I don’t write (or) I don’t know what I would write about.”
For some, it’s an easy decision: “Yes! I blog all the time and love having the space to share and exchange ideas.”
For a very few, it’s a difficult decision: “I want to blog, but I want to do it right, not just because I can.”
So, then comes the paramount consideration. . . What should you blog about?
Well, let’s stop right there. It doesn’t matter what you blog about. There’s an audience for any topic imaginable (and some you can’t ever imagine). Bloggers devote way too much thought to what they blog about, forgetting that the primary goal should be to share original thoughts and keep in mind their intentions for writing. It’s not about what you write about, it’s about how you make it yours.
Wait a minute. Back up! What’s this about “intentions?” We’re talking about a blog here. Why does a blog have to be so well-thought-out?
Your intentions for writing your blog DO matter, because:
#1. If you don’t know the intention of your blog, why you are writing it, and believe in it, you won’t stick to it. You’ll lose interest in it, or, you’ll just trudge along barely-willingly because your boss makes you do it. Thus, your blog will fade away into that cold cemetery full of other blogs that started off with a BANG but quickly were abandoned by their owners.
#2. If you don’t know the intention of your blog, and believe in its purpose, then your readers won’t know it either. Your readers need to be able to identify or relate to your blog in some way that is meaningful to them. If you write about donuts one day, then plate tectonics the next day, that may actually be okay as long as there is a central theme, identity, or relevancy that people can point to.
[I admit that my blog is far from what I envision it to be. It's an evolving creature that may take many forms across its lifetime. I strive to find its true identity every week.]
