The other day I wrote a post called “Is your blog crap?” and perhaps I should have called it “Do you ever feel like your blog is crap?” or “Do you ever like your blog doesn’t make the grade?” because if you actually read the post you would know that was what it was about. You also would have known that I wrote it because I sometimes feel like that.
But I didn’t.
Because I was in the middle of a conference, in the middle of a holiday to New York City.
What I wanted to do, and continue to want to do, is to share some of the incredible information I have learnt over here. I didn’t have heaps of time to do that, just snippets here and there and so I wrote that post in between sessions. It wasn’t a super thought out post, just something cool that I had found helpful. Why did I write it? Because I am the only Aussie blogger, at least from the personal space, who is over here and I wanted to share what I am learning. And because I found it one of the most helpful sessions of the conference.
But as I sit here now I have been looking back through twitter and catching up (twitter is another thing I haven’t had a lot of time for) and I find that my post annoyed some people and led to some unkind, not so subtle comments.
And so I am here, a little hurt and annoyed.
So look, if you don’t want to hear about the conference or anything I have to say, feel free not to read. If you think it’s patronising for me to blog about then move right along, if you think I am just jumping on some bandwagon, then you are the one missing out. I have sat in front of some of the world’s leading blogging and social media thinkers over here and I am going to keep talking about it here – if you are not interested that is fine, but please keep you unkindness to the privacy of DMs and email…or even better, your own mind.
Edit: Actually, if you have something to say then feel free to actually say it. If you can constructively add to this, or any other conversation, with intelligence and good humor them please – I welcome that!
From another stunning Manhattan location I’m back vlogging about blogging!
Today’s post is about the “know-like-trust factor” and why developing it should be the priority of (serious) bloggers, over and above garnering likes, followers and pageviews.
If you don’t know what the know-like-trust factor is or are wondering what this has to do with personal blogging then press play and find out!
A side note – the iPhone cut out mid way through filming so there are two parts to this post…
Part 1
Part 2
This vlog mentions two well know Australian bloggers, Mrs Woog from Woogsworld and Nikki Parkinson from Styling You and the story of the Condom dress. You can read the original blog posts they wrote here:
I sat in on Corbett Barr’s session at Blog World this morning and it was one of the best sessions of the conference so far. Corbett’s blog is Think Traffic and one of his most significant posts, one that has been rattling around in my mind for a while, is called Write Epic Shit. I have been making a lot of jokes recently about my blog, and writing, being highly average and to be honest, it’s been paralysing me a bit.
Now, I don’t think my content sucks but I know that it’s not where I want it to be & I know I haven’t been writing the sort of posts I want to write. I also certainly don’t think your content sucks either, but I suspect that many of you will resonate with this idea of wanting to close the gap between where you are where you want to be.
We’ve all heard the mantra “Content Is King” but Corbett nailed it today when he said “The idea that content is king isn’t bad advice, it’s just incomplete…Content is King when you have great content but when your content sucks, then it’s just a dream”
So how do we actually start creating better content, because unless we get practical then it’s just another lofty notion that doesn’t help anyone.
1. Cultivate Creativity. You might not know how to create great content every day or every week at the moment. But you can learn how to do it.
2. Experiment wildly and deliberately. You learn how to do it by experimenting – practice writing in a different way or use a different medium (vlogs, podcasts, interview posts etc…), but you need to be deliberate and intentional about it.
3. Remix popular content. The idea that in order to be creative you need to come up with something new is flawed. Look at what’s working in other niches and industries and consider how it might apply in yours.
One of the main themes coming through this conference is that blogging is a marathon, not a sprint and most people give up just before things get good. Simple advice, but great to be reminded of it.
Are you happy with your blog content or are you looking for ways to shake things up?
Many thanks to Colgate Australia for their support in sponosring my attendance at this conference. What a great, blogger-friendly and family friendly business!!
For the non-bloggers reading, I promise the next post will have nothing to do with blogging and will just a bit of NYC living! Thanks for bearing with me as I share the things I am learning with those who haven’t been able to make the trek over here for this conference.
I filmed this vlog at BlogWorld today, if you’re not a blogger or social media geek then you may want to skip this post but if you are a blogger or interested in the state of the blogosphere, especially in Australia, then press play and let me know what you think. Please. x
This is Louisa Claire, reporting from NYC with immense gratitude to Colgate for their support and sponsorship in sending me here.
If you are a parenting blogger in Australia you may be aware of the community network called Digital Parents – it’s a place where parent bloggers can share ideas, ask questions and get to know one another. Each month one blogger hosts a “blogging carnival” and as many bloggers as would like, are invited to contribute their favourite post from the previous month.
This month it’s my turn to host and so I’ve invited bloggers to share their favourite posts from the month of April. Below are their offerings – I hope you enjoy!
Denyse from Denyse Whelan – Education Specialist writes on her blog each week, helping parents navigate starting school, and more. She enjoys meeting up with families too, in her current role as an Education Specialist. Denyse’s blog’s name has now changed to reflect her new directions: Denyse Whelan-Education Specialist. ‘Tales of School Days’. This week’s post is Teaching Is A Love Job
You can follow Denyse on Twitter here: Denyse Whelan
Thanks for popping by and checking out all these great posts. It’d be super lovely if you could pop over and read and comment on 1 or 2 that really stand out to you!