Banking on Your Blogging

It seems that recent past indicates a decrease in the number of blogging sites found on the internet. Many reports infer that the increase in social media use is an indication that people are replacing their blogging efforts and visits with social media use. The are now questions being raised as to whether the blog platform is in fact being pushed aside in favor of social media sites. On the surface it seems these questions may be valid but a closer look reveals that comparisons between blogs and social media sites may not be entirely justifiable or accurate.

Current claims are that social media use is ’siphoning’ away blog traffic thereby leading to the eventual demise of blogs as we know them. The question here is how can this be true when it appears that blogs and social sites serve fundamentally different purposes? True enough these sites both are social gathering spots however comparisons end at that point.

Here are 3 fundamental differences that can be found when comparing the purpose and characteristics of the blog platform to that of online social sites.

Focus

Blogs are highly focused where social sites have little or no focus other than to exchange casual chit chat. Now this is not to belittle social media sites but their purpose is for simply socializing with no major focus towards any one theme or topic.

On the other hand blogs are created around a particular topic upon which the focus is maintained. In fact if the blog was to alter or lose its focus it would also lose its readers. People are attracted to a blog platform for what it is all about and if the information they find there is of use they will continue to return.

Purpose

The purpose of a blog is to educate and/or inform its readers. To do so a blog platform must maintain a strict adherence to the subject matter it has identified itself with. Social sites have no such constraints insofar as any subject matter.

The purpose of social sites is to make available a location for people to gather. The content found on most social media sites is not set but rather it is chosen by participants and subject to immediate change all the time.

Educational Value

Sure you can pick up helpful tidbits from social media sites but that occurs incidentally. The main intent of a blog is to share useful information with readers who in turn also contribute their own by leaving comments at the site.

Claims that online blogging sites are falling by the wayside in favor of an increase in social media use may not be entirely accurate. Although a blog platform and a social media site both function as online social gathering spots they appear to serve different purposes. The fundamental differences between these 2 sites as discussed above indicate a mutually exclusive and ongoing need for both with plenty of traffic to go around!

With all the various information sources available online today many favor blogs as their primary source of news and information online. Free online news has helped to drive the growth of the internet and there is no sign of its popularity slowing. With all the various sources of information available however blogs have gained a reputation for late breaking news. This is due primarily to the fact that blogs are unencumbered concerning the accuracy of what their content contains.

A blog platform typically circumvents the traditional ‘red tape’ that can slow the delivery of news from syndicated sites. This advantage however can also work against a blog since facts may sometimes be distorted. Without any type of regulation in place blog posting sometimes tends to reflect more of the writers opinions. This leads to the question of whether blogs can be viewed as a source of reliable information.

Let’s look at both the pros and cons associated with any news or information that is dispensed from a blog platform as opposed to a regulated news site.

The PROS:

Frequently Updated

A common characteristic of blogs is that they are updated frequently. Most information found on a blog continues to ‘evolve’ due to frequent updating. Syndicated news sites contain information that tends to ’stagnate’ since updates are less frequent.

Fast Breaking with News

Lacking the regulations of syndicated sites that slow down the process of dispensing news or information blogs have the ability to reflect ‘real time’ information. This is a major appeal for gathering information from these sites.

Insight

Being blogs are independent entities allows them to share their insights on the news and information they deliver. These insights can present the information in such a way that may encourage readers to consider certain perspectives they may have otherwise overlooked.

The CONS:

Too Subjective

An unregulated blog platform can easily present information or news that leans heavily towards the authors’ personal opinions or perspective. Too much subjectivity can easily distort the information being delivered decreasing its real value to the reader.

Inaccurate

Sometimes due to passion or haste ‘blogging‘ the news can lead to inaccuracies although without this passion the sites success can be limited. Being unregulated or unmonitored for news worthiness a certain expectation of unreliability does exist and therefore must be tolerated and expected.

Sometimes Hard to Locate

Where do you start to find the most accurate, objective, and authoritative site? Locating a credible blog site you can rely upon for its accuracy is a time consuming and uncertain task.

The only realistic test for such a site after you have located it is in fact your personal perseverance and time itself.

Upon reviewing the various pros and cons affiliated with using blogs as information sources questions remain as to their reliability. Free online news sites are typically more regulated thereby slowing their delivery of the news itself. On the other hand this also helps to validate these sites as reliable sources of information. In fact the same regulation that may slow news delivery but is absent on blogs is why a typical blog posting may be questioned as reliable information. In the end it appears that many are willing to ‘chance’ the accuracy of their news in order to receive it in a more expedient manner. In a society dominated by an instant gratification mindset this is not all that surprising.

There are many blogging tips that concern certain technicalities of managing a blog platform. Today we are addressing one of the most basics aspects of running one of these sites. In fact what we are discussing here today plays the most significant role in the blog building process.

The ‘ritual’ of blog posting is sometimes undervalued and overlooked since it is one of the least technical aspects of blogging. This ‘ritual’ however sets the tempo of the site and is in fact what attracts or repels the blog reader. So what is it about our blog posting habits that attracts visitors and what can we do to maintain their interests?

Although there are many aspects involved in operating a successful blog platform here are the 3 most important components that need to be maintained. We will refer to them as the 3 C’s of blogging.

Content

The very backbone of the blog building process is the content you produce. It is this content that attracts visitors and keeps the blog reader coming back. You want to gain the reputation of posting good quality information so that people will look forward to returning to your blog.

Consistency

Your blog posting habits should be consistent so that people will know what to expect from you. Whether you post multiple times daily or weekly is up to you and the time you can make available for any blog posting. Whatever time intervals you adopt for posting try to consistently maintain it. Of course posting more frequently will help to boost your search engine rankings which will result in more people visiting your site.

Comments

Always encourage the blog reader to leave their comments or input at your site. Comments are a sign that your posts are getting a reaction and even more importantly that they are being read. More comments also tend to create greater sense of community at your site and this is something visitors look for.

Very often any comments left by your readers will contain useful suggestions and great ideas with which you can use to create more content in the future. Reader comments should not be taken lightly since these are the very people you are trying to satisfy. Their input is invaluable insofar as they are telling you what it is they like. By acting upon their suggestions you will create an even stronger bond and loyalty with them.

The blogging tips discussed here today may not be that technical in nature but they play a major role in the blog building process. These 3 elements are the very core of any blog and the attention you pay them will be reflected in the success of the site itself.