PureBlogging

High quality content is the most important factor for determining the long-term success of a blog. However, many bloggers just publish whatever they happen to come up with at the moment they want or need a new post. If content is critically important, why not put more effort into planning and creating? Having an effective content creation strategy will help you to produce better, more interesting blog posts with better time efficiency.

Factors Involved in a Content Creation Strategy:

What Types of Posts Will You Publish?

Most blogs consistently produce posts that fit into a particular category. Some publish news-related posts, while others may publish tutorials, opinion articles, detailed and information-packed articles, etc. This is an important factor to consider when starting because your blog will develop a particular identity, which will be significantly impacted by the types of posts that you publish. Of course, most blogs use more than just one type of post, but there is usually some level of consistency. For example, here at PureBlogging we post primarily informative articles with tips for bloggers. There is some news and opinion content mixed in as well, but the image that most readers will have will come back to the informative posts because they account for the bulk of the content.

You should choose a strategy that will help you to achieve your goals with your blog. What do you want your readers to get out of your blog? Make sure that your content creation efforts lead to this outcome.

How Frequently Will You Post?

Obviously, there is a wide variety in terms of posting frequency among different blogs. Some publish a number of times each day, while others may publish once a week or even less. How frequently you post will certainly be impacted by how much time you have available. Multi-author blogs typically publish new posts more frequently because there are more writers contributing to the blog.

How frequently you post should also depend on the type of content that you’ve decided on. For example, if you want to publish news on a particular topic, don’t expect to only post once a week and draw a large audience. News-related blogs are forced to post very frequently to stay on top of the issues and to compete with others in the industry. On the other hand, if you are publishing long, detailed articles or tutorials you probably won’t want to publish too frequently. First of all, you won’t have the time to produce several of these posts each day, plus your readers won’t be able to digest too much of this type of information at once.

When deciding on a posting frequency, be realistic with yourself. Don’t say that you are going to post everyday if you simply don’t have that much time and you struggle to even post once a week.

How Much Time Will Be Need for Writing Process?

Notice that I said “writing process,” not just “writing.” I believe that brainstorming and developing ideas are critical to content development, as is proofreading. All of these activities, plus the research that’s involved, combine with the actual writing to form the writing process. Be sure that you allocate time for all of these things if you want to produce the highest quality content.

The amount of time needed will depend partly on the types of posts that you are developing, and it should be a factor in determining how frequently you post. Be sure that this equation leads to quality over quantity. Don’t make sacrifices to the writing process in order to publish more frequently.

During the development of your content creation strategy it will be helpful to find the times of the day or of the week that work best for you to dedicate to writing. If you have time set aside that fits into your most productive time you will see better results with your content. If possible, leave plenty of time to write in advance. Have some backup posts ready so that when you are struggling to come up with something of quality you have a backup plan.

Will You Run a Series?

A few weeks ago I published a post about creating a signature series. Some bloggers use an ongoing series of posts in their content creation strategy. When done well this can be very effective.

How Does This Content Highlight Your Strengths?

Every blogger has strengths and weaknesses. Does your content creation strategy highlight your strengths or expose your weaknesses? Be sure that the type of content you are creating allows you to produce your best work. Don’t force yourself into creating content that just doesn’t work for you.

How Will the Content Affect Your Branding?

Most successful blogs have done an excellent job of branding themselves over time. In most cases, the content that has been published is one of the contributing factors to the development of the brand. Just take a look at a few of the most visible examples. Copyblogger is the first blog that comes to mind on the subject of writing for the web, and mostly because of the consistently high level of quality content. Dosh Dosh is another great example. Maki’s style of writing and his extensive knowledge that shines through in his posts has made his blog what it is today. Going in a different direction, PSDTuts is well branded for graphic designers that want to continually improve their skills with Photoshop. How do you want to brand your blog? Will your content creation strategy allow you to do so?

What Are Your Thoughts?

Have you developed a content creation strategy? If so, please share some of the details with us in the comments. What other factors do you think should be considered?

I’m a big fan of MetaFilter, Matt Haughey’s community blog. I’m a member, so take my admiration with the salty seasoning it requires, but its popularity seems to agree with me.

Part of the wonder of MeFi (as its members [including myself] like to call it) is that, as a community website, it’s perpetually generating great content, but a combination of paid membership (a one-time five-dollar fee), rigid policing by members, and vigilance by its three moderators keep the site from becoming a reddit-esque junkfest. MetaFilter bills itself as the best of the web, and it’s more or less earned the title.

But with only three moderators working discussions among tens of thousands of users, it’s impressive that anything gets done at all. I’d like to point out a particularly great example from this week of one of those moderators doing her job very well — an example that any of us who’ve ever moderated a web discussion can learn a lot from.

It began with a post that was bound to engender some heated discussion: A link to a video alleging to show police brutality at a recent anti-China protest at the UN building in New York City. The discussion was lively and varied; while some members blasted cops in general for being bullies, many were careful to confine their comments to the police on display in the video. Many more voiced concerns that police brutality is a symptom of a much greater societal ill. (Full disclosure: I commented twice early in this thread, under the name “hifiparasol:” first comment, second comment.)

After a few posts, moderator “jessamyn” chimed in, as the moderators occasionally do, asserting that too many people in the discussion were painting police with too broad a brush. She wasn’t making a warning as a mod, but noticing what she perceived as a knee-jerk reaction among some users. By choosing her words very carefully, she lent a new voice to the discussion without sounding authoritative at all.

But her comments were not well received — at least one commenter took her to task for what he perceived as a mischaracterization of others’ comments. Jessamyn rebutted twice, and was rebutted in turn. The reactions to her comments were harsh, but reasoned.

Finally, she opted out. Realizing the conversation was turning against her, she succinctly explained her point of view, then bowed out.

There’s a lesson here about how to interact with your community. If you’re moderating a discussion among members of your site, there’s a whole textbook’s worth of approaches to take. Jessamyn was commenting specifically on the tone some members were taking — but she took care to do it as another member of the community, and not wave the moderation flag or make any warnings. And when it was clear that many users were taken aback, she graciously deleted herself from the conversation. (Actually, that’s not just good advice for a moderator — it’s good advice for anyone.)

Being a good mod takes lots of practice, and maintaining a courteous discourse on your site can be difficult. But maintaining the proper tone, and remembering that you’re not only a mod, but also a member, creates a welcoming atmosphere for your users.

Next week I’ll write some more about the things MetaFilter does right for its members — ways that it creates an endlessly useful resource for not only those who pay the five-dollar membership fee, but anyone who visits the site.

I love WordPress, not least because it’s so easy to customize. For the design challenged among us, you can download one of thousands of free themes and change the look of your blog with the click of a button. I’ve been running WP sites for about three years (I have three of my own) and over the years, I’ve found myself going back to a few designers from time to time. Here’s a guide to some of my favorite WordPress theme designers and my favourite free themes.

Brian Gardner

Brian Gardner is currently best known for his series of Revolution themes. These are premium magazine style themes (which means you have to pay) and they look fantastic. However, for those of us on a budget Brian also has several free themes, many of which he is just about to update. Brian’s themes use clean code (so everyone says, and I’ll take their word for it), are easy to customise and are SEO friendly. My favourite free theme of his is Silhouette, but I have also used Modern Paper, which Brian designed for Performancing. There are several other great themes available on Brian’s site.

Justin Tadlock

Justin Tadlock is my current favourite. He designs magazine style themes which are infinitely customizable. The first one was Visionary, which I was all set to use when Structure came out. I like structure because I have the choice of a magazine or traditional blog look, and I can highlight quite a lot of my previous content in a tabbed area on the front page. I also like the tabbed interface in the sidebar for looking at popular posts, categories, archives and more. Justin has recently released an even better theme, Options, which I plan to use on one of my sites as soon as my host upgrades my WP installation.

Chris Pearson

I know I’m not alone in liking the themes designed by Chris Pearson. His Copyblogger theme is tremendously popular, and I’m considering that for a new site I’m developing. However, I used his popular Cutline theme for several months. This is a great theme for showcasing large header images and it is SEO friendly with a built in sitemap if you want it. The latest version of the theme has support for WP 2.3 tags as well as a few new plugins.

Nathan Rice

I’ve only used one of Nathan Rice’s themes, Deep Blue, a release for DailyBlogTips. I liked this theme because it was easy for me to put my Adsense code in, to include my Feedburner feed and to put plenty of 125×125 ads in the sidebar. As the blog author, my comments were highlighted by default. In the end, the blue, orange and green proved too much for my eyes and I started looking around for alternatives. One of the themes I considered was ElegantBlue, which has a more muted color scheme and many of the same features.

Bonus: Courtney Tuttle

Courtney Tuttle is an internet marketing genius, most recently known for being the co-founder of BloggingZoom. However, Court also goes around finding great themes and optimizing them, so his site is a good place to look if you want a theme that will tick all the boxes for Google. His SEO Wordpress themes page is easy to navigate and there are dozens of themes there.

So, those are my favorites. Who are yours?

There are basically two types of people in the world: introverts and extroverts. Introverted people tend to be quiet and although they may not be shy, they are usually the listeners in the group and not the ones at the center of a crowd. Extroverts are the chatty ones who are more likely to be the first to strike up conversations and share their opinions. Most people think that bloggers are all introverts – people who prefer to be at home with their computers – but that’s not necessarily true. There are a lot of extroverted bloggers out there. Introverted bloggers can learn something from their extroverted counterparts and vice versa.

Here are some of the basic differences between introverted and extroverted bloggers:

• Listening and talking. The introvert tends to be the listener in a conversation whereas the extrovert tends to be the talker. What the introvert benefits from is that he gathers a lot of information which he can then use to create blog topics. The extrovert is often so focused on his own words that he misses out on the learning opportunities around him. However, the extrovert may have more blog readers because he’s out there promoting his work. That’s something the introvert could benefit from learning how to do.

• Deriving energy from within or without. If you are someone who feels physically exhausted after spending a lot of time with people then you are an introvert. If your energy level peaks around others, you’re an extrovert. In blogging, this can impact where you do your best work. The introvert will benefit from staying at home while the extrovert can do better work at (or just after leaving) a coffee shop or bar.

• Conveying enthusiasm. The introvert generally doesn’t sound super-enthusiastic when he’s describing something. The extrovert is hyper-enthusiastic. Both can be either a benefit or a drawback in blogging if they spill over from verbal communication into your blog. On the one hand, you want to sound excited about your topic so your readers will be as well. On the other, being hyper-excited can come off as a sales pitch. Balance one out with the other to create a happy medium.

• Period of reflection. Introverts tend to take time to think over what they want to say in response to someone whereas extroverts will blurt out an immediate reply. In blogging, this means that the introvert is better served by doing a blog that has only daily – or less than daily – posts. In contrast an extrovert may write a series of posts throughout the day in response to the things he’s reading and hearing. Another area this impacts is blog comments; the extrovert may be more likely to blurt out an offensive comment online and could learn a little from the introvert who holds back until he’s thought it through. The introvert may, however, find himself falling behind in responding to comments because he’s taking too much time to think them over.

• Consistency. It’s easier for the introvert to stick to a ritual and be consistent. This can be a benefit because he’s more likely to stick to writing a certain number of posts around the same time each day. However it can be a drawback because it might lead to boring material. The extroverted blogger is more likely to bring a whole lot of topics to the table and keep the blog interesting but may be too flighty to gain loyal readership.

• Being in crowds. Introverts like to be off on their own; extroverts like to be in crowds. That means that the extrovert is more likely to take advantage of blog conventions and other events for meeting bloggers. The introvert prefers one-on-one conversation and so may need to adapt by trying to meet up with other bloggers in a more intimate space, such as a coffee shop.

• Materials for blogging. Introverts are likely to daydream, to muse about the world around them and to ponder the things in their own head. Extroverts are more likely to turn to the world around them and to react to what is there. As a result, introverts are more likely to have blogs of the “I feel this because” nature and extroverts are more likely to have blogs driven by “This is happening in the world and here’s what I think about it”. Both have their benefits and each could learn to incorporate a little of the other.

There’s nothing inherently right or wrong with being an introvert or an extrovert – whether in blogging or just in general. However, it’s important to know what kind of blogger you are so that you can maximize those traits that will assist your blogging and minimize those which may detract from it. Learn a few tips from the people who have the opposite traits as you in order to be a more well-rounded blogger.

Question of the Day: Do you think it’s easier to be an introverted blogger or an extroverted blogger?

The other day Steven Snell gave us a great warning when he cautioned that “Blogs in certain niches tend to be very similar.”  It doesn’t take too much blog hopping to see just how true that could be.  Many bloggers tend to get their ideas from another blogger who got their ideas from another blogger, and on and on it goes.

It all reminded me of a poem I had to read in school titled “The Calf Path” by Sam Walter Foss.  I highly recommend it, because it is the kind of piece that makes you stop and think your own path.

It’s a poem about a twisted path that was created by a calf wandering its way home.  Over the years, that path see’s continual use, and becomes a lane, and then finally a road.  People that mindlessly follow that calf’s path, complaining about the twists and turns, without once considering why the road is laid out the way it is, or looking to see if there is a better way to go.

The point of the poem is that we do the same thing in other areas of our lives.  We follow the examples of the ones who have gone before us, without checking out if it the best way to go for our own purposes.   Auto companies use internal combustion engines because that is the tried and true method of building a car; businesses use telemarketers because it was a successful marketing tool in the past; we blog the way we do because that is the way we learned to blog from reading other blogs.

If that works for you, fine, but you don’t have to follow the same path.

Think Outside the Box

Here’s a little secret for the “Think outside the box” crowd:  There is no box, there are only self-imposed limitations.  It’s like the four minute mile.  People once thought that it was impossible to run the mile in less than four minutes.  The human body wasn’t capable of doing it.  Then Roger Bannister came along and broke that barrier.  Now it is common for world class runners to complete a mile in less than four minutes.

People of that time based their perception on what was possible by looking at what other runners were doing.  They created an artificial barrier that they couldn’t get past.  Once a new “reality” was established it became easier for those that followed.

As a blogger, we run the risk of falling into the same trap.  We design our blogs a certain way, because we are told it works better that way.  But is it necessarily the best way for you?  Only you can answer that question.  Take a very critical look at your blog to see if what you are doing is limiting your blogs potential.

If It Ain’t Broke…

There is a mindset that many innovative people have that is uncomfortable for some.  It is the “If it ain’t broke, break it!” philosophy.  To realize your blogs full potential, you may have to break the current mold.  Experiment.  Try something completely different.   Your only real limit here is your own vision and creativity.  Look at all of the changes in blogging in the recent past.  Video, podcasts, and more different ways to monetize your site than you can shake a stick at.  And who knows what is still to come.  You may become the trailblazer that all of the other bloggers will be following.  Shake it up a little bit, and see if there is something out there that works better than what you’ve got.

That isn’t to say that you should ignore the work of other bloggers, but you should not allow their work to limit your potential.  Roger Bannister used the same training techniques as the other runners of his time; he just saw beyond the limitations.  You should still listen to, and at least consider the lessons from the more successful bloggers, but you shouldn’t allow them to limit your potential.  The biggest steps forward throughout history came as the result of someone taking a risk.

So, look at the calf path you are walking on.  If it’s a comfortable road, and you like the view, fine.  Just realize that you don’t have to stay on that road.

Many Blogspot users haven’t moved from Blogspot to Wordpress because they’re afraid they’ll lose some of their loyal readers, but each time some of them hear about a new Wordpress feature or visit other blogs created with Wordpress, they sigh with envy. As a Blogspot user myself, I can honestly say I wished I had known about Wordpress when I created my Life of a Writer blog, but it wasn’t as popular then as it is today. And like many others, I haven’t moved my blog to Wordpress because I don’t want to risk losing my loyal readers readers either. However, as I was blog hopping last night, I discovered a great post on Download Squad that would allow me to improve my Blogspot blog by giving it a more professional look. Would you like to give your Blogspot blog a professional makeover as well? Then keep reading as I reveal the information I discovered on Download Squad last night.

One of the things I like about Wordpress is their selection of free templates. I like the fact that they offer three column templates, which is something Blogspot does not offer, nor does Blogspot have a large selection of templates to choose from. With that said, the post I discovered on Download Squad, “8 Steps to a More Professional Blogspot Blog,” includes links to six third party websites with several Blogspot templates to choose from. In fact, all of those websites, except for one, has some three column templates that I plan to check out further.

In addition to third party websites with great Blogspot templates to choose from, Download Squad also tells Blogspot users how to eliminate the ugly navigational toolbar at the top of their blog, how to change the label list to a tag cloud, how to add an About Me page and more. Then at the end of their “8 Steps to a More Professional Blogspot Blog” post, they provide links to some other posts they’ve written about Blogspot, and one of those links will take you to a post that discusses adding recent comments to your Blogspot blog.

If you’re looking to give your Blogspot blog a more professional look, I urge you to head to Download Squad and read “8 Steps to a More Professional Blogspot Blog.” It’s most definitely a must read for any Blogspot user!

Do you have any tips on improving a Blogspot blog that you’d like to share with us? If so, please share your tips with us in the comments section. After all, Blogspot users really could use the information to help make their blogs more appealing.