As a new blogger, I am very conscious of what I am writing and I always try to think to myself: “Am I writing this for me, or am I writing this for others to come read. And when trying to market your blog and increase traffic and readership, you always want to keep this in mind.
Blogging for yourself
This involves posting things that interest you, and that may not necessarily be “hot topics”. This may include, but is not limited to, being vague about what your are writing about, perhaps using language or metaphors that most people will not understand, making posts about mundane
details of your life. When blogging for yourself usually you will not post regularly, but only when you feel like it or when you have something to say. These blogs can be extremely attractive to people who want to get a glimpse of someone else’s life, experiences and beliefs. They get their links by being placed in blogrolls, but likely never get links for particular posts.
Blogging for the masses
When blogging for the masses, you make sure that your posts are about things that people are really interested at the time, they will cover hot topics and other issues that are relevant at that particular moment in time. Blogging for the masses means using language that is accessible by everyone, and is usually very clear and unambiguous. When blogging for the masses, usually there will be little or no personal touch, they will be posts that are speak about certain topics, but that do not contain “a voice”. These types of blogs easily accumulate links because the posts are related to topics that will create a buzz.
The Middle Ground
Some bloggers prefer to be a little more eclectic, and will combine these two strategies. I consider my blog to be among that group. I blog for myself and for the masses, and I try to combine these strategies not only by posting some posts of myself and some for everyone else, but I also try to personalize my “mass readership” posts so that they contain a bit of me as well.
Which approach works best?
Well, I don’t know that any approach is more favorable. I would suggest doing what comes naturally to you. Some people are brimming with so much charisma and personality that they would never be able to contain themselves while trying to blog for the masses, and some people are more keen on reporting things and commenting on issues than speaking of their personal lives in a blog. You cannot force yourself to be something you are not, at least not comfortably, and when creating a blog you need to consider: Can I maintain this for a prolonged period of time? Blogging requires some level of consistency and your readers will soon come to expect certain things from your blog.
So there is no one approach that I would recommend – it is a personal choice. What works for one person might not work for another, and whether you blog for yourself or blog for the masses, or somewhere in the middle, your blogging and the style you adopt should be something that you can stick with, and something that comes naturally to you. Happy blogging! :)
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