Preparing for your post - what steps do bloggers take?
June 16, 2006 – 5:50 amby Darren
Think of your favorite actor. What do they need to do to get ready for their performance? Depending on what they’re performing in, it could be a ton of preperation. Some of them will gain weight, or learn a new accent or language in order to immerse themselves in their Art. Bloggers have it a good bit easier. Some bloggers like to do a great deal of research, in order to immerse themselves in their subject. Other posts may be like this one, where you just let it fly and go off the top of your head.
Preparation times will depend on the nature of the post. The more technical the post, the more background information you’ll beed to research. You’ll also need to link to several sources. If you’re attempting to be authorative for your subject, you’ll need to spend more time explaining the nature of your claims. If your blog is more conversational in tone, you may just sit down and begin typing. If the subject is one that you’re a certified expert in, then your preparation time may be as simple as composing yourself and “gathering your thoughts”.
Lack of preparation can bite you in the ass if your subject is controversial. If you plan on touching on a subject which sparks controversy, you better expect that your main points will be debated, so certainty of your argument will help you win. If you can rely on cold hard facts from reliable sources, this gives you an air of knowledge that isn’t found in the average blog. Take the time to detail both the facts and their sources.
If your subject is completely informal, and there is generally no right and wrong answer, you will probably have a casual delivery. Preparing for your posts may be as easy as sitting down in front of the computer and forcing yourself to work. Other bloggers may do a quick ceremonial dance (usually naked) and yet others will perform ceremonies that they hope will please the “Gods of Blogging”.
What preperation do you do before posting? Do you wing it? Have you ever heavily researched a blog post?
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2 Responses to “Preparing for your post - what steps do bloggers take?”
I think your second paragraph hit it on the head for me. I am an early internet user since 1995. My icq number is 6 digits starting with 1. I met my wife on PowWow. I’ve used many IM and still use MSN daily. I don’t skype, (yet anyway) but I think if you are going to just ramble on in your blog - don’t correct the grammar and worry too much about the spelling mistakes. I type as I think about it, then publish as I would talk about it. However, for the “encyclopedia-type” type of posts you want to build the blog up with and keep popular in the archives .. it pays to print it out first and do a proof-read after a good bowl of Captain Crunch or better yet. sleep on it and look again in da morning.
I’ve never heavily researched a topic, although I’ve got open drafts that I keep and just post URL’s in it with a quick comment on whether I should look at it more closely or not. Right now I have three major blogs being updated. The first is article filled which takes 2-seconds. My second is when I accomplish something and I think that was an efficient technique I will write about it. My third is just an instant gratification blog. If I like it I post about it. If I hate it I write about it. If I don’t really care one way or another, I do nothing (or read other blogs and surf sidebars)
By HART (1-800-HART) on Jun 16, 2006
Not a bad methodology, really. “Winging it” works for the most part, but sometimes you have to go a bit deeper. It all depends on how much Captain Crunch you have that morning I guess.
By Darren on Jun 17, 2006