A brand new blog means a brand new audience. You may hope that you will draw your customers as your readers, but who knows who will come to read your prose? You may draw a new potential customer, someone who has just discovered you and your organization, someone who could be an influencer, a customer evangelist, taking what you to say to many more potential customers leading your enterprise to exponential growth.
Just the idea of not knowing who is reading can be an overwhelming state for some writers. How to decide on simple things such as writing voice and style can become looming questions. I suggest that as the blogger, you make a choice that your reader will be an intelligent person who doesn’t knowthe information, a single most important reader, who is very much like yourself.
To make the audience take form as a person, which will make the writing easier and stronger, ask yourself these questions;
- Who am I writing for?
- How is this reader like me and how is this reader not?
- Why does this reader read blogs like mine?
One helpful thing to do is to sketch a written profile of the person who might be the average reader, that single most important reader that you will be writing for. Then with that reader in mind, you can write with confidence and care, in a conversational tone of voice, choosing words and phrasing that is appropriate for that reader to understand the content as well as to get a sense of who you, the blogger, really are.
Liz Strauss
Whether your organization is blogging, thinking about blogging, or just listening in, you should follow the work of the PEW/Internet & American Life Project. PEW is a non-profit research center studying the social effects of the Internet on Americans, supported by the PEW Charitable Trusts, and an initiative of the PEW Research Center.
In short, they state their mission as
The Pew Internet & American Life Project produces reports that explore the impact of the Internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life. The Project aims to be an authoritative source on the evolution of the Internet through collection of data and analysis of real-world developments as they affect the virtual world. . . . 1st paragraph of the PEW Mission Statement
The Key Researchers
The key researchers work in areas of specialty.
- Lee Rainie, Project Director,studies trends in how people of all ages use the Internet.
- Deborah Fallows, Senior Research Fellow, follows Email, spam, and everyday life on the Web.
- Susannah Fox, Associate Director, Editorial. keeps an eye to privacy and trust, health and health care, support groups, banking, and senior citizens.
- John Horrigan. Associate Director, Research, follows social and economic impact of Internet on communities and cities, broadband trends and impacts, adoption of new technologies, and online communities.
- Steve Jones, Senior Research Fellow, works in these research areas: College Students, College Students and Gaming, Communities, Copyright, Education, Intellectual Property, Internet in Daily Life, Music, Seniors, Technology Consumption, Teens, Terrorism, Workplace
- Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research Specialist, concentrates on issues regarding children, teens, parents and the Internet, the digital divide, education, content creation, blogging, instant messaging.
- Mary Madden, Senior Research Specialist, researches copyright issues, music and the internet, intellectual property issues online, teens and communication technology, college students and the internet, online communities, demographic trends in online pursuits.
The reports each researcher has written are listed on his or her bio page.
The PEW and American Life Project has 100 reports, email alerts, “find an expert,” presentations, a searchable database, a commentary section an “ask a question” service, and invitations to participate in furure polls.
Currently on the Front Page of the PEW site you’ll find these reports:
- Internet Evolution — The Future of the Internet II
- E-Gov & E-Policy — More Americans turn to the internet for news about politics
- Online Activities & Pursuits — Bloggers
- Technology & Media Use — Home Broadband Adoption 2006
- Internet Evolution — Internet Penetration and Impact
- Technology & Media Use — Americans and their cell phones
The PEW report is possibly the marketers most up-to-date resource for ongoing data of the ever-changing climate of American life and how Americans interact with the Internet. It’s a must for the informed business blogger’s toolkit.
Be sure to check out the Find an Expert feature.
When corporations first investigate the idea of blogging, almost immediately the question of tracking information comes up. As with most public relations and customer relationship efforts, the payoff from blogging tends to be intangible. However, there are tools that let us watch what’s going on.
Using Stats to Understand Readers
Many free stats programs are available that allow a blogger to know who’s been stopping by from what media source. Pam Blackstone also points out ways to use stats for blog promotion in her post What Do Your Stats Tell You? at Random Bytes. Anyone who’s interested in the reader response to a new blog started from an existing web site should check what she has to say.
Pam Blackstone, professional journalist and speaker, started Random Bytes to expand the interest in her Internet search site Weblens. In this well-written, quick read, she compares the audience of the blog to that of the search site and wonders at the differences, some that new bloggers might not pay attention to–browsers, screen resolution, and operating systems. Pam uses the data to extrapolate profile information about her readers. Read Pam’s conclusions at What Do Your Stats Tell You?
Thanks Pam for this classic article on how stats should be used.
Liz Strauss
Our approach to anything we do can change the outcome to make it a positive or a negative experience. Blogging is no exception to this rule. Often we do things that seem right, but in reality have a negative impact. With that in mind, I offer these blogging mistakes to avoid.
Blogging Mistakes to Avoid.
- Don’t try to be someone you’re not. A successful blogger has a style and tone that is uniquely the blogger’s.
- Don’t play it too safely. Experiment. Take thoughtful risks, try new things. Add spice and energy.
- Don’t try to trick your audience . A game or a hoax might be tempting and may even be fun. However, you risk not only your credibility, but the trust readers have placed in you.
- Don’t try to be too clever. Write in clear language with a friendly voice to a reader who is as intelligent as you are. Leave the big words for eighth grade teachers, unless your readers have shown a predilection for higher-level vocabulary.
- Don’t use marketing speak, buzz words, or jargon. Use real words that real people use to talk to each other.
- Don’t lie. It’s the ultimate disrespect for your readers.They’ll find out.
- Don’t steal. A thought leader has thought and doesn’t need to take those of others. People want to read your thoughts. If you quote someone else (be sure to attribute and give a link back) and make your own commentary.
- Don’t get upset when you make a mistake. Fix your errors and move on.
- Don’t ignore your readers. Engage readers. Be there to answer their comments.
- Don’t ignore criticism. Answer negative comments with the mindset of the beginner/learner. Listen and learn all you can from the commenter. Place what you learn in context and keep what is valuable.
- Don’t get defensive. When someone points out a mistake, take a step back and look at the situation objectively. If you were wrong, admit that. Readers respect bloggers who own their actions and who stay cool headed in tough situations.
- Don’t write when you’re angry or intoxicated. Wait.
As you can see, all of these fall under the advice, “blog smart,” or to say it another way, “don’t do stupid things.”
