Deliver what your audience needs: or is blogging just about you?

Think of the most successful blogs you know and what do they have in common? They deliver or cater to a need. Ranging in scope from Mashable to memoirs, the most followed blogs deliver something useful.

From clearly defined tangible needs for knowledge and entertainment to more esoteric forms that touch the heart and mind, it is easy to see the difference between an author that cares about their audience and one authored by someone really just digs themself and their own interests.

I have read several blogs over the last week (for the #atozchallange) -- several of which I enjoy and respect by the way--from aspiring, professional and dedicated bloggers as well as from people looking to make a quick and easy buck. The most followed are those that "do something" for their audience.

That's nice, but do your readers care?

You don't have to be Florence Nightingale

Of course we bloggers care about click-through rates and our egos -- to include the need to boost them. Many of us simply love creative outlets. If we didn't have some self-interest we'd stick to private journaling.

So what's the problem?

There isn't one unless you are not reaching your professional and financial goals. If the goal is to expand your audience and profits, write with both in mind.

27+1 Tips for Building and Maintaining a Blog Audience offers several useful tips for those who want to expand their readership and step-up their blogging efforts. It is by no means comprehensive but offers a constructive and clear basis to start from.

 It is time consuming indeed to be a professional blogger, and requires far more than simply being smart, witty, clever or passionate. It's a job for a select few.

For those who are content with improvement -- a good start! -- rather than becoming a 5-6 figure income-generating blogger, that can be more easily accommodated, just scale your efforts accordingly -- with your audience and end goal in mind.

Beginning blogger blues, burnout and Betty Boop

My B-word choices included blogger, burnout, blues, beginning blogger and – did I say burnout?

Actually, the mood is not as bad as that but there are some lessons here.

In fact, I may treat myself as a new blogger and start from ground zero, almost: a step above, "How to Blog: Blogging Tips for Beginners," which is useful if you need it.

Back to the blues: One advantage a beginning blogger holds over me is that they don't realize what they don't know – to include some very demotivational statistics.

Also, new blogger Betty Boop is likely to be less distracted than I am -- and maybe you are/have been. I just spent 78 minutes looking at infographics on the color impact of websites on buyers. At least I wasn't playing Farmville...I think. 

This is Betty Boop out pimping her wireless potato peeler social application to some angel investor laden network who is more interested in her peeled Facebook photos while her biz site is causing self-induced blindness because it is so damn ugly!

The point is she's making money by working smart -- even if her I.Q. is 98 -- and I'm stressing over the hexadecimal value of my links across 3 operating systems and smartphones – not that this is done in vain mind you.

WELL, I do have some advantage with my years of experience in running a successful web design and marketing business along with a an internationally renown website of 800-some hand-coded pages of content. The advantage is just not showing itself at the moment. (I need structure). 

It also means that I know enough to recognize that I am antiquated about a few things (knowledge can be dangerous). Things I may have to pay someone else (or a service or application) to handle. This is tough for me to admit, for I am both independent and frugal.

But, say my Wordpress theme is corrupted (not to mention I need a Blogger design and SEO optimization atm) or I want a serious Facebook page, or I need modernized CTR analytics – there will be no time left for content.

Especially, now that blog success is less dependent on content than it is networking – oy! Seriously, that's the advice of the times. Admittedly, it needs some context.

As for burnout: It's more to do with B-list clients and overcommitment to things I'm less passionate about. I know what I want to do (mostly) and where I want to (and do) excel, but there is this other B-word, bills.

So, bloggers, this is not meant to discourage. Maybe you can relate – save for the Betty Boop anecdote – and want to share your blogger blue days and how you got past them. And, feel free to name your favorite websites for beginning bloggers.

Also, know this, as demotivated as I felt when typing the first keystrokes, I feel MUCH better now. I didn't throw in the towel on the A-Z challenge on day two as I expected, and for that I'm proud. Now off to invent a 4G tater peeler app of my own.    

The 3 A's of awesome for you, your life and your blog

50,000 blogs are started a day.

Neil Pasricha's blog 1000 Awesome Things was one of them, off to a slow start like most. At this moment it boasts 30,786,253 hits.

Inspired from multiple tragedies in the author's life, 1000awesomethings won Webby's World's Best Blog award. This 18 minute video covers its inspiration and inception.

Highlights
 

--Attitude
“It ain’t gonna go according to plan”

--Awareness

A sense of awareness like a 3-year-old and why it works.

--Authenticity

Take a lesson from Rosey Grier – The Rams & needlepoint.

There are thousands of the things to be happy about, with only 100 years or less to enjoy them.

I am going to grab a copy of Pasricha's first or second book.
(Read twenty pages here.)

By nature, I have the attitude and authenticity down, imperfectly, but what I miss most is awareness.

It is detailed observations, finely-honed memories or recollections that often makes a gifted storyteller and a grateful, interesting life – and who knows, maybe an awesome blog, too.

...

From the book:

“But when bad news washes over you and when the pain

sponges and soaks in, I really hope you feel like you’ve always

got two big choices:

1. You can swish and swirl in gloom and doom forever,

or

2. You can grieve and face the future with newly

sober eyes”

And, then: remembering, reading and thinking about awesome things from “batteries are included” to being reunited with an old friend.

,,,,,,,

What's your awesome of the day?

Today, after two days of struggling with it, I wrote an editorial, in part criticism of, April's National Donate Life Month. After thinking, man I shouldn't go there emotionally, the tone, message and voice came together...to be more than a opinion piece. To be what I wanted it to be.

After the 15th edit, it hit me.

It's done and the ball is in the stands. I heard the pop. 

Teary-eyed I smiled, that I did my best. Jim agreed. 

Sorry, otherwise it would be chocolate related.