thilly thenny

(via ~c4chaos- Thanks!)

Blogging is not ’simple.’ A blog is only as successful as its readers. This is a new category of what I don’t know (and there’s a lot). So what is this category? What does it offer? Why should you care?

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When I first started blogging with Xanga over 7 years ago, the concept seemed so simple. It’s an online journal meant to share my life, my interests and my updates. But blogging has evolved so much and so quickly since I was in high school. As I write more and in depth about topics that touch my life and some that don’t (thankfully my company has a great track record for health benefits and insurance), there’s so much to blogging that I just don’t know.

For example, I’ve started reading avidly again. Great! But what’s the right way to write a book review? How do I summarize the basic theme of each work by giving the reader only the key take-aways and convince him/her that it’s worth picking up? Where the best place to find a definition of “brand”? Certainly, HBR or Knowledge @Wharton would have some great insights, but I don’t particularly feel like shelling out $6.50 for the article (or rummaging through my marketing lectures to find out what my professors @ Wharton thought).

or

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“What I Don’t Know” is meant to be a series that answers questions about blogging. What are the techniques of writing a successful book review? What are the best resources for healthcare or social media or politics? Is Wikipedia always the right answer? How do we incorporate blogging tips and templates into our own voice?

Yes, a lot of this will be about how to write. How to successfully communicate. How to be succinct, yet descriptive. How to generate both questions and answers to them.

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Of course, I’ll call on a lot of resources, such as ProBlogger, PR-Squared, Andy Sernovitz, et al. My current read, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survice and Others Die, will help too.

I’ll also depend on you. What are your thoughts? Your best tools? Your loves and hates? Like I said, a blog is only as successful as its readers.

I hope you find this useful. And if you don’t, tell me why.

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Postcript

There are a few reasons I decided to start “What I Don’t Know.”

1. There isn’t enough time in the day to thoroughly research everything I want to write. Trust me; this isn’t a complaint. I LOVE blogging. I love sharing information and randomness(esses) with you. But we can create so much more value if we all share information. Remember, a blog is only as successful as its readers. (Have I said it enough times yet?)
2. Although there are themes, my blog includes a huge variety of subject matters. Most would say that I should either narrow my topic or start different blogs. I disagree.
   • First, this is my blog. Even though I greatly appreciate your feedback and readership, I still have final say over content.
   • Second, I want to cover a variety of topics. None of our lives are solely dedicated to one topic, so why should we have to go to different places to read about different topics. This blog focuses on what’s current, thought-provoking, entertaining and useful. You may not identify with every post, but I hope at least some (if not the majority).
3. There is a need in my life to categorize things, almost to the point of OCD. I like filtering information down to its essence. Since this blog is so broad, establishing categories helps you find what you most want to read. Want to find all the cool gadgets and designs I’ve been drooling over? Go to “sh*t i like.” Care to giggle and squeal at cute animals? Go to “funnnie.” Other categories, like social, stuff, pr/marketing, and just life give you more variety in the posts.
4. Lastly, I’m still learning about blogging. It’s intricate, tricky and I’m bound to make mistakes. I’ve already made many. Maybe this idea will die with the wind, but I hope not. Whatever happens, thank you for joining me in the journey.

Muah! Cheers.