Forums >Off the Beaten Path>RA Bloggers
1) Talk about some subject other than you. ... I can promise you that if your blog posts always talk about how you felt on your run today, you will not have much readership. Honestly, no one cares. 3) Try to tell it in 600 words or less.
1) Talk about some subject other than you. ... I can promise you that if your blog posts always talk about how you felt on your run today, you will not have much readership. Honestly, no one cares.
3) Try to tell it in 600 words or less.
So, you're telling me that my 7,000+ word post all about how I felt on my run (and before and after my run) is not the way I'm supposed to do it?
#artbydmcbride
You added pictures! That made it mesmerizing!
Runners run
Well yes, but not the kind of pictures you like, sorry.
You added pictures of a cat! That made it mesmerizing!
FYP.
Dave
Agreed jimmyb. As I write mine for the newspaper, an important objective is page views, but I see your point also. Have no idea what lit up DaBurger however, but all opinions welcome. Spareribs
Many a time, I've come to believe that page views is the sole objective, especially with the 3 distributors I mentioned. I have a personal peeve against headlines of the ilk "Here's the dumbest thing anyone's ever said!" or "You won't believe what she said in public!!!" which provides no context or information about the post (like you described in 5) but gets you more page views because people want to make sure they haven't heard anything dumber.
The news/information about current events has become much less about the content of the news and how much/balanced/well researched the information is. It has now become who can make the most sensationalist, generally applying headline that you can stick in a URL, and presenting it in as short a bite size as possible.
Hence when I click on a news article, I feel like I've wasted my time reading the article, and if I'm unable to hear about current events, I'm effectively making myself dumber.
Trying to share this on a message board as sage advice to get more publicity to other people's blogs only makes this more irritating to me.
By contrast something like logic of long distance actually presents an interesting and stimulating take on what ever he's writing about, particularly since he presents a more literature and feeling based point of view which contrasts how I approach things from a numbers point of view.
Know thyself.
I like more than that kind of picture!
King of PhotoShop
Another thing that I want to try is start bringing in guest bloggers, that way more people will access the blog and there will be more appreciation for writing done outside of the author. It's a cool chance to branch out.
I'm sorry for not mentioning this important point, of bringing in guest bloggers. it's huge. I write another blog for my business, and this idea has been suggested to me but I have not as yet done anything with it. Thank you for adding to the learning. Spareribs
Why is it sideways?
You guys are going to shame me into writing another post. Thanks for the kind words.
What's my philosophy of blogging? I guess I try to write the things that I would like to read. I am really happy that the blog is something people enjoy, and the fact that other people read it keeps me writing. Spareribs' post is interesting: certainly thinking about what the heck you are doing and having a method makes things more interesting. I did set out a few sort of guidelines for myself that I try to write by, so in the spirit of Spareribs:
1) Avoid whenever possible the first person pronouns. I try to write about experience as it happens and don't worry so much about whether it is "mine" or someone else's; to use a technical term, I am always trying to do phenomenology, which is sorta a way of taking subjective experience and looking at it as if it were as real as an objective phenomenon (I happen to think it is.)
2) Avoid jargon, but respect my readers. No one likes to be talked down to or over-explained to. Try to treat the reader as an intelligent person and assume that they understand as much or more about your topic as you do.
3) Write with some regularity. I held to a post a week for the majority of the time I was writing. Now, I don't have the time/energy and so try to do a post a month and even fail at that. The thought that sometimes people are at work and just want to read something -- and that something doesn't have to be literature -- helps me write. Running analogy: a mediocre run is better than no run at all; and a steady accumulation of mediocre ends up strangely somehow being more than the sum of its parts, and every now and then something that starts out mediocre ends up pretty freakin' sweet.
Blogging is easy to make fun of, but I have always wanted to be a writer but lacked the discipline and initiative to put something like a novel together. "Blogging" is like the perfect medium for me -- little spurs of thought, more provocative than conclusive, more speculative than argumentative. So now I get to be a writer on my own terms. Blogging is supposed to be narcissistic, but actually I see the medium as the opposite of narcissism. Narcissism is about stagnating in stifling self-love, but blogging is about making yourself vulnerable and exposing yourself to others.
I think that was over 600 words.
You guys are going to shame me into writing another post. Thanks for the kind words. What's my philosophy of blogging? I guess I try to write the things that I would like to read.
What's my philosophy of blogging? I guess I try to write the things that I would like to read.
I tried to keep to that philosophy as well (and I too just might be shamed into finishing one or two posts that I started). One post that I enjoyed researching and writing was this one, discussing Badwater 135 and administrative law. I saw what I thought was a niche for lawyer-runners and I went for it . . . even if it is turning out to be an exceedingly small niche.
422. You could have said it in 420, easy.
Good post.
Blogging is supposed to be narcissistic, but actually I see the medium as the opposite of narcissism. Narcissism is about stagnating in stifling self-love, but blogging is about making yourself vulnerable and exposing yourself to others.
Anything that has a chance of rising a hair above mediocrity has to have its roots in observation of your own psyche and life. This doesn't mean an artist needs to bare their soul in every word they write, or piece they draw, or song they compose. All you need is a little bit of it and it will mutate and grow into a unique entity. The minute you share anything you've created, you make yourself vulnerable to attack, embraces, or indifference. I've been putting stuff out there for decades now, and have had good and bad reviews, and it all messes with my head in a way that isn't good for the creative process. Whether the head be swollen or shrunken, it's a head that ain't moving ahead too quickly to the next creation. It's too busy looping on what people have said.
Thanks for the thought-stimulating words, Jeff. Someday, when you have the time, think about realizing that dream to be a serious writer, because the talent is there just waiting to be realized.
Here's my running blog, where my slow times and erratic weight fluctuations are out in the open for the world to see...
Best Pace Scenario
I was dealing with injury and burnout during the past year, but have thankfully put myself back into the game, so the reports should be more frequent during the last half of 2014.
Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues.
Here's my running blog, where my slow times and erratic weight fluctuations are out in the open for the world to see... Best Pace Scenario I was dealing with injury and burnout during the past year, but have thankfully put myself back into the game, so the reports should be more frequent during the last half of 2014.
Enjoyed that read about the Merrill Mile. Impressive performance in this Georgian heat. "Relentless forward motion", I think I'm going to borrow that for my inspiration box. I go up to Dahlonega at least once a year to listen to the bluegrass musicians. Nice little town. Keep going, Jason!
Well done Jason. As I am not really an ultra person I find all posts about ultras interesting as it's an event I am not good at. Have done only two and they were 50K's.
Daburger may be surprised to learn that I agree with his point wholeheartedly. It is extremely irritating to see those provocative headline questions on Yahoo, for example, the "you won't believe" and the worst one ever, "Five foods you should never eat." (Don't open that one. It's a tedious diet infomercial.)
My point however, was that you should put some thinking into your headline. If your content is good, then you have a right to encourage the reader to look at it. Newspapers do this all the time and it's a good practice as long as it's not deceptive. My post on "the stupidest advice for running an ultra" actually had the stupidest advice in it, and turned out to be a useful read for people about to do their first ultra.
I think also that the average blogger does want page views. For me with the DMN, it's huge, but those writing just for themselves really do want more "opens" and views. Anyone who tells me he doesn't care if he doesn't get many views, and that he's just writing it for his own pleasure is probably kidding. Why not just keep a diary? Of course you want others to read it. Of course, as Jeff also points out well, blogging sure does give you an incentive to write better. I love the discipline of it.
Now as to content and quality, Jeff said it best. You want to put stuff out there that you yourself would enjoy reading. I know I do, but I must admit that four years of daily posts on two different blogs is bound to result in some absolutely astonishing good stuff, AND some real smellers. I own my share of each. Spareribs
Well done Jason. As I am not really an ultra person I find all posts about ultras interesting as it's an event I am not good at. Have done only two and they were 50K's. Daburger may be surprised to learn that I agree with his point wholeheartedly. It is extremely irritating to see those provocative headline questions on Yahoo, for example, the "you won't believe" and the worst one ever, "Five foods you should never eat." (Don't open that one. It's a tedious diet infomercial.) My point however, was that you should put some thinking into your headline. If your content is good, then you have a right to encourage the reader to look at it. Newspapers do this all the time and it's a good practice as long as it's not deceptive. My post on "the stupidest advice for running an ultra" actually had the stupidest advice in it, and turned out to be a useful read for people about to do their first ultra. I think also that the average blogger does want page views. For me with the DMN, it's huge, but those writing just for themselves really do want more "opens" and views. Anyone who tells me he doesn't care if he doesn't get many views, and that he's just writing it for his own pleasure is probably kidding. Why not just keep a diary? Of course you want others to read it. Of course, as Jeff also points out well, blogging sure does give you an incentive to write better. I love the discipline of it. Now as to content and quality, Jeff said it best. You want to put stuff out there that you yourself would enjoy reading. I know I do, but I must admit that four years of daily posts on two different blogs is bound to result in some absolutely astonishing good stuff, AND some real smellers. I own my share of each. Spareribs
All good advice!
I decided early on, though, to limit my blog content to actual race reports. This keeps me grounded so that I don't ramble on in words more than I already do, and, more importantly, that I do not venture too far into negativity or narcissism. I can let words get away from me if I post more frequently to a blog like this.