Who SHOULD Blog?
In my last post I took the unusual step of suggesting there are people who should avoid blogging.
While I am complete card-carrying, t-shirt wearing, tattooed on my brain blogging advocate, even I realize there are people who would be best off being blog readers than blog writers. It just is not for everybody, and that is fine.
That said, who should blog?
- Have a passion? Something that you would stay interested in through bad and good times? Regardless of profit?
- Enjoy creating, building content, sharing what you know?
- Most important, enjoy discussing your passion?
If you answer yes to one of more of those questions then I think you would make a good blogger. While there is a high frequency of abandoned blogs, passion and the will (or need) to communicate that passion can overcome a lot of the reasons why people give up blogging.
While I don’t want to embarrass him (other than the bad photo), the other day I met someone who meets the profile.
Gareth Crew runs a site with his friend Stuart Carter, called MotoGPNews and it is a community for motor sport enthusiasts. Before he had to give up due to injuries, Gareth raced motorbikes, so he is not just an armchair critic or someone who thinks this is a big-money niche. In fact, his site barely approaches any kind of monetization at all. Just look around the site, there is not a trace of ego.
I can see right away a whole bunch of ways I would improve the site but having the passion and the knowledge is a far better foundation than ticking technical and marketing boxes while missing that vital ingredient!
You can learn to write well. Marketing is a matter of having the right strategy and implementing the best tactics. Information can be researched, knowledge can be learned. Experience is a matter of sticking with it. I can help with anything blogging or webmastering, but the one thing you have to find within yourself is passion and motivation.
Challenge - Win a Copy of the ProBlogger Book
Right here I would normally launch into a blog critique, but I am taking the day off 
The person who, in Gareth’s opinion, gives the best advice or critique will win a copy of the ProBlogger book!
Write your tips, criticism or suggestions on your own blog, on the MotoGPNews contact form, or right here in the comments before Wednesday July 23rd.
Go take a look at the site and start making notes now! Good luck
Posted on July 16th, 2008 by Chris Garrett in Blogging
No results.
Chris, you did say:
“The person who, in Gareth’s opinion, gives the best advice or critique will win a copy of the ProBlogger book!”
… so here goes. My critique
This is an amazingly content-rich resource, organized nicely by
category, but with a rather non-intuitive navigation path through
the sections.
Also, there are many avenues for user interaction, but such an
interactivity is not pro-actively invited or encouraged.
With regard to monetization, the ecommerce features, paid membership
and donation links need more visibility and support with a sales
letter or page that explains the benefits and ‘reasons why’.
The key would be to make the navigation through the site more intuitive
and offer a guide to new visitors that points out major sections, maybe
even a short video intro to the site and what each section offers.
Below are a list of what I think might be helpful tweaks to spotlight
relevant sections/features of this nice content site.
#1 - Have an RSS button and/or email opt-in form above the scroll.
#2 - Use the header graphic to include a tag line with a marketing message
that gives a first time visitor an idea of what’s in the site.
#3 - The font is too tiny to read comfortably on my Mac. In fact, I’d
suggest changing to another theme/template altogether.
#4 - Too much of valuable real estate is wasted on the right side of the
page where the postage stamp graphic is.
#5 - Change the top bar navigation to point at the 3 or 4 most frequently
visited sections of the site - and make the buttons bigger, maybe add a
description to tell visitors what to expect when they click on each.
#6 - The tabbed navigation bar linking to the registration page and forum
is a good feature. I’d try and use visual tweaks to make that even more
prominent and visible.
#7 - The search bar could conveniently fit on the sidebar instead of taking
up space on the main content section.
#8 - I’d include a ‘Getting Started’ guide to a first time visitor, where
you suggest the best or most useful sections of your site they should not
miss checking out.
#9 - I would feature snippets or topics from the discussion forum to get
visitors engaged in interactions with fellow enthusiasts. Just a feed
to pull in the latest discussions onto the homepage may work.
#10 - While exploring the links on the top navigation bar, I come across
content that may well add to the attractiveness of the homepage. You could
have them pulled in rotation on to the homepage eg cartoon of the day,
contest of the day, poll of the day, etc.
#11 - The Donate button needs some descriptive text - Why should I donate?
How much? What are the donations used for?
#12 - The t-shirt store can be featured more prominently and attractively
with a virtual storefront with ordering links.
Hope this is of some use
All success
Dr.Mani
If it wasn’t called MotoGPNew.com you’d never know it had anything to do with motor bikes. A header with some racing pics would immediately set the tone for the whole blog.
Where’s the current championship standings, racing schedules, course reviews, howto travel guides … etc etc. You’ve got an information rich niche but I don’t see any of it reflected in your blog.
Interviews with mechanics, riders, track admins, race officials the list could go on. If you don’t get into the nitty gritty of moto gp then you’re probably just getting your info from the same sources that anybody else can. So where are you adding value with your blog?
Gracious, what a site! I was overwhelmed by the number of choices and none of it made any sense!
I didn’t look around because it was all just too much. I took one look and left.
To be fair, I am not the target market type of person at all, so maybe that’s okay.
Elaine
I just started my blog StuckInMilwaukee.com, and I find that the best thing to keep me blogging is to keep reading, and keep writing. I read several other blogs and books daily for inspiration, and I look at my past experiences. I also pay close attention to comments and search engine terms that brought people to my blog so I know what people are looking for and what I should write about next. As far as WHO should blog, I’d say that anyone with something truly original to say, who is seriously passionate about their content, and preferably has a background or experience in writing. Being able to write well and edit will be extremely helpful in keeping credibility. And if you’re not knowledgeable or come across as insincere, readers are not afraid to call you on it.
Well, one word; PHOTOS, PHOTOS, PHOTOS, PHOTOS, PHOTOS, etc.
You have content, forums, even t-shirts available, but the site should be rich with awesome images of all these racers, bikes, and tracks. If at all possible, find stunning photos related to the content and be sure to give photo credit where it’s due, and maybe a quick action packed flash video showing the excitement of MotoGP at the top of the home page!!
Also, I see where there is a membership option to get full access to the site and forums. Good, but there needs to be a little more prominent RSS option for people who want updates that way.
Honestly, I like the idea around the site. My cousin is a HUGE MotoGP fan so I’ll be poiting him in your direction.
You should do an online poll on the blog asking ‘Who SHOULD blog?’
Hi Chris,
Great photo - it made me cut my hair the day after!
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the comments, some have been really useful and we’re going to implement a lot of them. As for the winner, I would say it would have to be Dr. Mani as his critique was so detailed and useful. Jack was a close second though, with his comments about not knowing what the site was about - we didn’t even think about that, so thank you all.
Check back at the site to see how we’re doing!!! Also, if anyone did not see the latest MotoGP race in America - check it out on Iplayer as it was brilliant!
Kind Regards
Gareth
Thanks Gareth, good luck with the site
Dr. Mani and Jack, send me your delivery address and telephone number and I will get copies of the book sent out to you (or feel free to give them away, or as prizes on your own blogs)
Gareth, it was a pleasure to help out, in this little way. Will be watching your site as you implement some of the ideas so many shared.
Chris, thanks - it’s always nice to win a contest
Will send you the address via Twitter DM, if that’s ok?
Maybe I’ll make it the theme of the Squidoo lens I set up when you first announced the book was done!
All success
Dr.Mani