If you haven’t watched the show, you should. Every bit of advice that Gordon Ramsey offers struggling restaurant owners can be applied to a blog as well!

I have yet to write a blog post while cooking. However, I have blogged about cooking.

Good post. I’ve been assessing my blog lately and realize the past few months I’ve been posting to just to post. It wasn’t experimentation or true blogging on my part.

I decided to rectify that yesterday.

Reading your post has given me much to think about in ‘exacting standards’ and keeping my blog on the path I had intended it for.

The problem I was dwelling on when I read this post is not that I don’t read blogs, but that I read too many! And too much information, particularly about blogging, tends to make me question what I am doing with my own blog…

Keep up the thought provoking posts.

Kelly

@Joanna – Inspiration comes at the strangest of times doesn’t it?

@Jack – Spotting the reasons why you read some and overlook others can be very enlightening!

@Anthony – The random link is a great idea, I will probably try that

@Elaine – Thanks, I shouldn’t agree to everything my spell check tells me eh?

@Mark – Good luck, personally I am still at corner greasy cafe stage, but I can make a mean latte

@Erica – Exactly, you can tell when someone is going by the numbers or really into what they are saying, in text, over the phone or in person. I think sometimes you can tell when reading a blog that the author had a smile on their face and a glint in the eye when they wrote it

@David – I am sure there are times when top chefs have to just knuckle down and turn out dishes and other times when they can spend more care crafting the perfect plate, the important part is they always want to do the best they can because they love what they do.

@Mirjam – I once got all the way through to the final two for a programming position. The question that lost me the job was “what do you like most about your current position”, my answer was “knowing I had helped”. They told me I would never interact with end users therefore the position was more suitable to the other candidate who was motivated by elegant code. The same day I was offered a technical support job that involved going out and fixing peoples computers. I am glad I didn’t get the first job as the human contact in the tech support kept me involved.

@Ed – Yup, as long as you do not throw out the entire menu each and every time it is good to try new things

@Lightening – Remember there is good criticism (eg. pointing out miss-spellings ) and bad criticism (eg. “chris you suck”). The former you take note of, the latter you pity Do not let criticism hold you back. It’s something you grow more used to.

@Ellen – The impersonal blogs can be useful in a superficial way. Some maintain great success. For example I love Seth Godins writing but I do wonder if he wants to keep his fans at arms length. By contrast Terry Pratchett is a super successful author and has always maintained a very rich online interaction with his fans.

@Nubloo – Yes you have to encourage feedback in all its forms. As I say probably too much, if people do not hate what you do then you are not trying hard enough

@Marlaine – It is amazing how much inspiration you can give yourself if you re-read. New thoughts are always sprouting when I go over old stuff or answer comments to things I have written.

@Willem – Yes we loved the film, I really need to find a rat that is really good at writing It must be so cool having a top chef in the family!

@Lani – Great points You would be surprised how many back of house channels there are in blogging

I can think of many more, but I think the most useful one that springs to mind is that even if you have a bad shift, the next day you get fresh start. And you can do better.

(I’m so tempted now to write a post about why blogging is like cocktail waitressing, which might not seem so readily apparent, but I have nowhere to post it.)

As for the criticism, the beauty of hospitality is back-of-house, where you have space to vent all your frustrations. That’s one thing you can’t afford to do when blogging.

That said, I think you miss out on some others. You mention diversity and mixing ingredients. It’s relevant on one side, but don’t you find that people also love having the same dish at the same restaurant over and over again because they do it so well?

As a chef my brother loves trying out new dishes, new restaurants, but every time we talk he tells me how the best is always great products and simple dishes, flavours that remind us of the food our parents used to cook; for instance. Have you seen Ratatouille? If not, watch it!

You have to be always curious about everything happening to be a good writer as well as a good chef, I actually think that’s where the craft joins in an art form. But I guess one of the pitfalls not to forget is trying really hard to be original for the sake of it, and that rarely (never) works.

Personally, I embrace criticism. That’s why your post got my attention – I wrote about it just a couple of days ago
http://nubloo.com/developing/criticize-me-for-designers

Great idea to reread some older posts. I’m going to do that and see if I can get a fresh perspective on my writing style.

Thanks for heaps of great advice!!!!

I like your mix of focused subjects. I can see it being like a chef. A commitment to excellence in providing what others enjoy consuming. Consistent in some ways and experimenting in others. Always looking for that great new combination. Something people will pause to enjoy and contemplate. Something they’ll remember and recommend to friends. Just like I’ve done with your posts. : )

I guess that is the same with blogging, you get a high to feel the interaction with others who have spent the time reading your posts and comment.

Thank you for this post, it got me thinking

But that’s not really the point of your post – the point of your post is “passion.” Passion sells. Passion communicates when facts are ignored. Passion is sexy and vital and draws people in. Passion, combined with actual knowledge of a subject is devastatingly powerful.

I love the topic I blog about. I am not obsessive about it – but I am passionate. Okay, maybe a little obsessive.

This post reminded me why I blog. Because I love what I blog about.

Cheers,

Erica

I read 12 blogs on blogging, 12 on SEM/SEO/SMM, 6 on triathlon and endurance sports (I coach athletes in triathlon, track & field, road running and road cycling). Can’t cope with much more than that.

I’m new to blogging myself, hope to embody this approach and thus achieve Cordon Bleu status someday

I refer you to the blog, the blog of unnecessary apostrophes:

http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/2006/01/how-about-unnecessary-apostrophes.html

Excellent points in your post!

Elaine

And yes, I re-read my own stuff. I have a “random page” link that I use regularly. I do that for a number of reasons: to remind me of posts that should reference newer posts, to spot any problems I may have introduced from CSS changes and the like, to fix any grammatical or structural problems I may not have noticed when first posted, and to note any changes of opinion or fact that have occurred since the post.

And yeah, sometimes I love what I wrote and sometimes I hate it

I like the way you mix it up and experiment – esp the posts that are about everyday life (taking a photo, going for a walk with your puppy, watching tv). It brings the subject to life – and keeps me engaged.

Joanna