Kathy Sierra has often talked about the idea of Hi-Res learning. The idea being, as you learn more about a topic, you begin to see and notice things that people that are new to the topic, overlook. For example, if you are an architect, you notice the lines of a building, the characteristics that define the structure in certain ways. While all I notice are 4 walls and a roof.
And after almost 5 years, I think I could qualify myself as a ‘hi-res blogger’. But that’s often a problem for me, and the actual blogging process is much more difficult for me than it was when I started. The reason why is that I now KNOW what a good post and a good post title should look like. I know (usually) when a post I’ve written will be valuable to the reader, and when it might not be. So I am finding that the biggest problem I have in blogging isn’t writer’s block, it’s in writing posts that are ‘good enough’ and that I feel will be valuable to you guys. So often I get an idea for a post, but once I start fleshing out the post, I realize that I can’t make it worth your time, so I scrap it.
But I’m trying to get better about fighting through this and actually making drafts work, instead of abandoning them. Since some of you might be facing the same roadblocks, I decided to share what has worked for me.
1 – Put a new spin on an old idea. A couple of weeks ago I wrote this post on why Lady Gaga has fans, and you don’t. The post has gotten more RTs than any post I’ve ever written here, and it easily has the most views of any post I’ve written in the last month, and is in the Top 5 for all-time here. And I came THIS close to not publishing it. The actual ideas in that post are ones that I’ve written about several times. In fact, the first dozen or so posts I wrote for The Viral Garden back in early 2006 focused on the same concepts. I knew these were smart ideas, but when I blogged about them previously, they got a polite golf-clap of a response.
But by attaching the ultra-popular Lady Gaga to the ideas, and tying it into the rockstar metaphor of customers/fans, the idea took off. Gaga’s name in the title got people’s attention, and that got them to pay attention to the ideas. And I got more compliments on that post that any other in the last few weeks. So I guess another lesson here is, don’t give up on an idea whose time has come.
2 – Pull back the curtain. One of the things I love doing is sharing with you what I am learning here from my own blog. I do this because I think it has value for you, PLUS, it communicates the point that even experienced bloggers don’t have all the answers. This was exactly why I wanted to share the results of my one-day Twitter experiment with you, and then the results for the entire week. And yes, I get that a lot of bloggers don’t like to share their numbers. Look, I get that many bloggers have bigger numbers that I do. Who cares? What’s important to me is, can I share my numbers with YOU, and help you improve your own blogging efforts? If I think the answer is yes, I run with it.
3 – Let your readers bail you out. This is one of the best blogging lessons I ever learned. Often, I will have an idea for a post, and realize that I’m not confident enough in the issue to take a stand on either side. If this is the case, instead of scrapping the post till I can, I will try to post it and ask my readers what THEY think. Great way to let your readers claim ownership over the content of your blog AND their ideas are usually better than any you could have come up with. At least they are if your readers are as smart as you guys 😉
4 – Let a popular post breathe. Ideally, I would have a new post up every day from Monday through Friday. But that’s REALLY tough for me to do. And sometimes when Wednesday morning comes around (like today), and it’s 8 am and I am trying to get up a post for the day, I’ll notice something. That post from Tuesday has sparked a vibrant conversation and is still getting comments and RTs. So if I don’t have a great post idea for Wednesday, then wait till Thursday to post again, and do your best to keep the conversation flowing on that post from Wednesday.
5 – Sometimes you just have to post it. How often has this happened to you; The post you spend a week carefully crafting gets almost no response, but the post you pecked out in 5 mins after waking up at 3am from insomnia, THAT thing gets 30 comments. Sometimes we overthink this blogging stuff. I often do my best writing after midnight, and I think part of the reason why is I just let the words flow out and don’t worry so much about the ‘filters’ that they pass through. The chips fall where they may, and a lot of my best blogging work has come about this way.
But for you, which is your bigger problem; writer’s block, or not writing posts that are ‘good enough’ for your readers? For me, it’s the latter, I can get post ideas, but I often struggle to turn those ideas into something that I think has value for y’all.
Which is your bigger problem area?
Mack,
These ideas are so helpful to me as a new blogger. Number One – the new spin on an old idea – is something I can already relate to as I read the comments of my readers and get such a vibrant array of perspectives on a topic I raised. I was worried about taking another look at these topics through a new lens, but thanks to your post I don’t think I’ll be reticent about doing so.
And I personally think that the fact that you are *so* willing to pull back your own curtain for your readers’ benefit is one of the many reasons that you have such devoted readers. You’ve become an invaluable source of information and candor by doing this.
For me, I agree with you in regard to writer’s “bar” v. writer’s “block.” It seems harder to ensure that ideas are meaty and provide value than to find topics to discuss.
Finally, thanks to the Kathy Sierra link, I have an idea I think I’ll be sharing with you! 😉
@LisaPetrilli
.-= Lisa Petrilli´s last blog ..Are You Leaving an Unintentional Leadership Void? =-.
Thank you Lisa! I’ve learned not to give up on an idea if I think it’s really a good one. And everyone has such short attention spans online with SO much information being shared, that how you present the information is more important than ever!
Can’t wait to hear about your idea 😉
Mack,
This is an awesome post. It’s so practical and there’s not much fluff here. This post contains tips and blogging know how that new bloggers can apply or seasoned bloggers can identify with.
Great post man. Inspired me to get to writing like I know I should.
.-= Michael Bertoldi´s last blog ..clubhouse =-.
Yes, ‘Just do it’ 😉 How have you been?
Mack,
I am testing this comment form.
Mack,
I tested in FF, now I am testing the form in IE 8. Twice this evening, I tried to leave a comment here and received this message
“Your request timed out. Please retry the request.”
Mack,
I came by here tonight because you tweeted that you wanted to know if anyone was having trouble loading your site. (Was this a new way to drive traffic to your blog? LOL)
Anyway, I know exactly what you are describing. You want the post to be useful, interesting, and maybe fresh. I know for myself that I come up with really great ideas late at night, but when I wake in the morning I don’t remember a thing. Maybe I should see a doctor about this.
I have a new blogging friend who wrote today about the syndrome I am describing. She comically describes how an intriguing idea comes to her while she is waiting for her manicure to dry. No hands, no pen…and the idea disappears. I call this syndrome “mental dust bunnies”. The ideas just float around. Here is a link to her post http://www.savortheride.com/2010/06/02/hot-flashes-opi-nail-polish/
Just this week I published a post that I had been mulling over for about six weeks. Finally I took a chance and published it. I received good traffic and good comments following your guidance from #blogchat
I would love to hear from you. http://blog.webconsuls.com/2010/05/bystander-effect-broken-websites.html
Judy
Thanks for the link to your post, Judy! I just left a comment, and it looks like mine went through easier than yours did 😉
I think your last point, “Sometimes you just have to post it.” is huge. If we’re trying to always write a ‘post to end all posts’, it will rapidly lead to burnout or writer’s block. Better to proof it and publish it and let the feedback from comments lead us to a better post next time.
I know some have said to not publish it if we aren’t completely satisfied with the post, but I believe that we really ought to just hit ‘Publish’ and see where it goes – we can learn a lot from letting things flop if they must.
Thanks!
.-= Derek´s last blog ..Socialwok Cooks Up Collaboration in Your Inbox =-.
I have the same issue all the time! Not that I’m that smart, but more that I just don’t feel like my better posts are ever truly done.
And so I end up posting something 70-80% complete or just blurt out the post without too much re-writing. Getting too into my own head and my own writing is a black hole.
I wonder… which posts have you found to be best received? Those that are more raw or those that are more polished with multiple revisions?
.-= Jon B´s last blog ..10 s-commerce best practices =-.
Jon I think that’s a good question. I think if you make an additional run-over to ‘clean it up’, that can often improve the post. But if you revise/edit it 3-4 times, I think often the key theme of the post will lose its essence.
.-= mack collier´s last blog ..How to set up Google Alerts for your business or company in 5 minutes! =-.
Mack (and his merry band of commenters on this topic),
Thanks for this discussion. This is, of course, not a problem unique to bloggers, but must be something that columnists have dealt with since Mr. Gutenberg’s (Johannes, not Steve) invention became standard based technology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing_press How do you keep your content fresh and relevant to an ever-evolving and increasingly knowledgeable fan base?
I think your post and the excellent comments have done a fab job of exploring most of that topic. What I’d like to add is the hypothesis that it is alright to revisit topics on which you have already touched in the past – even ones that you feel as if you’ve squeezed the last drop of blood from that particular turnip. In my time here at Dell, especially during my internal communications rotations, I’ve learned that not only does everyone not read and remember every little word I write – no matter how Shakespearean the prose – but we are also constantly adding new team members to the Dell family. As such, they most likely have no way of gleaning the learnings from something I wrote two years ago – even though it is still available on our blogs. It’s the same for you. You have new fans every day and folks who may not have given much thought to social media are finally hopping on the bandwagon, etc. So to those folks, “old” ideas are new brilliant thinking.
My other thought as to why repeating a topic should not be taboo is that SM is such an ever-changing discipline that it is actually interesting to those who have followed you for a while to revisit earlier suppositions and strategies and apply them to what we know today. For instance, I bet if you go back and find something you wrote five years ago – you Pre-Facebook and Twitter – and measure them up against the theories of today, that you’ll be amazed how right you were. Because really, all of this is just about communicating with people as if they were just that people – individual persons with unique circumstances and not a collection of amorphous age, race, gender and economic demographics.
Basically what I’m saying is (with all apologies to The Carpenters) Don’t worry if it’s not good enough, for anyone else to hear. Just sing, sing your song.
Thanks for the excellent conversation all. See ya round.
Vance Morton – Dell Global Content & Program Producer and Social Media Evangelist
.-= Vance Morton´s last blog ..jvmatdell: RT @laurenamcmullen: Social Media is a Natural Fit for Nonprofits and Campaigns for Social Good http://amplify.com/u/6oyd =-.
Vance I think that’s a great point about readerships changing. They really do, so if a particular topic reasonates with your readers, it’s probably worth exploring again in a few months, or even weeks.
Mack, this is so timely for me. I started blogging for myself (had experience blogging for clients) a few years ago and I had such freedom. I knew nothing, so I just wrote without much angst. As I learned, I incorporated new ideas and for awhile no one was reading but I was blogging my little heart out. Now blogging is harder than it ever was, because I know too much and it all swirls in m head when I’m writing. I slowed my posting schedule for the exact reasons you mentioned – not trusting that what I was writing was “good enough.” I am now back to regular posting and overcoming my self-doubts but it has not been easy. Thanks as always for the encouragement and inspiration.
.-= Karen Swim´s last blog ..Brush Stokes of a Crisis Through the Artist’s Eyes =-.
Wonderful post, Mack; I love the advice you give about this. To make it still more challenging, besides our *own* increasingly higher resolution, we also know that our regular readers/participants are increasing theirs as well. We’re raising the bar simultaneously, and, yeah, that makes it harder sometimes.
And here’s another “fun” thought about this topic… if you aren’t looking at some of what you did a year ago and cringing, you haven’t increased your resolution! And by “you” I mean all of us, not just YOU Mack 😉
As a programmer, oh how I hate looking at my old code. As a blogger/author, I’ll sometimes read something I wrote earlier and wonder how I could POSSIBLY have thought that let alone tried to teach it. I respect and value people who can grow, evolve, learn, change their mind, and aren’t afraid to continually re-evaluate how they view their work as their resolution increases.
cheers
“And here’s another “fun” thought about this topic… if you aren’t looking at some of what you did a year ago and cringing, you haven’t increased your resolution! ”
Kathy I am so glad you said this. A few months ago I went through some of the very first posts I wrote at The Viral Garden, and I was literally cringing at some of the things I wrote!
One of the things I struggle with here in crafting content, is my audience. Ultimately, this blog is a biz dev tool for companies that are usually just getting started with social media, and need someone to help them get their efforts off the ground. But I also understand that most of the people that are actively reading and commenting here every day, are past the 101 level. So the challenge is to create content that simultaneously provides value to people at the Social Media 101 level, and the 201 level.
Which can be frustrating and makes coming up with post ideas a bit more complicated. But no one said blogging would be easy 😉
Ooooh you just reminded me of something I love: maybe you could put a new category on the right side of your blog for the 101-friendly posts… like a “Getting Started” section or something. Your current categories are around topics–which is great–but I do believe your intuition around “levels” makes a TON of sense. You have very experienced readers but also a steady stream of newcomers, and adding one or more “level” categories could make a big difference.
You have quite a lot of useful content on this blog and I’d love to see you give readers/users some suggested paths through your existing posts.
Kathy I actually have an area at the top right of my top nav bar for Social Media 101. It’s a dropdown menu that links to dozens of my posts, organized by topic. I created that when I first launched the blog, and need to go through and add the posts I’ve written in the past few months that could go there.
Of course, the fact that you missed it might suggest that I need to move it to a more prominent area of the blog 😉
But I love your idea about adding levels to the categories, I’m going to make that change right now!
Hah! I should’ve guessed you’d already be doing that. I’m on a reduced pixel real estate screen, though, so I perceived the “end” of your blog just to the right of the categories on the side. It never occurred to me to scroll further to the right, because the top nav bar all appeared to be about you (your services, etc.) while the right side nav is about content. So, excellent idea on the 101 — but I’d love to see levels categories.
And if you really want to go nuts… you could add a variety of different types of navigation paths through your posts–based on more than even levels and topics, and you or others could create suggested “playlists” based on different things people are trying to do or use social media for. And THEN… well, once you’ve done that, surely you need a way for people to self-assess what their skill & knowledge level is for any given level (or playlist). ; )
These suggestions aren’t useful for the majority of blogs, but on one as learning-rich as yours, it sure would be. I had always intended to get around to this on my CPU blog, but never did. I did do “playlists” on my much older Java blog, though, based on the kinds of programming people were doing, their level, and which tools they were using.
Fun!
Kathy do you have an example of a ‘playlist’ on one of your Java blogs? Or maybe a screenshot? Sounds fascinating!
I’m with Derek on this one Mack – “Sometimes you just have to post it” has served me well at my blog – it has kept me from over thinking and trying to satisfy the perfectionist in me.
I always have great takeaways from your writing. This post is no exception.
.-= Frank Dickinson´s last blog ..I’m Guest Posting at ThenLifeHappens.com Today =-.
Frank I agree, sometimes you do have to just let it go. Also, I think you can ‘over-edit’ a post. If you make too many changes, your original idea can be lost and so is the post’s impact. I think 1-2 revisions can improve a post, but after that, you can easily do more damage than improvement.