Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

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April 13, 2010

Do You Know Your Blog’s BIG IDEA?

Liz wrote this at 12:26 pm

What’s Your Goal?

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Blogging is like paper and pencil, like an answering machine, like an email or text message to the world. It’s meant to carry information from a writer to a reader. It’s more than Twitter. It allows for a longer thought and a deeper conversation. And well, … the url sets up a certain expectation with readers and search engines that you might add more to it that will be useful and valuable at a future date.

A blog can be text, audio, video or the format can be mixed. Most important is that add value, reaches out, connects, and offers some sort of expertise, especially now that the social web is providing us with so many places to gather and discuss.

It takes a strategy for fitting a blog into all of this.

and it takes an idea …

What’s Your Big Idea

Whether we’re writing a single blog post, planning a calendar for a week or a month, or setting out to start a new blog, we have to know what we’re planning to communicate and the direction we want that communication to go.

Knowing your BIG IDEA makes every other decision about your blog easier.

Decide these two elements:

Determine how to address both of the above with a great mind.

Figure out how to weave your values in.

Your message, your audience, and how you’ll blend great thinking with great humanity together they add up to your BIG IDEA. The BIG IDEA shows itself in your blog’s design, your writing style, your frequency of updating, even the words you use to name parts of your blog. When a choice confronts you; just hold it up to your BIG IDEA to see if it belongs.

The blogger who fully thinks through a BIG Idea enjoys success, readership, and a community filled with engaging, relevant conversation.

Whether your blog is new or five years old, do you know your blog’s BIG Idea? Can you write it in just a few words?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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Filed under Business Life, Marketing, Successful Blog | 13 Comments »




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13 Comments to “Do You Know Your Blog’s BIG IDEA?”

  1. April 13th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
    Teen Blogger said

    Nice post.

    I think every blog owner has some BIG idea and wants to reach those goals.

    Well, i think every blogger should set goals and work towards them, even though it can be hard at times, you should try to stick to your goals.

    I’ve also had a BIG idea, but because of lack of time and more importent things I havent been able to fulfill my goals yet.

  2. April 13th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
    JohnFTM said

    What’s your blog’s big idea …

    It is really about goals, isn’t it? What you deliver, how you communicate. What your point is.

    The guy who delivers pizza has pretty transparent goals … do we begrudge them? Hell no — not if he gives us something tasty. That’s his big idea.

    Thank you for getting my mind going.

  3. April 13th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
    Laura said

    Hmm.. Friendship, Spirituality, and Love… With a little Technology on the side.

    Thanks for helping me figure it out.

  4. April 13th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
    Know This About Blogging | WorkFromHomeFreelancing.com said

    [...] Do You Know Your Blog’s BIG IDEA? (successful-blog.com) linkscolor = “CC0033″; highlightscolor = “888888″; backgroundcolor = “FFFFFF”; channel = “none”; Link to this post! [...]

  5. April 14th, 2010 at 11:20 am
    Bryan Sr said

    Thanks for the good insightful questions and goals to reach for that you brought up. They help in defining what you are looking to accomplish and do in more areas than just writing.

  6. April 14th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Teen Blogger!
    I’ve met many bloggers without goals … and I agree with you that goals make the blog work. Keep your eye on that big idea and just make sure every step you take is in that direction. :)

  7. April 14th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hey John,
    That’s saying it … What’s your point?
    The guy who reads my blog wants to read something that about him and what he wants to know.

    It’s always about the other guy and what he needs. If we don’t care about him, why should he bother with us?

  8. April 14th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Laura,
    Sounds like you have it figured out! Now deliver everything for people who love what you do. :)

  9. April 14th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hey Bryan,
    I blogged for a while before I realized how important having a truly defining goal could be. When I found my goal is when my blog took off!

  10. April 15th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
    Unconventional #blogging advice: Pick an enemy | Blu Maya Digital Marketing Agency said

    [...] The key is to have a BIG idea that counters your enemies POV and then present it in a better or different way. The clarity of ‘declaring war on your enemies’ strategy fills you with direction and purpose which feeds your passion because when you have an enemy you have something you are displeased with to shoot at. [...]

  11. April 16th, 2010 at 3:14 am
    How to write well as my invisible Readers taught me said

    [...] Do You Know Your Blog’s BIG IDEA? [...]

  12. April 16th, 2010 at 8:30 am
    Tola said

    This is a very good point. I just think its really sad when a blog is created with the big idea of ‘making money online’. Sure, everyone is directly or indirectly passionate about money but still I find it very discouraging when a blog has a title like that.

  13. April 16th, 2010 at 9:28 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Tola,
    Yeah, I like it when people put their passion behind their big idea … it makes a blog worth diving into and a reason to get to know the person or people behind the writing. It’s much more fun that way! Blogs are conversation and community. It’s hard to come together around a bunch of money-making tips … at least it is for me.

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