What’s Your Goal?
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:
- know your goal and message — what your blog is all about in 25 words or less. Filter that down to less than 6 or so words and you have a tagline.
- name your audience of readers you want to reach — who wants to hear what you have to say?
Determine how to address both of the above with a great mind.
- What quality content and questions can you bring?
- What great thinking and value can you add to that?
- What other quality thinkers and content producers can you preselect and promote?
Figure out how to weave your values in.
- What passion drives you talk about this?
- How will you let your humanity come through?
- How will you celebrate and honor people who do good things in the areas you care about?
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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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.
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. 🙂
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.
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?
Hmm.. Friendship, Spirituality, and Love… With a little Technology on the side.
Thanks for helping me figure it out.
Hi Laura,
Sounds like you have it figured out! Now deliver everything for people who love what you do. 🙂
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.
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!
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.
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.