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Drive a High Performance Blog and Watch Your Numbers Go Up

October 17, 2007 by Liz Leave a Comment

How to Blog Series

High Performance Blogging

Most folks are blogging for some sort of visibility — making money makes visibility even more important. Like a great car, a great blog works best on the right fuel, and the right fuel with the right driver can take a great blog to performance numbers that hit the top.

We have to use all we are and all our blog can be to hit peak performance. Still it’s worth it for the community and the response.

The Engine

The content is the engine. High performance content

  • is factual and accurate.
  • is original and adding value.
  • is well-expressed and well-structured.
  • is timeless and linkable.

Outstanding content is so engaging that we’re drawn into the experience or the story. We forget that we’re reading and move along from thought to thought.

The Handling

High performance design and presentation is

  • is simple and elegant
  • fast and intuitive in navigation.
  • enhances the written communication.
  • offers white space and visuals to support the text.

Top-notch presentation doesn’t call attention to itself. It underpins the content with a feeling that helps to define the experience.

The Driver

The high performance blogger makes the blog a beauty to watch. A high performance blogger

  • has a presence and a voice that readers respond to.
  • gets jazzed by readers’ ideas and what they say
  • isn’t afraid of the blog or a crash now and then
  • knows that performance is all about the fans

A high performance blog is fun to watch and even more fun to be part of. Make a high performance blog and watch your numbers go up! Remember to keep it and yourself tuned and fueled regularly.

In which areas is yours already a high performance blog?

Be irresistible
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Want to be a better blogger? Buy the Insider’s Guide to Online Conversation.
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Filed Under: Blog Basics, Successful Blog, Writing Tagged With: bc, Blogger, blogging, content strategy, high-performance-blog, How-to-Blog, Writing-Power-for-Everyone

Comments

  1. Char says

    October 17, 2007 at 11:31 AM

    Liz – this has got to be one of my favorite posts of yours to date!! I love it. It definitely speaks to my logical, compartmentalizing thought process and I love the picture it paints.

    Makes me want to go take my blogs out for a test drive and see how they do!

    Reply
  2. Glenda Watson Hyatt says

    October 17, 2007 at 11:56 AM

    Great post, Liz. I think “building community” is one of the keys to a successful blog; something I haven’t seen many bloggers write about, so I’m glad you mentioned it. That sense of community is what keeps readers coming back. I’m intrigued by the ways some bloggers are building community, ie your open mic nights. Similar ideas are popping up on other blogs. Off to come up with a topic for today’s Readers’ Cafe.

    Reply
  3. Joanna Young says

    October 17, 2007 at 12:21 PM

    And are we allowed to call in here for our pit stops?

    I hope so. You keep me refueled – blogging seems like fuel-thirsty work at the mo!

    Joanna

    Reply
  4. ME Strauss says

    October 17, 2007 at 1:18 PM

    Hi Char!
    So fun! Glad you like it! Everyone in a while I get car fever! 🙂

    Reply
  5. ME Strauss says

    October 17, 2007 at 1:19 PM

    Hi Glenda!
    It’s the community. The community is the only thing that really counts if you want your blog to last a long, long time. You’re so right, Glenda!

    Reply
  6. ME Strauss says

    October 17, 2007 at 1:20 PM

    Joanna!
    For you I’ll make a sign that says, Liz’s Pit Stop!” Of course, you’re always welcome! You guys refuel me too. 🙂

    Reply
  7. digitalnomad says

    October 17, 2007 at 1:27 PM

    Everyone likes you. Me too.

    Reply
  8. reasonable robinson says

    October 17, 2007 at 1:36 PM

    Great use of a metahpor Liz to convey the principles that you note as important. In work that I do we talk of ‘critcial choice factors’ i.e. the differences that make a difference (I wish I’d said that but I didn’t it was polyymath Gregory Bateson LOL)It would certainly seem to be the case that if ‘social influence’ is a key aspect of ‘social-networking’ then ‘audience reach is significant. That ‘reach’ then depends on WIIFTR – ‘what’s in it for the reader. Only their percpetion of the ‘value’ you provide matters. Now, we can ‘guess’ the value or ‘find out’ the audience value, nevertheless we need to ‘unpack’ what we mean by ‘value’. So what are the factors? e.g. length of post, wittiness, informativeness, typeface, spelling, current affairs, enduring issue, eloquence, persuasiveness etc etc etc – rank from 1- 10 say and I bet your factors and my ‘factors’ might be similar & different to yours, and the rank position might be different too. What if we did a poll to find that out?

    Reply
  9. ME Strauss says

    October 17, 2007 at 1:41 PM

    Reasonable,
    I would guess that your audience’s factors would be different from my audience’s factors as well. . . . So the bigger question would be who would you be thinking of polling?

    I care about what my readers value. I figure they have lots of friends who think like they do. 🙂

    What do you think?

    Reply
  10. reasonable robinson says

    October 17, 2007 at 2:20 PM

    Absolutely! and because of the diversity of preferences I guess the ‘mechanics’of conducting a universal poll would be quite unwieldy.

    I guess ‘polling’ existing audiences, blog by blog would be feasible? The difficulty would be allowing readers to express the factors that mattered to them, in their words, without having to choose from a pre-ordained list would be best. maybe a ‘straw poll’ of readers willing to give their top 10 by commenting might be interesting?

    as an e.g. mine would be

    1. interesting point of view
    2. thought provoking
    3. considered opinions
    4. considerate of others
    5. witty
    6. informative
    7. terse
    8. well set out
    9. non -garish colours (colors)
    10.great comment host (that’s you Liz !!)

    The thing to do would be to drop all responses into a spreadsheet and spot the patterns 🙂

    Reply
  11. ME Strauss says

    October 17, 2007 at 3:16 PM

    Well, Reasonable.
    So far we’re in 100% agreement. So I guess you should do it! 🙂

    Thanks for the fabulous compliment!! 🙂

    Reply
  12. JC Carvill says

    October 17, 2007 at 3:18 PM

    A high performance blog is something that everyone wants. I think my blog has all of these but at varying degrees I have to sharpen a lot of my blog but I think I am really on my way with this list.

    Reply
  13. Drew McLellan says

    October 17, 2007 at 5:23 PM

    Liz,

    Amen! And most notable — a high performance blog has a driver who is not in it for the glory or ego boost. They understand that you give to get. And the more you get, you more you need to give.

    Superb post!

    Drew

    Reply
  14. GP says

    October 17, 2007 at 7:45 PM

    Comes back to my “be interested rather than interesting” philosophy

    gp in montana

    Reply
  15. ME Strauss says

    October 17, 2007 at 10:18 PM

    Hey JC!
    It sounds from your tone that you really do have a great idea of where you’re going. I’m pretty good about hearing that when folks have a handle on what they’re doing. 🙂

    And your blog reflects that. . . . 🙂

    Reply
  16. Christine O'Kelly says

    October 17, 2007 at 10:53 PM

    Wonderful analogy – I love the entire picture of the driver – you’ve taught me so much Liz! I’ve never forgotten what you shared about ‘half the show being in the comments’ I think this bit of wisdom has helped me to build a better blog – and have fun doing it! 😀

    Christine

    Reply
  17. ME Strauss says

    October 17, 2007 at 10:54 PM

    Hey Drew!
    Great to see you!
    Yep great high performance bloggers understand that it’s not about the blogger . . . that you give to get and get from giving. You sure said it!

    So fun to have you drive over. 🙂

    Reply
  18. ME Strauss says

    October 17, 2007 at 10:55 PM

    Yep GP,
    Be interesting . . . and interested in a high performance way. 🙂

    Reply
  19. Lodewijkvdb says

    October 18, 2007 at 3:18 AM

    Great analogy indeed. Reminded me of the movie “Gone in 60 seconds”, well the cars in the movie anyway, the movie is not that special otherwise.

    Maybe I should name my blog Eleanor and treat her with respect and dignity, and drive her to the max without ever hitting the brake. Drifting around corners and spinning the wheels until they burn and leave a cloud of smoke 🙂

    I’m getting carried away…but seriously nice analogy. Now to take a look at my blog again.

    Reply
  20. ME Strauss says

    October 18, 2007 at 6:54 AM

    Hi Lodewijkvdb!
    I love the description of Eleanor you wrote here! They do call it the “dashboard.” 🙂

    Reply
  21. ME Strauss says

    October 18, 2007 at 9:06 PM

    #16 Hey Christine!
    I read your comment this afternoon! Then I got thinking a little while ago, “You know I don’t think I ever said a word to Christine.” [blush]

    Mettin you was a “sticky” experience and one that makes me smile whenever I think of it. We had a great conversation and I hope to continue it. Maybe one day I’ll even take you for a ride in MY car. 🙂

    Hope you come to Chicago this year!

    Reply
  22. Benjamin Sterling says

    November 21, 2007 at 1:53 PM

    Liz,
    Just Stumbled over and wow, very good article. I have bookmarked you and will be backreading so you may get comments to old stuff 🙂

    Reply
  23. ME Liz Strauss says

    November 22, 2007 at 10:04 AM

    Hi Benjamin!
    Welcome!
    If you like this one . . . check out the New Bloggers Page and the Successful Series Page . . . I think both will have a few that might be more of what you enjoy.

    Thanks for coming and for stopping to say something!

    You’re not a stranger anymore. 🙂

    Reply

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