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Bloggy Life Question 9: What’s Your Name?

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The Bloggy Questions!

That very long Take the Keys Post reminded me that we haven’t done a Bloggy Life Question for a while now. We used to do talk about one every Sunday night to ease back into the week — but nothing’s wrong with Monday. Is there? . . . especially a hard Monday back after a holiday weekend?

Okay, here’s the question . . .

What’s your response as a reader to a blog where the blog writer uses a pseudonym, writes in character, and never reveals who he or she is? Does it bother you or could you care less?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Blogging Hypothetical Question 5

Blogging Life Question 4: Blog Names

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muddy teal strip A

For those who come looking for a short, thoughtful read, a blogging life discussion, or a way to gradually ease back into the week, I offer this Blogging Hypothetical Question.

Here you go. . . .

A friend is rethinking his brand-new blog, now that he knows a little bit about them.
He comes to you with two questions:

1. Is it a good thing or a bad thing to have “blog” in my name–such as Blogopedia? You’ve been around longer. Does that make it easier, harder, or just the same for the reader?

2. Suppose I choose a domain name now and want change my blog name later. I know people do it. I’ve seen it often enough. Does it cause any problems that you know about?
Is it okay if my domain name www.joescarideas.com doesn’t match with the new blog name Joe’s Rocket Lounge?

As a blog reader, not an SEO person, do these things make any difference to you?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

A Bloggy-Life Problem 1

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I post this today for those who come on Sunday looking for something to think about, some conversation, or just a way to ease back into the week.

Here you go. . . .

A new blogger comes with a question about a bloggy-life problem.

All of my friends are complaining that I all I ever want to talk about is blogging. I show interest in their jobs and their relationships. Why shouldn’t they want to hear about what I’m involved in?

How would you answer?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

10 + 1 Qualities of Bloggers and Our Readers

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First there were bulletin boards. Over time they became forums and then chat rooms. Web sites were born and were gathered into portals. Each of them uses the magic of the Internet in a slightly different way. None of them quite captures the personality and creativity of so many individuals as blogging.

What is it about blogging that makes it so addictive both to bloggers and our readers? What am I talking about? Pete Blackshaw of Intelliseek explains it in his ClickZ article Ten Simple Rules for Dating a Blogger. I’ve used his rules to derive ten blogger descriptions. Do you see yourself in them?

  • Bloggers are always clicking. We see and report everything with amazing clarity.
  • Bloggers are never one. We are part of a social network. We love sharing information.
  • Bloggers are almost chameleons. The world of blogging is flexible and agile. Great bloggers are too. That’s how we’re creeping into all kinds of online publishing.
  • Bloggers love to disrupt the status quo. We live by doing things better, faster, cheaper. We have WAY MORE personality than our webmaster counterparts. It shows up in how we write and in what we like to read.
  • Not all bloggers are on the up and up. In fact spam and advertorial content is what some slimy bloggers are really about. Successful bloggers don’t need them.
  • Bloggers have their addictions and temptations. We are involved with Search Engine Optimization. We can’t quit checking ad program words. We are crazy copy generators. We are constantly checking links and statistics. . . . Excuse me for a minute. (If you don’t know what those things are, that’s why we’re putting together a Blogger’s Survival Kit.)
  • Bloggers live for our bloggy “big breaks.” It might take time, but our position changes. The first notice by a big search engine, the first trend search that shows up on Blog Pulse, the first page ranking at Google–these are our academy awards. We know not to expect our nonblogging friends to understand it.
  • Bloggers don’t tolerate imposters. If someone we trust has steered us wrong, you can bet we’re long gone. . . . and possibly blogging about it.
  • Bloggers think in lists. We list early and often. We know that lists are key to keeping information moving fast and furiously.
  • Bloggers like to have our say or we wouldn’t be blogging.

and I added this one

  • Successful bloggers know what we’re blogging about and who we’re blogging for.

So there they are 10+1 Qualities of Bloggers and Our Readers. Know any others I should add to the list? How do we use this information to make our blogs more enticing to our blogger-readers?

–ME “Liz” Strauss