Truth: Blogs aren’t for everyone. If you just want to be part of the new social media world, get a Facebook page. If you want to blog, that (as the Wizard’s guard says) “is a horse of a different color”.
The perennial job hunting bible, What Color is Your Parachute?, assumes you do not have a golden parachute as a basis for building your career plans.
If you’re going to enter the blogosphere, in crafting your writing plan, it’s equally important to know ”What color is your blog?” Here are some choices.
- Green. You’re writing a blog to make money. First, Good Luck. Don’t get your hopes up to be the next multi-millionaire. Caveats aside, admit that you’re really making an e-commerce play. Your blog is a pseudo-web site with a softer sales tone.
- White. You’re starting a book or research project. Each post is a blank page that some day may be the start of a book chapter or thesis and you may want comments, but you’re really working to get critical mass to pitch to a publisher or research advisor.
- Red. You have strong opinions. Your blog is your soapbox and you have the first amendment right to write (even scream) your views to your heart’s content.
There are other color choices that cover blogging for a cause, thought-leadership, a web 2.0 SEO play, or just plain positioning.
I have two blogs – one about being a working parent with teens (www.TheParentRap.net) and one on marketing (www.TheMarketingPlaza.com). Let me know what color you think they are, or what color’s your blog. I’d be interested to know.
~ Rhona Bronson
I read TheMarketingPlaza.com and it seems like thought leadership to me. Are the posts on TheParentRap.net each the start of a potential book chapter? I have not considered blogs in terms of “color,” so this is a very interesting subject. Something I wish I had considered years ago
Thanks for the comment and nice words! The Marketing Plaza is for positioning and thought-leadership. Is that Gold, for brazenness? The Parent Rap is just a series of essays developed in 2006, at first just to help me test blog platforms for work. Over time, it became a true labor of love in letting the writer in me express my voice. I’m not sure yet what color that makes it — clear for clarity? Open to color suggestions and other ideas of how blogs can be categorized from the group.
Rhona, this was an interesting post. The article was completely different than I expected based upon the title. Thanks so much for your contribution!
The Parent Rap has to be a rainbow since mothers have to multi-task and I can’t pick one color. As for The Marketing Plaza, I see it as yellow because you always put a bright idea in it.