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I had a blast last night reading comments on my previous post. Adrian of Auditoire, a blog on serious explorations of contemplative and non-formulaic films, left an insightful comment about his progress as a writer and traits that make up a successful blogger. Seeing he put a lot of thought in his comment, I asked him to flesh out some points so I can put it here on the front page. End result? My first guest post.
Here is this blog’s first guest post contributorAdrian:
I suddenly remember my first attempt to create a blog. I said to myself, “This is not a blog but a journal, a piece of writing, a mirror, a window to one’s soul, and a remedy for a broken heart” (from my diary Feb 23, 2008)
I always felt euphoric coming out of my room, plunging into my daily life with a thought that I started something new: a blog. It changed me in many ways. It helped me a lot in battling writer’s block, which plagued me for two years. I had always kept a diary, but I felt it wasn’t enough to cure the blockage, so I started a blog.
I never thought of becoming a great blogger, but I always imagine myself becoming a great writer.
A great blogger is not necessarily a great writer. One has a quality different from the other. I find it surprising to find bloggers such as Bryanboy and Scott earning a lot of money without putting much effort in their writing.
After a year of immersion into the blogosphere I have realized that a great blogger should have the following characteristics:
1. PERSONA: This is the projected character of the author which manifests through his writing style. Although Bryanboy is known for his tongue-in-cheek and funny attitude as reflected in his criticisms on high fashion designers, he may turn out to be different when one meets him in person. If a blogger uses writing as a means to communicate with his audience, he should master his persona.
2. CONSISTENCY: Personally, I find it convenient to write about ONE subject that I know, a subject that i am interested in. I notice that most bloggers who focus on a particular subject (niche) e.g. cinema, art, fashion, self-help, current events, politics, photography survive well in the blogosphere than most who talk mostly of everything. One advantage of being consistent with a single niche is that it is easy! One topic to build, one niche to focus. It increases the stamina of blogging. Another advantage is the ease of finding an audience. Of course, a particular niche has a particular audience. You can never have a zero audience for a particular niche.
3. INFLUENTIAL: The best bloggers, like Scott and Mr. Manolo, have the capacity to influence current trends in both cyberspace and the ‘outside’ world. Scott is known for influencing some fashion designers across the globe because he photographs ordinary people, wearing extraordinary clothes on the street. Mr. Manolo, as we all know, continues to influence the current socio-political paradigms of our society.
Blogging has changed: the way we see it, the way it functions. It is not what we used to think in the past: a personal web log (contracted as ‘blog’) to record events of online techie geeks and college students. It has shaped our personal lives as well as the lives of others. It has carved a solid position in current media, in ethics and in the law. It has become part of the postmodern society where intertextuality (a principle which denies the existence of grand absolute universal truths) rules, and where opinions are much appreciated than the usual conventions.
We are moving into a different age. We are moving into the age of cyberspace. And as we are caught up into this dizzying swirl it’s best to listen to our inner voice. The roles are cut out for us. Will we evolve into topnotch bloggers? Or will we transform into writers of note?
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