Your Blog is a Piece of Shit
Ridiculous Plug: 9rules Round 7 today.
You probably don’t know this because you have been living your life which more than likely doesn’t mean keeping up to date on the status of the hundreds of blog networks out there. So let me tell you that supposedly many of them are dying out. Releasing their writers, cutting back on writers, asking their writers to write less and other fascist tactics that will make it hard for you to sleep at night. Never a good thing to see a business failing, but it happens.
Because of this though many people feel that they should go off on their own and write on their own site (I can agree with this), but they also feel that they should make either the same amount they would with a blog network or even more. The problem is their site sucks. Even on a blog network their site sucks. Somewhere in this discussion of blog networks failing a single point has been lost and that is if a site’s content isn’t great, then what makes both the person and blog owner believe they should be making money?
Time and effort is not the only parts to the equation of making money yet some people assume that if they write for two hours a day on a blog then that means they should be paid for two hours of work. Rubbish. There are only so many good writers in the world and you have to figure even less bloggers. How many blogs keep you enthralled with their well thought out entries? Let’s face facts, most blogs are shit. When I say most I mean 99%. That number seems high, but I’m probably being nice considering the number of blogs out there.
Is it because we are humans that we feel whenever we put even a tiny bit of effort into something that there is no chance it could be considered horrible? Life, school, relationships and work. How many of them get our best effort and the end result is a quality product? Now some people can’t help it if their blog is subpar.
Practice makes perfect, sure, if you get the hang of it. Some people just aren’t able to find that writing style that engages people on the topic of the site. So for those people it isn’t for a lack of effort, just talent. Others have the talent, but lack the effort. And still others just can’t see outside of themselves to realize that what they are doing doesn’t put them in the upper echelon of blogs.
For those people that write for the love of the subject many times you don’t have to be that good because the passion shows in your writing and that is makes the blog good for readers. Those people will read the title of this blog entry, get worked up into a frenzy and realize they have nothing to worry about. Then there will be other people who will scoff at such an entry because they know they write a good blog. I know I am a good dresser and and fantastic painter when I put my mind to it.
All of this doesn’t matter though if you are just writing for fun. If you have it like this, keep it like this because it makes life much more enjoyable.
Mike Rundle # —
The reason that many blogs are shit is because they’re writing purely to generate content, which (potentially? hopefully?) puts cash in their pockets. Content, content, content. Quantity over quality. Optimize your search results! Use keywords! Problogging FTW!!
If you’re writing for a blog network that requires you to write 15 entries a month but you can only think of 3 good things to write about, then you’re going to fuck off on the remaining 12. What else can you possibly do? And by fucking off on the remaining 12 you dislike what you’re doing even more — having to write stupid entries when you don’t feel like writing — so it sucks the morale right out of you and you no longer care about writing those 3 good entries because it doesn’t really matter in the overall scheme of things. You’re now doing it to get that paycheck. Congratulations, you’re now in the mindset of people who work at their job for the cash and do not care about it beyond that.
Of course there are people that actively work hard at their blog network writing but they are the exception. I know a few people who write for blog networks who write for multiple blogs within the network (on totally different topics) and they’re just trying to maximize their check by bulking up on the blogs they write for. # of blogs * $ Cash per Blog = motivation. Going from that mindset to owning your own blog, trying to build your audience, voice, and brand, is nearly impossible. You can’t be spoon-fed your whole life and expect to immediately know how to handle a spork.
Eli James # —
My initial reaction to what Mike said: THAT IS SO SAD. I understand the dearth of good blogs out there, but it’s really a really sorry state of affairs you’ve pointed out. When it comes to commercial blog networks the only one I think is worth admiring is The Deck … and that’s not even a blog network to begin with. 9rules rocks, sure, but it’s not commercial so it’s easier for us. Quality is natural to the leaf when money’s not in the picture.
Though, on the other hand, they actually do make money. I write a good blog and don’t make enough for coffee.
Twisted world we live in, no?
chanel # —
I consider myself a “good blog writer” and I agree that there aren’t any good blogs out there anymore. I’m also tired of getting caught up in a blog, just to find out that there are 3 links to CVS PHARMACY or some shit like a corn remover website. Those PPP sites used to be good reads.
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