Photo courtesy of ebruli
Note: This is a guest post written by Jonathan from the blog Illuminated Mind.
Chances are, if you’re a beginner blogger, you read a lot of articles on how to be a better blogger. Even experienced bloggers read articles like this on a regular basis.
You’ll probably see stuff like this a lot:
- How to Catch Your Readers Attention (because you wanted to make them fall asleep, right?)
- Provide Value to People (like you intentionally wanted to be crappy?)
- Know Your Readers (duh)
- Tell a Story (so much for all those pie charts you made)
- Be Remarkable (your plan wasn’t to make them forget?)
And so on and so forth.
But what you won’t hear is this little secret:
90% of these tips are useless.
I mean, yeah, techniques are great. Instruction manuals can be valuable at certain times. But it’s kind of like studying a list of vocabulary words without ever using them in real sentences. It’s a waste of time. You’ll forget them in a few minutes, if not seconds. More than likely you’ll forget everything you’ve read in this article tomorrow. I don’t blame you. The internet is a crowded place. So many links to click, so little time. If you’re anything like me, you probably have a horde of bookmarks you’ve been meaning to look at, but just never seem to get to.
It’s easy to read 10 articles on how to be a better blogger, marketer, communicator, listener, storyteller, pizza dough or candlestick-maker. Somehow you always set out to write a great article and you end on a site about how to make the ultimate pizza dough.
The truth is, we want all these little convenient posts on better writing, because we desperately seek to avoid being terrible. Embrace your ugly side, I say. Publish anonymously. Use a stage name. Do what you have to do. But for God’s sake, don’t put off improving until after you’ve read enough “10 ways to write better headlines” posts.
So, you still really want 10 Reasons Trying to be a Better Blogger is a Waste of Time? All right, you win.
Here are 10 bullets you can forget in 10 minutes:
- Real skill takes practice.
- Seeing is not doing.
- Listening is not playing.
- Books can’t teach creativity.
- Bullet points can’t teach intuition.
- Does
- it
- Really
- Matter?
- You’ll forget these tips before you’re done. Go ahead, see how many you can remember without looking.
This post was written by Jonathan Mead from Illuminated Mind. For more sound bites that you’ll soon forget, follow him on twitter.
37 Comments, Comment or Ping
Mary Jaksch
That’s funny, Jonathan! I had a good laugh :-)
I too get sick of the 10 point lists.
Having said that, I’ve learned most of my blogging skills by reading articles on blogging on the Net.
Reading is good, but nothing, absolutely nothing beats getting off one’s butt and … DOING!
Dec 10th, 2008
Nate
Good post Jonathan!
I always say you can’t wait until you have everything under control to start. Sometimes you have to just start, you will learn more from making the mistakes yourself anyway.
There is never a perfect situation.
-Nate
Dec 10th, 2008
Ryan
Best post on blogging and writing (and any other creative act) that I’ve ever read. Way to stick it to the … something. And I couldn’t even remember one on the list. I don’t even remember what this post was about, but it made me feel great. Thanks :)
Dec 10th, 2008
Steve
I couldn’t disagree less.
Whilst point lists and instructional blog posts are OK up to a point there is no substitute for experience. You have to make your own mistakes.
I’m a software engineer and it is exactly the same deal when learning a new programming language – you can read all the books and hang around all the forums you like but you are never going to truly *know* a language until you’ve written a lot of lines of code off your own back.
Dec 10th, 2008
Jonathan Mead
@ Mary: We could all use a little more getting off our asses. =)
@ Nate: Well said. Perfect is the enemy of the good.
@ Ryan: What? I forgot.
@ Steve: Programming scenesters. Now that’s a new one.
Dec 10th, 2008
Bamboo Forest
Interesting perspective. Though, from my experience, I actually do remember many tips I read. I may not remember them all, but what I’ve studied has helped me become a better writer and that’s worthwhile.
And, I believe the single best way one can improve their writing: is reading.
What I would say, however, is that one should not put off writing, waiting until they’ve mastered the craft. Instead, they should write now without delay – while also learning along the way.
Dec 10th, 2008
joylene
Finally, a blogger after my own heart. Don’t read about blogging, don’t talk about blog — instead do it.
Thank you. I’m heading off to write a new blog on my page now. If nobody reads it today, that’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.
Dec 10th, 2008
Mark Dykeman
I get your point, but your title is a tad misleading.
There’s nothing wrong about trying to learn to be a better blogger. It’s just that if you don’t put it into practice then you don’t learn. But the desire to learn is quite valid.
Dec 10th, 2008
Patrick
I like number 8. Really.
My “writing” blog is still safe because I get no traffic.
Embracing your ugly side is seriously good advice for writers. Thanks for reminding me. The rest is good too. There’s just way too much “be a better blogger/writer” out there. I say pretend it’s just a little journal for yourself (as mine is) and let it flow…see what happens. It’s amazing the castles you can create with junk.
Dec 10th, 2008
Jim Bessey
Well said, Jonathan,
But this one should have been subtitled: “How to Write Irresistable Headlines”!
Now that I’ve used up valuable time reading this post, time that should have been spent writing instead, I’d better move along…
:-)
- Thanks for the lesson learned! ~Jim
Dec 10th, 2008
Corey
Ha! This is the first post I ever read about being a better blogger. Guess I won’t be reading any others :)
Dec 10th, 2008
Mary Jaksch
I think it depends on who gives the blogging advice. For example, I read all of Leo Babauta’s articles on blogging very carefully AND I can remember what he said afterward. That’s because he’s not talking through a hole in this pants – or his head. He really know his stuff. He really knows how to build a blog of 80,000 subscribers!
The second point is that it depends on what the intent of the article is. Is it to get lots of diggs or stumbles? That’s often the case with list posts. Or is it written with the desire to be of real help? If so, it may be worth reading and putting into action.
Dec 10th, 2008
Don
Hi,
I think that I get the point of but does it really make sense?
The best way to learn is the use of modeling. You can take the experiences of others, both good and bad, to accelerate your learning process. Leo has a very successful blog. I would definitely devour every word he wrote, if I wanted to write a successful blog. He is a model of success and I would be foolish to dismiss any advice he offered in the way of a post about how to be a better blogger.
Yes, I agree if you want to become a blogger, just do it. Get started but don’t re-create the wheel. Create your own voice and be guided by the road-map that other successful bloggers are willing to share.
Whether you agree with it or not, a good article challenges your thinking. I think this one has done that.
Be inspired! Write!
Don W.
Dec 11th, 2008
Glen Allsopp
Sorry, but I think this headline is trying to be very dramatic when no point is made. That’s like saying there’s no point learning english, it’s a waste of time.
Well guess what…if you didn’t learn english you wouldn’t be blogging right now.
Learning how to:
Tell Stories
Provide Value
Be Remarkable
Are all things you can learn, they are all things that people need to realise they should and can do. Finding a remarkable blog is like finding the needle in the haystack
There are tens of millions of blogs out there, how many provideo value, tell stories and are remarkable? Very few…and you want to tell them to keep doing what they are doing and not learn how to engage readers or write posts that draw traffic?
Err…okay…
Dec 11th, 2008
LifeMadeGreat | Juliet
Hi
I’ve made note of a number of resources for becoming a better blogger, but I have never read any of them!
Perhaps somewhere inside I know they won’t help?
I think there is a place for “education” and a place for doing. Education includes the practical. But the reading and learning mustn’t be used as an excuse not to get started. One can’t always say “I don’t know enough yet”. And one needs to ensure that the education is quality-stuff.
Juliet
Dec 11th, 2008
TheDutchSchoolKid
Wow I like the hating tone in this post! xD
Dec 11th, 2008
Sunny Lam
John,
Hell ya. My memory’s shot as it is. And like some of the other fellows said – “Just do it, baby, ya!” (Now I sound like Terry Tate)
Fair winds,
Sunny Lam
Ffenyx Rising
http://ffenyx.wordpress.com || http://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnylam || http://twitter.com/sunnylam
Member of Green Enterprise Toronto
Dec 11th, 2008
Jonathan Mead
Thanks for your responses everyone. As far as learning, of course it’s important to learn and try to find new ideas and improve. I do it all the time.
I just see too many people constantly reading these blogs and leaving their comments about how profound it is, but I don’t see their blogging skills change. They’re just reading to get their daily dose of info. It’s so easy to read a list of bullets and feel like you did something productive. But most of the time (at least for me) we forget these in the next ten minutes.
Anyway, I did mean to come across as harsh, but in a lighthearted way. Sometimes to see that you’ve let the pendulum swing too far, you have to swing it back completely the other way. That’s just what I was trying to do here. =)
Dec 11th, 2008
Clara Mathews
Great post and very funny.
I am guilty of this. I hate to admit how many blogs about blogging are filling up my Google Reader. Do get me started on how many bookmarks I have tagged on Delicious.
These things keep me from doing what I need to do…WRITE!
Dec 11th, 2008
Thomas
I agree partially: That’s right, reading how to become a great blogger doesn’t make you a blogger. Only one thing matters : Write, write and write again.
However some tips I found are really useful and helped me a lot. I am pretty sure I’d have learnt them by myself… failing miserably and try again better but reading saved me a lot of time.
So I am not as inflexible as Jonathan is. My advice is : spend 5% of your time reading and 95% practicing what you have read.
Dec 11th, 2008
Evan Meagher
How refreshing. I totally agree that the best way to get good at something is to suck it up and keep trying. Practice makes perfect and experience is another name for mistakes. Great post!
Dec 11th, 2008
J.D. Meier
“…Embrace your ugly side” … beautiful!
Dec 11th, 2008
phefland
Ha! – good post Jonathan. I have so many time caught myself trying to learn everrything when taking up a new hobby/trend etc, Of course your advice doesn’t just go on blogging but on all activities.
Btw. another famous blogging advice you used was “how to absolutely nothing in 500 words” – and I don’t mean that as a bad thing.
Dec 12th, 2008
Gripping Yarn
I feel as though I do learn a lot by reading sites that teach how to optimize the blog writing experience and to write with SEO in mind.
However, I do agree.
I spend a bit of time just zooming through productivity and motivational posts about blogging. They’re a waste of time. Also, many of them advocate removing ‘flavor’ from the writing process. At the same time, I’m unsubscribing from blogs that bore me to tears.
I want fun. I want real. I don’t mind typos as long as the content delivers.
Many of these “how-to” blogs become infomercials brought to the blog sphere with little emphasis on community learning and uplift. I think they’re great if I’ve bought into the product. However, reading day after day of hooks is just replicating all that time I thought I was avoiding watching television advertisements.
Sure, we want to be successful. However, there comes a time when it is prudent to ask if your attention to a blog is helping *you* to become more successful or if it’s lining the pockets of someone else who is becoming successful by grabbing your attention and resources.
Dec 13th, 2008
Meh
Maybe should have called this “Reading this blog post will be a waste of your time”. Sounds like you just wrote it because you were in a bad mood.
Dec 14th, 2008
Richard Snider
This has to be one of the best short internet articles I’ve read in a very long time. Reading blog posts about blogging is like listening to songs about singing; a bit self-serving.
Dec 15th, 2008
Mark Pollard
Interesting. I think the main problem bloggers can suffer from is being boring. Vanilla. Dull. Think about what you believe in and tell people in an interesting way. Whether you blog about personal stuff or work stuff, don’t be boring!
Nice post
Mark 10 cunning blog tactics
Dec 18th, 2008
Corey - KidKaizen
I spent months studying and just started doing. I regret all the wasted time and question whether I am actually implementing any of the stuff I took in. Thanks for the post.
Dec 19th, 2008
jan
Ding! Now I get it. I’ll be off now to clear my bookmarks of unnecessary how-to’s with regard to blogging. It has become a jungle of links out there. And get down to work, finally. Had I read this three weeks ago it would have saved me precious hours better spent creating – maybe fumbling, maybe making a fool of myself – but for most part learning about blogging and dealing with my ugly side. Hahaha. Well done.
Dec 19th, 2008
Russell
Great post and like the comments. I just try to remember why I write my blog and then get on with it … think that is partly what you’re saying!
Happy New Year when it comes!
russell (Sheffield)
Dec 30th, 2008
sarah
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to
say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Sarah
http://www.thetreadmillguide.com
Jan 2nd, 2009
Anonymous, Ha!
I love it. I scrolled down to the end to read the 10 tips. I got so into it, I had to read the whole thing. I didn’t bother reading the tips the second time.
Well done, Thank you!
Jun 15th, 2009
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