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Blogs, Bloggers, and Blogging

Tue, August 28th, 2007 by Brian Horace | 1 comment

There are few things in life I feel more passionately about than Duke Basketball. That's why I started a sports blog about two or three years ago, getting the idea from a friend of mine who'd been blogging for quite a while. I fully admit that my first few blog posts were pretty lame, because I didn't really know what I was doing. I was also using one of the many free blogging services (that come with ads) and the overall user experience wasn't very appealing. After a few posts, I started reading other blogs on sports, politics, random musings and pretty much anything else you could think of. It was during this process that I picked up some great ideas, learned from others' mistakes and, as a result, became a better blogger. Eventually, I bought a domain name, found a fantastic host, installed a blogging service and designed a much sleeker looking site.

Over the years, I came up with a few ideas of what I thought made a good blog, or at least what made them appealing to me personally.

• Focus:  Having a singular focus on a topic you enjoy or have knowledge of is important.  Mine is sports, and in particular, Duke basketball. Even within that singular focus there are many areas I could choose from: recruiting, game analysis and recapping, predictions, and tournaments.  There is a lot there to talk about.
• Personal touch and personal opinion. I read a political blog by a friend of mine, and while he has extensive knowledge of the subject, he would be best described as pedantic. His blog really doesn't sound like him.  I prefer a bit more of a personal touch -- something that doesn't read like an essay. With the topic I chose, this wasn't too hard to accomplish. I interject myself into every line I write.  And, although there are facts surrounding every post, I always put in my two cents worth.
• Real domain.  If you want your blog to reflect your topic or your business, it's better to have your own domain that describes who you are and what you're about.  My blog is called DukeBlogger.com.  When you use a third-party domain hosting environment, like typepad.com or blogspot.com, you're locked into a domain name that's not yours.
• Design.  When I started my blog, it didn't have a sense of style or branding.  In a sea of blogs, it's hard to differentiate yourself if you don't take the time to personalize the experience for readers.  After my initial setback, I took the time to invest in a blog that is designed to look like me.
• Timing.  With a blog like mine, it matters that I write at the right time -- when the game and the season are unfolding.  But sometimes, at that critical time, people actually forget to communicate.  It's important to remember that if you do your job right, people will be looking to you for information and opinion at those critical times and you need to be there.
• Patience. Having a blog and building a readership does take time. I know many who have started and given up after one week, or a month, or a year. There is definitely a waiting period before a blog can actually take off and develop a loyal base, but it is definitely worth the time and effort.  Watching your traffic spike is great, but so is knowing that people who are interested in the same things you are have visited your blog and are taking the time to comment on your posts.

I didn't show up early to the blog game but now that I have arrived, I think there is a place for blogging as legitimate media.  It's easy to see why more and more of us are looking to blogs for news, political insights, and even college basketball.  Go Blue Devils.

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