JBN Guest: The Tao of Blogging

Hi All,

I’d like to introduce you to Brad, the author of Word a Day Wonder and fellow logophile. Sit back, relax, and enjoy Brad’s post today. Schmooze with Brad on Twitter, or get right to down to it by subscribing to his blog. You won’t be disappointed!

The Tao of Blogging ~ by Brad at Word-a-Day Wonder

Most people first start using the internet as consumers, logging on to absorb information or immerse themselves in entertainment. Some later become co-creators, adding comments to articles or publicly sharing conversations. A few have a larger vision, and break away from the herd to create new hubs of activity; they start blogs or websites.

In becoming a blogger, you essentially switch roles from follower to leader. As such, there is no set path for creating a good, successful blog; you have to forge it yourself. You can read about what others did until your eyes turn red, but what really matters is how well you apply your personal ingenuity and dedication to the project.

Since blogging is leadership in the electronic domain, the general principles of good leadership should apply to it. What are these principles? For this I will defer to Lao Tzu, author of the ever popular Tao Te Ching. The book has much to say about leadership, and while it would be absurd to reduce it to a blogging handbook, it may contain some insights that can change the way we work. Consider how the following passages might apply:

The greatest leaders are never seen, their presence is never felt.
Lesser rulers are loved and praised.

The most valuable material to subscribers isn’t your opinion or the happenings of your daily life, but widely usable information, ideas, or insights. The idea is not to build up a cult of personality. Your blog should be about yourself only if, as Lao Tzu said, you will be, “a pattern for the world,”—someone to learn from.

The Master has no possessions.
The more he does for others,
the happier he is.
The more he gives to others,
the wealthier he is.

Perhaps it was once only metaphor that you get richer by giving to others, but in the blogosphere, it is fact. Giving away guest posts, outbound links, and comments all create incoming traffic streams. The better the content you give away, the more it benefits you.

The tao is subtle, quiet, soft
A thread easily lost in the tumult
Therefore a wise leader feeds the belly and not the senses
Brings the people back rather than driving them on

Forget the sensationalism. You can write outrageous articles in attempt to make your visitors click on an ad or buy a product, but your tactics will not create an enduring business. Let your site be approachable rather than obtrusive, and people will be more likely to stick around.

The best businessman
serves the communal good.
The best leader
follows the will of the people.

Use keyword tools to see what people are looking for, but also ask how well your site meets the needs of those queries. Determine how you can deliver the most value to the greatest number of people, without just being a slave to keyword demand.

What is rooted is easy to nourish.
What is recent is easy to correct.
What is brittle is easy to break.
What is small is easy to scatter.

You don’t need to reinvent yourself to deliver value. Use what’s on hand. What stories, knowledge, skills, or insights do you have that would be worth sharing?

Prevent trouble before it arises.
Put things in order before they exist.
The giant pine tree
grows from a tiny sprout.
The journey of a thousand miles
starts from beneath your feet.

If you have a clear vision you will be able to work out the details that arise. Changing the purpose of a site after it is established will lead to bad SEO, laborious reformatting, and disappointed subscribers. Before you walk a thousand miles, orient to the right direction.

Of course, these are only my interpretations. What insights can you come up with?

Brad is the author of Word a Day Wonder, a site that teaches vocabulary using amazing facts.

[Photo courtesy meemal.]

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