Though I am a blogger, I don’t spend a lot of time blogging about blogging (I’ve written a whole 3 posts on the topic in two years!). That’s just not the focus of my blog, and there are a bunch of fabulous blogs that cover the topic anyways. However, today I’m going to talk about blogging because I’ve seen two articles lately that got me thinking…and I think best when I write out my thoughts.
It just helps me to organize them.
(If you don’t want to watch me organize my thoughts,you can come back tomorrow when I’ll be on topic. 😉 )
My thoughts were stirred up by two internet articles I’ve read lately. The first one, on Copyblogger, was an article titled How to Dominate Your Niche Without Apology.
That article immediately made me think of a section in an article written by Rita Arens of BlogHer, titled How To Write With Authority.
The gist of both of these articles is that bloggers should stop apologizing and hemming and hawing, and should instead write in a bold and confident manner.
The CopyBlogger article instructs me to jettison these phrases:
Of course, this is just one person’s opinion …
I could be totally wrong about this …
I’m not trying to pretend I’m some kind of expert but …
And the BlogHer article says in part:
When I was a wee tot, children were taught to be humble, to not contradict our elders, to qualify what we had to say with statements like “I think” and “in my opinion” and “I feel.” Writers have to unlearn these lessons — if in this day and age they are actually still taught — in order to write a tight paragraph.
Hmn.
Though I’m a person who is pretty darn confident about what I believe and think (you should see the debates I’ve had on message boards!), I’m not at all sure that this writing advice is wise.
In fact, this advice is the antithesis of what I want to be. I want to have more humility, and not less as I age.
Plus, the truth of the matter is, a lot of the stuff I blog about IS my own opinion. And I could be totally wrong about some of the things that I say. Of course I think what I’m saying is right (or I wouldn’t be saying it!), but I am not infallible. To pretend otherwise would be disingenuous and I’m not interested, thankyouverymuch.
So, blogging this way seems both proud and unteachable, but I also think that it has the potential to stifle the message of my blog.
Sure, bloggers who are proud experts often attract a fairly large following, but who is following them? Is it people who’ve been swayed by the message of the blogger, or is the crowd simply comprised of people who already agree with the blogger?
Suppose I decided to blog about homeschooling in a expert, no-worries-about-making-enemies way. I might say that I know that homeschooling is the best way for everyone to educate, or I might point out all the faults of public school.
Or, I could go the route that I’ve chosen to go, where I simply say that I’m absolutely confident that homeschooling is the best choice for us, and where I talk about why I’m sold on homeschooling, and show how we homeschool.
Which of those two approaches is going to attract someone to homeschooling? The first approach will garner hearty praise from people who already are homeschooling fans, but it’s likely going to drive away people who are on the fence.
Or suppose I tried to sell the frugal lifestyle this way. I could wax eloquent about the evils of eating out, or how line-drying laundry is the only responsible way to go, or how we should all be baking bread and making yogurt each week for our families.
I do occasionally go that route (I was kind of hard on Kleenex’s disposable hand towels!), but most of the time, I try to keep the tone of my posts closer to “This is what I do. I love it, it works for me, and I think it’s a great idea, but it may not be for you.” than “This is TheBestWayToDoThings and you should totally be just like me!”.
If I blogged the latter way, I think I’d end up driving people away from the frugal lifestyle, and many people would end up discouraged and disheartened (if you think you HAVE to make yogurt in order to be frugal, you’ll want to give up! *). People who are already frugal yogurt-makers would love me, but that’s not the point of my blog. After all, people who are already frugal experts don’t really need my blog! I want to draw not-so-frugal people to my blog, not drive them away.
*you don’t have to make yogurt.
I’m no expert on the topic (hee!), but I’d venture to guess that a lot of bloggers who write in an authoritative, in-your-face, expert fashion are mostly preaching to the choir. Preaching solely to the choir is fun and easy, but it doesn’t accomplish much.
Me? I want to accomplish much with this blog. I want to influence, help, and encourage people, and I’m sure that I need to pursue humility and teachability if I want to accomplish that.
P.S.- Of course, there is a chance I’m wrong about all of this.
P.P.S-I just couldn’t resist adding that. 😉
Allie
Thursday 8th of July 2010
I agree completely with you here. I write about food, and it irks me to read (actually, I don't read them because I take them off my blogroll) blogs who write as though their way of cooking is the only way that's acceptable. Even though I write most of my own recipes, I try to focus on flexibility for the user, recommending substitutions, ways to veganise or canivorise my recipes, mentioning things like, "this is what I used but you use what you have," "it took me an hour to make this because I turned the heat way down low so I could do homework, but you can make this in 15 minutes if you wanted to by doing xyz" and the like. To do otherwise, in my opinion, doesn't help anyone. It makes the people who know what they're doing happy if there's agreement (and mad if there isn't agreement) and it drives away the people who really could use a little help getting ideas on what to cook or learning methods/techniques that are flexible for a wide range of products.
Leah
Wednesday 7th of July 2010
Kristen, You write a beautiful blog, and not only does it inspire me to be more frugal but to be more humble and a better Christian. You'll never convert anyone with an "in your face, I'm always right" attitude. Quiet, consistent messages are the best tools out there. Thank you.
Kelly
Tuesday 6th of July 2010
Kristen, I am a huge fan of yours and have suggested your blog to others. I work outside the home and choose to educate my children in public schools. However, I find your blog inspirational and enjoyable. I take a lot of what you do and include it in our lives. I am able to do this by your writing style. When reading your blogs, I never feel like you are preaching about your choices. Instead you are sharing them with us. And though I am not in a place to stay home or homeschool, you have so much to offer me. To that I thank you!
Nikki
Monday 5th of July 2010
I appreciate your blog tone. You are very respectful to your readers in the comment lines, and I see the Christian values in many posts. Whether I can do some of what you demonstrate (like sew, make yogurt) I totally love the fact that there are girls out there making stuff from scratch, repurposing stuff, etc. like my mom did when we were little. Rock on girl!
Sarah
Sunday 4th of July 2010
Kristen, I love the tone of your blog. Once I began reading it, I began making changes in my life without even realizing I was doing it! Thanks for encouraging all of us in the way you do.