Image by nate steiner

Your deadline is approaching; time to write a new blog post. But… you don’t know what you’re going to write about. You feel your heart racing, sweat forms on your forehead, and your stomach begins to ache. Your mind races from thought to thought but it can’t settle on any one good blog post idea. What to do?

If you are in this unfortunate situation, try reading this post for help!

Here are 82 handy ideas or subjects, especially useful for social media bloggers, for a great blog post if you’re a bit too lazy or if you are pressed for time to come up with your own (or you can try these 10 unusual blogging ideas if you’d like a real challenge – here’s an example):

1. Read the newspaper and write about the front page news.
2. Surf the Web and find out about the day’s news. Write a post about a news story that’s popular, explaining why the news story has become popular.
3. Check Twitter for interesting stuff, especially events, products, people or places that a lot of people are talking about.
4. Complain about how Digg’s front page sucks these days (the front page is a listing of the most popular stories on Digg.com.)
5. Complain about how Digg’s algorithm is still broken (why and how do some stories become popular when they actually seem dumb or worthless).
6. Complain about all of the people who complain that Digg’s algorithm is still broken (it is what it is, work with it people!)
7. Complain about any other bookmarking/news service (Mixx, Delicious, StumbleUpon…)
8. Comment on the latest Scobleizer post (the long-running blog written by Robert Scoble).
9. Explain why Robert Scoble is the most important blogger ever (or Louis Gray, or someone else)
10. Explain why Robert Scoble is losing his influence (can a popular, well known blogger maintain their influence over the long term)?
11. Comment on the latest Scoble FriendFeed discussion (EDIT:  this might not work so well as Robert Scoble is not using FriendFeed as much as he used to.)
12. Complain about Scoble when he doesn’t give you the “juice” that you deserve! (the “juice” being traffic towards your blog or website when another blogger shares that link with his or her audience).
13. Write a post explaining why Robert Scoble is just this guy, you know?  (this is a wordplay based on a scene from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books).
14. Complain about Twitter.
15. Explain how Twitter could be so much better if a few IMPORTANT changes were made.
16. Write about the coolest new Twitter application that you’ve discovered.
17. Explain why people don’t read anymore.
18. Explain why people read more than ever.
19. Explain why people actually scan content instead of reading it.
20. Talk about how you or someone you know suffers from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder or some other condition).
21. Talk about how everyone’s attention span is shrinking.
22. Complain about (pick one of: Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Apple… or pick your own subject!)
23. Praise (pick one of: Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Apple… or pick your own subject!)
24. Rant about how the banks make too much money (or ISPs…)
25. Complain that taxes are too high (or some other service fee that you pay on the Web…  how about mobile phone charges?)
26. Complain that taxes aren’t high enough and your country is going to go broke (or, alternately, how can free Web services ever stay in business?)
27. Explain how the economy is going into a recession… what impact will this have on your business, your hobbies, or your life?
28. Explain how the economy is going to pick up any day now.
29. Explain how the economy is better than ever (extra challenge:  do it without lying).
30. Make fun of a well-known politician/celebrity/business leader/religious leader/blogger.
31. Praise a well-known politician/celebrity/business leader/religious leader/blogger.
32. Complain about how all of the good ideas have already been taken (or explain why it’s not a problem after all).
33. Define social media
34. Explain why everyone else has the wrong idea of what social media really is, but you’ve got it right – and why
35. Explain what Web 2.0 is.
36. Explain what Web 2.0 isn’t and why everyone else is wrong.
37. Explain what Web 3.0 will be.
38. Explain what Web 3.0 won’t be and why everyone else is wrong.
39. Explain why Web x.x is a stupid, stupid way to classify Web technology.
40. Take a common noun or verb, add x.x to it, and explain what it really means.
41. Find an unknown blogger and sing their praises.
42. Complain about the A-list bloggers.
43. Praise the A-list bloggers.
44. Explain why you should really be on the A-list.
45. Explain why you’d never, ever want to be on the A-list.
46. Explain what the A-list really is.
47. Explain how you can make money online (or you could keep it to yourself, I suppose).
48. Complain about Google Adsense and how you never make any money with those ads.
49. Explain how you have a fool proof system to make good money with Google Adsense (but give very few details).
50. Complain about how Technorati authority (e.g. a blog ranking system) is really, really broken.
51. Defend the merits of Technorati authority and how it should have more importance than it does at the moment.
52. Complain that (insert blogger here) isn’t giving “link juice” like they should be (see also idea 12).
53. Complain about how people are bugging you to link to them.
54. Explain how the music industry is doing just swell in the digital era.
55. Show the world how and why the music industry is dying a painful death.
56. Defend Torrents and other file sharing services (note:  many of them aren’t really legal).
57. Explain how it is so obvious that “free” is the killer business model.
58. Complain about how people should be paying you for your creative work.
59. Complain about spam.
60. Complain about all of the social media “noise” that you have to deal with!
61. Explain why “noise” and comment dispersion aren’t bad things.
62. Explain why comment dispersion and dispersed conversations will kill your blog.
63. Rail against injustice of some kind.
64. Rail against censorship.
65. Complain that some @ssholes shouldn’t be allowed to blog.
66. Eviscerate someone who’s been talking trash about you or your buds.
67. Tell the world why WordPress is the best blogging platform.
68. Complain about “echo” in the blogosphere
69. Complain about websites and companies that enforce the “walled garden” approach.
70. Explain to your readers why it is EXTREMELY important to write your posts in advance.
71. Give advice on creating and launching the perfect meme.
72. Complain about the use of memes and how they are a waste of time.
73. Complain about how you get pitched by too many people and they don’t do it properly.
74. Complain about how professional sports suck all around.
75. Complain about how no one understands (someone or something else other than you)
76. Complain about how no one listens to you.
77. Explain your fascination with superstition, particularly numbers.
78. Debunk superstition and myths because it’s all dumb.
79. Explain with enthusiasm all of the great blog post ideas that you have.
80. Complain that you don’t have any good ideas for blog posts (or read this post that you are reading right now).
81. Complain that you don’t have enough time to write the good posts that you really want to write.
82. Write a post listing a bunch of different posts that you could write.

This list is a combination of serious and silly ideas and hopefully you’ll find something in there to help you with your blogging dilemma. Feel free to try them out – I’ve written this list of blog ideas to help people like you and me. If you do try one of these ideas on your blog, please consider linking back to this post.

Good luck and hang in there!

Another great idea generation resource:  Playful idea generation techniques to create with imagination

And if you’re looking for more great ideas, why not subscribe and never miss a post?

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