So one day I needed to write a blog post. It was almost 10:30 PM at night and soon I’d have to retire for the evening. But I could not bring myself to write about any of the topics that lay in waiting in my notebooks, desperate for the chance to spring to life on the computer screen.
Elephants, I thought. I’ll write something witty about elephants.
Two seconds later, I scratched that idea. Elephants don’t use computers – we haven’t invented keyboards large and durable enough to work for elephants. And we all know that elephants are afraid of mice.
Seagulls, I thought after a moment.
Three seconds later, I scratched that idea. Seagulls are scavengers, they’re a bit dirty, and they poop everywhere. What’s so funny about that? I remember the time on my sixth grade school trip when our tour bus stopped at a fast food joint and there were seagulls everywhere. We threw french fries at them and watched the greedy little creatures swoop down and get them. I think I threw a whole container of fries on the ground at them and, although I was hungry for the rest of the night, it was so unusual, in my experience, I thought it was fun to see them flock around. Except for the poop.
Spring, I thought. Spring has finally sprung.
Four seconds later, I killed that idea, too. There’s still plenty of bloody snow (OK, not actually bloody, but I hope you understand what I’m getting at here) on the ground.
TV shows, I thought. Lots of people watch TV.
Five seconds later, I started looking for yet another topic. As much as I was touched yet vexed by the series finale of Battlestar Galactica, the unevenness of Heroes, the promise of closure coming with Lost, plus some of the various little bright points out there, I had to remind myself that I wasn’t an entertainment blogger. Sigh.
Social media, I thought. I can always seem to pull a social media post out of the hat.
:: big, long, huge pause:: Um, OK, not this time.
After a lot of thought about blogging, it occurred to me that the whole concept of niches and focus certainly has its advantages. Picking and marketing yourself as an expert, an authority that people can return to over and over again and all that jazz – it certainly helps to attract a few readers.
But what if you don’t have a product to sell? A reputation to build? Affiliate links to push? Does sticking to a niche really matter?
Does a blogger have to stay in character all of the time, even if they aren’t a personal blogger? Or if they are, for that matter? Can they veer around on their subject matter, follow wisps of thought, ideas, and entertainment as their whims dictate?
Sure they can!
However, their readers might not follow along. After all, certain expectations were set that led the reader to become a member of the audience. If those expectations are not met, the implicit understanding and agreement between author and reader could be considered null and void.
All of which goes to explain that while I may dabble in humor, a few minor (but hopefully relevant) tidbits about my personal life, some of my geeky hobbies, etc., I probably won’t deviate much from my core subjects and persona (whatever those are!)
Which is why you should feel comfortable that you won’t read about professional sports, gambling, porn, fishing, cosmetics, cooking, overly tech stuff, etc. here at Broadcasting Brain. Unless I can find a way to make it relevant.
Well, I guess I’d better start writing a blog post. This one won’t do at all.
THE END
