Blogging Tips – Will People Like Your Blog?

Posted by Mitch Mitchell on Jul 27, 2012

Have you ever wondered what makes a movie good? Actually, there’s no real formula to it at all. That’s because every single person has their own ideas of what makes a movie good or not. For instance, I went to see the movie John Carter with a friend of mine and we both liked it, but the reviews ended up coming in close to 50-50 as far as who liked it and who didn’t.

I Like You!

Why bring that up? Because many people say that what worries them about starting a blog is worrying about whether or not people will like it. I’ve always said that it doesn’t matter who likes it as long as the person writing it likes it, and I stick with that. None of us can please everyone, and the topics we select aren’t going to be for everyone. Do you believe that the entire world is interested in the topic of blogging, whether or not they blog?

There’s obviously nothing wrong with being liked, but when did that become the criteria for whether we do something or not? I can’t believe how many parents I see who don’t really parent their kids because they’re afraid of not being liked? I can’t believe how many teachers won’t do their job and fail a kid that deserves it because they’re afraid that neither the school or the parents will like them.

Blogging and writing are supposed to be about truth, perceived or real. If you have something to say, say it. If it’s stupid you’ll know soon enough. Some people thrive off being stupid; we call them trolls. But the majority of us try to be honest and relatively kind, even when we’re griping about something.

But if you let that type of thing hold you back too much, then you’re not worth anything to anyone. It’s never the opinions one has that makes people upset so much as how they say what they have to say. Think about that if you’re worried about being liked or not.

Every person needs to have their own voice on their blogs. Authenticity is the only thing that really counts in blogging. If you’re authentic, even people who might not share your interests might still read what you have to say because they feel your passion. Those who don’t care what you have to say or aren’t interested in your passion… those people aren’t your audience. You will find your audience if you write, and of course if you cultivate them. If you can get to 50-50 you still get to call your blog a success.

Tags: Blogging, impressing people

21 Comments »

Carl:

I think that blogging became so popular just because everybody can express what like and feel with others in very easy way. I think most blogs lost this personal touch and quality and turned commercial, there are not many blogs that can be easily discovered and don’t include 25 pop-ups and look like “Christmas tree”.
Carl recently posted…8 Top Tips to Creating Backlinks to Your Blog

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
July 28th, 2012 at 8:58 PM

Carl, I got your first point, but your second point, “25 pop-ups and look like Christmas tree”, nope, that’s lost on me. lol

Carl Reply:
July 29th, 2012 at 1:01 AM

Mitch, you made a good point, when you wrote about Panda updates, you said – continue doing what you are doing, I think this is the main part of blogging.
Carl recently posted…Choosing SEO Reseller Plans

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
July 29th, 2012 at 9:00 PM

Thanks Carl. At some point, you just have to keep plugging along and hoping things will be fine, especially if you know you haven’t done anything wrong.

July 28th, 2012 | 9:29 AM

Sire:

Hey Mitz, sorry mate, I meant Mitch

When starting any of my blogs I’m not sure if whether or not anyone would like them ever came to my mind. The things I did worry about was whether or not I thought I would be able to write interesting posts on a consistent basis. Not only that, they had to be about stuff that I was interested in as well.
Sire recently posted…The Ramblings Of A Professional Blogger

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
July 28th, 2012 at 9:01 PM

Wasn’t that a shame? Spam comment if I ever saw one. lol

My thoughts were like yours, wondering if I could sustain myself with a topic rather than worrying whether anyone would like it. My reasons are different for each blog. And of course I need to be interested, otherwise why bother. But you have 3 blogs you almost never post anything to now; come on, let’s get with it. lol

Sire Reply:
July 28th, 2012 at 9:22 PM

That’s very true but that’s more of a time factor than anything else. I just feel that my time is better served elsewhere. Having said that, I don’t enjoy writing on those blogs as much as the other ones which does show how important the enjoyment factor is.
Sire recently posted…Spam Alert! How Many Emails Does It Take?

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
July 28th, 2012 at 10:13 PM

That’s true. I don’t dedicate the kind of time to my local blog that I do with all the others, mainly because I want that one to always have images if I can pull it off, which means I have to go get them.

Sire Reply:
July 28th, 2012 at 10:26 PM

Two plugins that can help with that are Zemanta and Insights.

Where I can I try to use my own images and I’ve also invested some money to purchase some royalty free ones.
Sire recently posted…How Blogging Is A Little Like A Chess Game

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
July 28th, 2012 at 10:52 PM

Actually, Mitch Allen’s recommendation of the plugin Compfight is working out well for me I must say. I end up still having to do some slight coding to make it fit my format, but I went into the settings and did that and now all comes out well. And it finds lots of images instead of my having to search all of Flickr for them; great recommendation.

July 28th, 2012 | 10:04 AM

Josh:

I can’t imagine basing a decision to start a blog on whether someone will like it or not. If it has solid content that provides solutions to problems or stories that resonate with people good things should come from it.

But you are never going to please everyone. Really no point in trying.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
July 29th, 2012 at 9:02 PM

Josh, it’s hard to believe until you meet enough people who tell you that. And I have, and I always ask them why they care so much that others might not like what they have to say. Almost never a response, except from those people who worry about people they work for discovering it. I think that’s pretty weak as well.

July 29th, 2012 | 2:14 AM

David:

Blogging is all about author’s perspective of the subject and his ability to express the same. Every author has a unique way of looking towards the subject thus presenting it as something totally new with the help of his creative intellect. Irrespective of whether the post is appreciated by a targeted audience or public in general the idea of blogging is to share knowledge and communicate ones research helping others to stay updated.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
July 30th, 2012 at 10:48 AM

I’d agree with that David; more folks need to see it that way.

July 30th, 2012 | 5:29 AM

Keith:

Its a tough thing to get past, but once you do your best to not worry about what other people think, whether it be life or blogging, the less stressful everything can become. As long as you are happy with how your blog is, that’s really all that matters. If you don’t like what you are writing, then how can you expect anyone else to like it either?
Keith recently posted…5 Free Ways To Increase Website Traffic With Web Marketing

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
July 30th, 2012 at 10:42 PM

Good stuff Keith, and you’re spot on. So many people seem to lack the confidence to trust themselves and their words and that’s a major shame. I’m glad you’re blogging; just need to see more of it.

July 30th, 2012 | 5:43 PM

Martin:

A variety is the best thing what makes this world beautiful. However, the majority decides about the others, say from people voting on something 51% says “I like it”. There is no other choice in our society to call this “thing” good Who cares that 49% were opposite if they are in minority. Cheers!
Martin recently posted…Freelance Design Tricks

August 7th, 2012 | 6:56 PM

Adrienne:

I can see why most people would worry whether people will like their blogs or not. Kind of second nature you know, like whether they will like me.

I think as long as you enjoy what you share and you know you are putting your content out there for others to enjoy, someone will like it as well. They will be searching for what you have to offer and the next thing you know you have a loyal reader.

I like to think that’s how things happen at least Mitch!
Adrienne recently posted…How to Build a Rock Star Brand Part 2

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
August 20th, 2012 at 2:24 PM

That’s how I like to think as well Adrienne, and I think I do that for the most part. As long as the writer isn’t offensive, they’ll find an audience; wouldn’t you agree?

August 20th, 2012 | 11:05 AM

Sean Nicholson:

“Blogging and writing are supposed to be about truth, perceived or real. If you have something to say, say it. If it’s stupid you’ll know soon enough.”

Great advice!! Too many folks spit and polish their posts so they are “search engine friendly” and they kill any human aspect of what they were trying to say. Sometimes, the “stupid” posts are the ones that generate conversation, which is one of the biggest benefits of blogging.

Enjoyed the post!

Cheers!

–Sean
Sean Nicholson recently posted…Bloggers Block – When The Words Just Won’t Come

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 1st, 2013 at 1:54 AM

Thanks Sean. I’m of the opinion that if a post isn’t readable because the writing isn’t for humans then it’s worthless, no matter how much traffic might come their way. I like making the personal connections whenever I can.

December 31st, 2012 | 2:18 AM

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