Man oh man I have a pretty good feeling this is going to be a tough one to write and deliver the way that I probably wanted it to be done when I first thought of the idea for this post. Many of you that subscribe to my rss feed or follow me on twitter know that in addition to my blog I am also the founder of Extreme Tan and Smoothies and Insane Limos, I guess you can call me a blogging CEO of some sort.
The reason this post might be tough to get through is because I took a week off from the web life and before I took that week off I requested the sexy little “Blog Superstore” image you see above from my designer Dawn. We try to keep things pretty simple and efficient around here, so the minute I think of an idea I typically post the idea in our work forum and Dawn generates an image for whatever the idea was. After requesting the image and taking the week off I am now faced with the challenge of trying to deliver this post with the same passion I had when I first thought of the idea. Here we go…..
I remember the day that I thought of this post idea pretty well or at least what triggered the idea for me to write the post and request the image from Dawn. Every Sunday we have a few friends and family over to watch football and crush a few bowls of Lisa’s homemade chili. Mike from Daily Shot of Coffee always comes by for the festivities and once in a while Jenn from Stiletto Set Sports comes by as well, it always makes for some form of SEO, blogging tips, or WordPress plugin discussion.
The discussion we were having had something to do with niche blogs vs general blogs, I consider my blog a Hybrid Blog made up of a few niche blog categories as well as a few micro-niche blog categories….. wait, my blog is more like a Blog Superstore.
At least my first thought was that my blog is some form of a Blog Superstore based on the fact that I can discuss and post about whatever topic I feel like posting about, where a niche blogger is more limited on the topics that they can post about. Wait… What? and says who????? I just remember the conversation about niche blogging and it’s “limitations” making me wonder who decided that there had to be limitations in blogging at any level? Niche blogger or not.
You see blogging is never suppose to be about limits or boundaries and I think it’s a little too easy for niche bloggers to fall in a rut where they limit their content to only the specific niche that they blog in. I want to know..
- Who says a coffee blogger @shotofcoffee can’t do a weekly recap of their favorite coffee articles from around the web?
- Who says that a MMA Blog can’t write a weekly recap of the best MMA articles featured on their blog from the previous week?
- Who says that a business blog about Pets can’t blog about their Alexa ranking?
- Who says that a blog titled “Pot Politics” can’t write about Google search engine tips?
- Who says that a blog about blogging can’t write about their favorite pet?
- Who says that Insane Limos can’t write about their Facebook Fan Page?
No sense on dragging this on anymore, the bottom line is that I don’t care what kind of blog you have the only ceilings and limitations you have are based on you and the blogging rules you set for yourself. I don’t care if you have an indoor tanning blog or a blog about being a Constant Complainer, break your own chains and make your blog a Blog Superstore that offers your daily readers a little variety from time to time.
Leave a comment and tell me what you think.
Cole Stan (2)
KyAus @ Those.Tips (2)
SafariDave (2)
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
This is very true. I think it is good to sometimes mix up a blog with some personal stuff as well… it gives your readers a glimpse into your personality. Plus, sometimes taking a break from your usual and writing about something you are really into off topic will help you get into the writing groove which you can apply towards better articles on your theme!
Kikolani´s last blog ..How Blog Commenting Has Made a Difference
@Kikolani, being able to write freely opens up the mind Kristi and it makes it so much easier to blog about the things that are in your niche because it spawns creative thinking. Great point.
I’m on it man.
I hate being shoved into a niche, and my work history of 30 years proves it.
Looking forward to seeing how super you’re going make it around here.
Dave Doolin´s last blog ..Website In A Weekend: Thursday evening – Get into the gate
@Dave Doolin, there’s no question in my mind that you hate being shoved in to anything haha. Blogging free is a comfortable way to blog, especially if your niche is getting tired to you. Your writing style makes it clear that hyour not going to get bored over there any time soon.
Absolutely, I gotta agree with you. Blogging used to be flexible and don’t just concentrate on a niche for 10 years, you would bore your readers and you may out of ideas if you blog the same topic for 10 years.
My blog talks about blogging tips and make money online, that’s a boring niche, now I used to blog about anything I feel I want to write. Example I write about my personal life on the Sunday Killer Link Love Post.
Well said John!
Regards,
Lee
@Lee Ka Hoong@Make Money Blogging, and I would be willing to say that in time you will see some serious benefits by doing it the way your doing it now. Your Sunday Killer Link Luv post is a perfect example of someone willing to try something new in their niche.
I half agree with you, half disagree with you.
If I started blogging about the Yankees, I think I would get a lot of funny looks on my blog. However, when I blog about Yankee coffee mugs they seem to like it…or at least accept it.
Plus, advertisers are much more interested in my blog because I do keep it to one topic.
It’s not a bad thing. I love writing about coffee.
However, there are other topics that I like to write about. That’s why we can create other blogs, blogs that are more personal, guest post, etc.
Mike @DailyShotOfCoffee´s last blog ..Coffee Grounds And Filter
@Mike @DailyShotOfCoffee, you can half agree all you want for now
However taking a break and blogging about the Yankee’s for one day might give you some strange looks, BUT and this is a BIG BUT you might also find a connection with someone that is a Yankee fan but never drinks coffee…. UNTIL THEY VISITED YOUR SITE.
That is also a connection that you may never make, no one is saying to write about the Skankees every day but changing it up will help you find new readers with various interests to market your products to.
You need to break down some of those mental walls
I know you will, in a week we will be watching football or MMA, at some point you will say that you like the idea… or at least that’s how it usually goes when I tell you about something. haha.
Great post John. Its good to have you back
. One of the reasons I keep coming back your site is because it has a little be of everything.
As for my blog, I started it as a design blog, but after about a week I decided I wanted to move more toward social media and SEO work. So on my site I write about design, photography, SEO, social media, new media, client related projects and technology. I decided to keep my personal life out of it. I set up a blog on Blogging Wire that is truly Mixed Bag and personal.
element321 @ evolutionary designs´s last blog ..165 Free High Quality Wallpaper
Although you make a great point I do not know that this will work well with for every blogger. Your blog is great because you write about different stff and that is what people have come to expect. In essence the variety/mixed bag is your niche. I think if I started to blog about hot chicks on tycoon blogger it would not mix in well. I have another blog that I have been thinking about starting called ” opinionated blogger” where I will mix in current events, sports, politics and hot chicks. Btw the blogosphere missed you last week. Next time you need to warn us when you are going on hiatus.
horizontal content is the way to go, one must diversify if the need be, no point getting caught in limitations, its your blog, have fun with it
Uttoran Sen´s last blog ..10 Gadgets that Changed the World and Life
There are all kinds of variations on themes. It’s not that hard to stick in your niche when you can always start something else. It’s better to dilute your web presence that to dilute your niche content. That said, it’s always best to interject your own personality into your writing.
Keith@Norman Rockwell Art´s last blog ..Jan 13, My autograph of Ray Gunn – Norman Rockwell’s model
Another great post from you John! I was trying to think of what my blog is actually about, because mine is kind of a mixed bag but not as much as yours is.
The great thing about blogging is you can do whatever you want with it, it is yours! I think bringing personal life onto your blog is a great thing, it let’s your readers know you are a real person. So, I say, blog on about whatever floats your boat!
Keith@Need Information´s last blog ..Flexibility Theme
I’m with most here…writing about different topics is always a good thing no matter if you have a diehard niche blog or not. I look at it like a relationship (or marriage)…you have to switch it up every now and then!
Matt@Atlanta Georgia Real Estate´s last blog ..Act NOW if you are a FHA Buyer!!
Thanks for keeping good job I always like to read your posts John. And I think people just need to write about stuff they like. Why, because you will make a good content, and good content is more visitors , and more visitors is more money. Simple as that.
I must sorta agree with those thatr kinda disagreed; niche blogging is done for a reason.
My one piece of advice – if you’re going to write about your cat’s hairballs on your blogging tips blog, do it from the very beginning or know that you will tick off and most likely lose some readers. ;)
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Have You Given To Haitian Relief?
@Dennis Edell, I think I agree with you here. Or maybe a blogger could make an “entertainment” or “off-topic” category, so that when they’re first beginning to tread into deeper waters, original readers/subscribers won’t be put-off.
Will@laser hair removal´s last blog ..How Do You Feel About Your Body? Is Your Body Image Positive?
@Will@laser hair removal,
True, In that case I would do 1 of 2 things. Either poll my readers ahead of time to see the reaction, or at the very least announce the new category in a post of its own before popping in the first off topic post.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..The Time Has Come. The Deal Is Done. It’s Time To Move!!
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