Internet in a way is akin to instant coffee and fast food. In the conventional print media, it takes time to create and sustain a following. However, the effect is rather long lasting compared with the Internet. Internet is more effervescent.
Writing for such medium calls for a different set of skills. I intend to write about the techniques for the most effective blog . It is not going to be short or brief.
- Passion – Unless you have a passion for the subject, people are not going to move on – click away. Unless you have a passion, you will not be thorough in your knowledge. Unless you have detailed information about the subject you are passionate about why would anyone be interested in reading it ?
If you are passionate about your subject, dig everything possible about it. Read, research and collate the material. You will be surprised you started with the seriousness it deserved at the very beginning. Later on, it is difficult to sustain the tempo.
2. Patience – Patience is a Virtue for some. But for us, it is vital. As I mentioned earlier, when you deal with an effervescent media like Internet, you need to be aware of its flip side too. Internet offers you level playing field with the high and mighty. Equally, it can shred the impact of your online presence. You need enormous patience from the concept of the topic to eventual clothing of the skeletal work. Remember Time is not a consistent unit even when it comes to the Net.
There is a parable from an Ancient Hindu text about the time concept:
Brahman (God) and Naran (man) were walking along the beachfront in the distant past where it was probably normal for them to interact. Brahman developed a thirst and so asked his companion Naran to get him a glass of water. Naran, dutifully ran across to the nearby village.
It so happened that the first house he knocked at was opened by a beautiful woman and Naran forgot what he came for. Eventually Naran married the woman he saw and settled down in the village. Many years passed before calamity struck in the form of an overflowing river, which flooded the village. Naran’s family was swept away and Naran hung to his life from a tree. The surrounding receding water finally reminded him of his quest for a glass of water for his Brahman.
He rushed to the beachfront with a glass of water and begs Brahman for his long delay. To his complete surprise, Brahman says – “Ah, You are back so soon” implying that their time is not the same.
You don’t become a celebrity overnight when you write your first blog. You need to write about a subject most should be interested but no one has written about – almost impossible. It takes patience in good measures to see your work bear fruit.
3. Style – Develop your own unique style. Did you notice something in the internet – that every other page looks like the other one most of the time? Style is what shows that you are unique – it is characteristic of your personality. It exudes your stamp of authority. If you plan on writing for the Net on a long-term basis, it is imperative that you develop your brand of style. Use humor, subtle wit, pungency or sheer arrogance – it is part of what you want your readers to feel about.
Look at all those blogs which perform well – they share one thing in common – the authors are identifiable by their stamp of style.
How do you know that what I have said above really works?
Simple. We have conceived, written, presided over and edited over 3000 pages of content in the last 3 years for the Internet.