What Should I Blog About?
This question arises for me almost every month. It’s not that I have a problem with writing, it’s writing stuff that is going to get read by people.
I know that having a blog is mostly for the writer, but back when I was in college I wrote in two sections of a college newspaper and a public broadcasting website. I had deadlines, and was forced to write constantly.
Every week I would write an editorial/column giving my commentary on the news, politics and general thoughts of the day. It was fairly easy, fun and (in theory, based on circulation numbers) 10,000 people had a copy of the newspaper in their hand with my name printed on it.
So, it was usually read by somebody. People sometimes got passionate enough to write Letters to the Editor. One time, somebody basically called me a Nazi for proposing a 1 cent per ounce tax on soda.
Other times I did actual news stories on subjects ranging from travel, science technology for the newspaper, to small features pieces on media events for KPBS.
But now that I’m teaching, and not in the field of journalism, I have to write for myself and make my own deadlines (or start on freelancing for the few expat magazines out here). But what should I write about? What do you, dear reader, want me to discuss?
It basically boils down to:
1. Korea Anecdotes: A lot of people seem to really like these (especially those people either coming to Korea, or people who want to see what I’m up to). The problem with this, for me, is that this begins to turn into a public journal that is generally not that interesting or helpful to people in the long run. Right now, I have two posts in the works. One about the anniversary of the war (and subsequent invasion of Incheon) and the use of Internet Explorer for everything related to the web.
2. Korea, Long-form: This is writing specifically to people who are coming to teach in Korea, are looking for information about teaching in Korea, or aiding people who are already in Korea. This is stuff that obviously people will have to stumble across via Google or something, but at least it serves a purpose of being helpful to somebody.
3. Tumblr Style: As mentioned before, I think I want to make my blog look more like Tumblr (a short-form of blogging). With this method, I can post multiple times a day with an interesting link, funny picture or short thought on a subject. This is easy and kind of fun, but for me, I don’t find it too terribly interesting.
4. My Two Cents: This is where I would write about anything or everything that I feel like. This is easy for me, and can be quite fun. However, the readership dwindles to only people I know (or see me post of Facebook). Being too broad reduces your readership. Having a focused style or topic can really hone in who is going to read it.
___________________
So, what do you think? Take a vote and I’ll figure it out. I’m at the behest of my readers. While I like writing for myself, I would like to know if someone is actually reading it. I do want to make my site more interesting, but I don’t want it to be like The Onion’s scathing parody of The Boston Globe’s “three remaining subscribers.”
About The Author
John P. Gamboa
John is a Technical Success Manager at WP Engine. Before moving to Austin, John lived in South Korea and China for the better part of four years. His life as an amateur Chinese web censorship expert, traveler, map nerd and beer geek can be found on this site.
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Well since you’re there, I support the anecdotes. I’d rather you spread the gospel that there are other things out there than America (though most of your readers are probably already cool like that)…but do what you want, dude. Writing is writing, and I enjoy reading your short blurbs as much as the long stories. I’m facing the same issue already…like I want to talk about my bike in a hilarious way, but there’s never a good moment to fit it in to one of my longer stories. So I’m going to do a short segment every now and then but focus on the larger picture 🙂
I voted for long-form, but not because of what you wrote as the definition. I prefer long-form stories about interactions you have, encounters, culture clash that includes anecdotes. The story idea about IE is strong; it’s probably the anecdote that leads to a larger question or point in your commentary. You’re the common thread in your blog posts, and that’s why I read it. I don’t have a particular interest in Korea, but I’m curious how it looks through your eyes. From the professional side of things, it’s good material for your portfolio, too.