DJ your blog: mixing expertise and entertainment

Samuel Johnson once said, “man must bring knowledge with him, if he would bring home knowledge.” So try to anchor the blog around topics that exploit your expertise or experience.

The advantages are numerous. Background knowledge frees a writer to concentrate on structure and style, rather than suffering a steep learning curve. It allows more time for other chores, like multimedia management and blog-promotion. Also, insider-reports confer instant authority, increasing the odds of repeat readers. The audience has a reason to value your perspective on the topic and return for more.

That said, blogs have a long, fine tradition of, well, spouting off for kicks and sharing quirky tidbits scoured off the net. Play with the mix, varying the texture of your blog. Perhaps follow up a whistle-blowing post with a lighter one, commenting upon some trend like laser-portrait mashups.

Monitor the zeitgeist at sites like Technorati and Alexa, which note the most search-upon and blogged-upon terms. They also note the web's hottest pages. Forget The New York Times bestseller list ... these puppies update every few minutes.

That intel's powerful. But should you jump on the bandwagon? Does it benefit your blog's goal to be one small voice shouting about a popular topic? Or would your target audience prefer a more eclectic viewpoint?

Don’t parrot or “echo chamber,” as the blogosphere calls it. Coding Horror's Jeff Atwood makes a strong point: “we have the whole of human history to talk about, and most people can't get past what happened today. If I wanted news, I'd visit one of the hundreds of news sites that do nothing but news every day. Putting yourself in the news business is a thankless, unending grind. Don't do it.”

Instead, find the stories that are uniquely yours to tell. As Roy Peter Clark wrote on Poynter's website: “All good writers express a form of curiosity, a sense that something is going on out there, something in the air." The best, he explained, “are explorers, traveling through their communities with a special alertness, connecting seemingly unrelated details into story patterns.”

On the web, original content is king. So think about what you're bringing to the table – and how that's a resource for like-minded souls. Maybe it's unearthing tales neglected by the mainstream media. Maybe it's literary nonfiction or heartfelt essays: poetically crafted in a distinctive voice. Or maybe it's snarking about cats with poor spelling or cussing out cute animals for sheer yucks.