Deciding What Type of Blogger You'd Like to Be...

These days, many of us are on "information overload."
Let's face it. Blogging experts and how-to gurus bombard us with daily emails with things we must do and measures we must take to achieve success and optimize our online efforts.

Their guidance is purposed to help us:

• Garner more traffic
• Become more social media savvy
• Master SEO
• Build a more solid platform
• Win friends and influence people
• Make money
• Establish authority

In the process, they advise us to:

• Write long-form posts of 2000 words or more for greater social media shares.
• Design our sites so that they are compatible with multiple mobile devices.
• Use SEO to increase our visibility and Google ranking.
• Sign up for Google+, Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, Pinterest, Twitter, and other social media channels.
• Blog on self-hosted platforms as opposed to free sites.
• Build a mailing list.

Maybe it's me, but it seems like every week there's some new technique, platform, gadget, or practice to master, incorporate, try, buy, choose.

Some of it is useful and applicable. Some of it ain't.
Who decides? Ultimately you.
It all boils down to who you want to be as a blogger and writer.

In a "blog fog"?

Here are some factors to consider to inform your decisions moving forward:

• Your target audience
• Your goals
• Whether your blog is professional or recreational
• Your lifestyle
• Your value system
• Your brand
• Your time
• Your strengths

Here's the reality.
You can't do it all, my friend. And you certainly can't do it all equally well.
Not to mention, you can't please everybody. It's the quickest route to burn-out.

A better approach?
Align your efforts to your goals, your vision, your values, your time and your brand.
Don't blog blindly, or on "auto-pilot."
Dare to be different. Chart your own course.

Uber-popular blogger Seth Godin did. For example, his short, savvy, thought-provoking posts pack a punch typically in less than 250 words.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

Additionally, he blogs on the platform Type Pad (not Wordpress) .

Don't get me wrong. This is not to suggest that you should not incorporate the advice of experts in your blogging journey: most have built solid careers from having the right strategy and making smart decisions.
But be prudent in the path you choose to follow. Go with your gut. Go with what makes sense.
Assess and apply.

At a recent college graduation ceremony, Judge Judy shared some words of wisdom we all should consider: "You should listen to many. But only take advice from those whose track record you admire."

The verdict's in: that Judge Judy is a pretty smart cookie.


Thoughts? Agree or disagree?
Have you ever taken the "road less traveled " in your blogging journey?


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