29
Apr

What do I owe my readers?

Posted by Steven Hodson in Tuesday, April 29th 2008      

What do bloggers owe their readers This is a question I ask myself every once in a while and I am sure that I am not alone in that aspect. Asking the question though also allows us an opportunity to evaluate how true we as independent bloggers are staying to what started us down this road in the first place. It is a road that for many probably started out with the typical blogging philosophy of it being your personal space where you can get things off your chest in areas that interest you.

For many bloggers this will be the case for as long as they maintain their blog. They might pick up readers over time - readers who want to be a part of the blogger’s journey if only by reading and making the occasional comment. For others though there comes a point where they realize that they want to become a part of this new media (sorry but this term has to change as going on 10 years in it is no longer new) and find a part of what is happening in technology that they feel they can talk to and about. Some will do it as an avenue to making a living and others will do it just for the love of being a part of something but either way these bloggers join the ranks of a new profession.

As we cross that fuzzy line into the professional sphere though things change. We begin to realize that our readers are coming to us because of what and maybe more importantly how we write about the niche we have found ourselves in. Sometimes we’ll find ourselves fast tracked up the ranks of blogger popularity because either our niche is extremely popular or because the way we write resonates with them. Either way though our individual success is related to the number of readers who keep coming back and new readers who have discovered us. In effect we have become a source, a service that our readers come to trust.

Trust though can be a very fragile thing and while traditional media has played off and manipulated that trust bloggers are only discovering this fragility. While our faithful readers may tolerate the occasional wandering post that isn’t what they figure they signed up for when they subscribed to our blogs. If we stray to much and too often from what they want and expect from us they aren’t afraid to let us know - even though the only way we know is from declining page views or RSS subscriber counts.

Unlike the mega-blogs like TechCrunch, Mashable, ReadWriteWeb or GigaOM where the content is pushed out within certain guidelines the independent blogger is read because of the very human feeling we bring to our content. As Mia says on her blog (an excellent post well worth reading)

I truly believe that the essence of blogging is keeping it human and keeping it conversational. Rankings do matter, but there’s a fine line between being ‘customer-oriented’ and pandering. As an avid consumer of blogs and a newbie blogger myself, I am acutely aware of the time, effort, and dedication it takes to churn out quality content. The advantage of blogs vs. traditional media is that there’s a great deal of value in getting unadulterated content from someone’s who’s not trying to pander to the masses or obsessed with ratings.

The problem I have always had is that I have always been a jack of all trades type of person and this is reflected in what I write here. I am fascinated by all aspects of technology but especially technology that has to do with information flow plus I like being able to help folks.This is why you will find things like software reviews here as well as my opinions on things to do with technology and sharing of information. What you won’t find is anything that promotes or furthers anyone’s agenda whether it be web or software related.

I have as well always been an observer of the human quotient in things that happen in our world of which technology plays a growing part of. Along with that I have a tendency to throw in a good size dollop of pessimism that comes from experiencing both the highs and lows of our society and the way real day to day life at the street level.

I have never been one to jump on bandwagons and to a large degree I relish tearing those bandwagons down because I dislike hype for hypes sake. As well I have never ever believed in a PC (not the computer) world of mamby pamby hand holding so I tend to be frank in the way I deal or talk about things. While this doesn’t sit well with a lot of folks out there this is the way I have been for a very long time and also the way I have written here since day one. The one thing readers of WinExtra can always count on is that they will read my honest feeling on something.

Honesty as redeeming as it might be doesn’t count for squat if you forever looking at things with blinders on. As strongly as I might feel on something I also am the type of person that my opinion about something can be changed if readers engage me with coherent and passionate feelings. That is called being a part of the conversation and my father always told me that a conversation consisted of people talking together not at each other. This willingness to converse is the biggest thing that any blogger owes their readers and one I strongly believe in.

I truly believe that if there is one thing independent bloggers owe their readers it is this type of honesty. After all for a large majority of us this is what got us started in the first place and has carried us forward. This is what I think our readers what the most from use because I believe that they are looking for voices that they can trust in this sometimes chaotic world of technology. If we can deliver this honesty and give the readers a reason to trust our voice then we should consider ourselves a success whether we have 10 readers or 10,000.

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under: The Social Web    

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