I just started my Introduction to Philosophy course today at college. My professor seems like a great guy and dedicated to what he does. He is extremely intelligent, with three majors (Philosophy, Business Management, and Economics) and he “comes prepared to class with a sense of humor” according to his syllabus. He delivers. Anyways, here is what he had to say to our class today.
“You don’t have to look weird to be a philosopher.” I took this, and instead of listen to his 1 hour ramble on the introduction of the course, stretched his quote into a blog entry. This same idea goes into effect for all bloggers. Your blog doesn’t have to look weird, and more importantly, you don’t have to be weird to get the attention of your readers and be considered a good blogger.
Why would any want to consider themselves “weird?” Who are the people lurking on the sidelines of the hall, talking to themselves? Who are the crazy guys sitting in cardboard boxes at the corner of K-Mart, wearing rags and missing half a shoe? Who are those guys, soaked in sweat down to their elbows, always drooling at the hot office secretary? Those are the the creeps, the outcasts, the weirdos! You want to avoid this.
What you don’t want to avoid, though, is being unique. People that are successful, generally have a unique idea or pitch, and are very confident. This confidence allows them to go through with their uniqueness; they really make it shine. You need to believe in yourself as a blogger, that you are truly providing your readership an excellent product (your blog, not affiliates). Examine other bloggers with a strong voice, those with a clear message, and those will be the ones you should drag most of your inspiration from.
You also need to develop a unique appearance, without getting too weird. Create a layout that is past Web 2.0. Maybe you can step it up to Web 2.5. Haha. Once again, look at those inspirational blogs. Most of them are extremely clean, and efficient to surf upon. Avoid being weird by setting up a mood that suggests you are a weird person. Stay away from the emo “I want to kill myself, stabby McStabStab” theme, or the “I’m obnoxiously annoying neon flashing lights doo-dad” theme. Keep it clean, and confident. Use bold colors that compare and mildly contrast. Building too much contrast is known to be stressful on the eyes, which means your “Bounce Rate” will bounce higher and higher.
I admit, there are some weird bloggers that have made it to be successful, but I think it is more the attitude that gets across. Blogger Unleashed is one such blogger. He is extremely vulgar in his post, but he is so damn confident that he couldn’t care what anyone thinks. I think it is to test the reader, but the readers have not been appauled, yet rather attracted to his blog.
Stay confident and unique. I’d avoid being that outcast nerd you were in high school.
