And How Did That Make You Feel...?
When blogging about personal
experiences, it’s important for the writer to add their own personal touch if it’s
an informative opinion piece. As bloggers, we want to paint a picture for our
readers and connect with them. If we can connect with them we are likely to
gain their trust, when trust is gained the reader is more likely to return. In this
instance, we want to sell our opinion and product. As a reader when I’m reading
blogs about something I’m interested in I want to be able to relate to the
writer. Example, I was just reading about American Eagle Jeans and the writer
said something along the lines of “I’m so excited to be blogging about American
Eagle Outfitters the place that stole acquired so much of my money in
high school” when I read that I had an instant connection and thought “oh girl,
I feel you!” because I too spent way too much money there as a teen. I
connected with the writer because we shared a commonality and it was something
only someone who shopped there would understand. I continued to read her blog. Overall
the writing felt genuine and convinced me that maybe this high school favorite
may be worth considering again.
Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man. - The Big Libowski
Times when a personal touch
is not necessary and can hurt your reviews is when the writer is blogging about
something they don’t know about. When the connection between the reader and
writer does not feel real, it feels forced and the reader can feel it. Know
what you’re writing about. Other times when a personal touch is not needed is
when comparing technology and new gadgets. When I was shopping for a new phone I
compared Apple and Samsung, I specifically looked at blogs that stated facts
and did not provide the writers opinion. I wanted to know which one was better
and for x,y,z reasons and why this phone took better pictures because of a,b,c.
I (other readers too) want the facts, not the writers opinion, I want to form
my own opinion. Other times is during certain tutorials just write about the
procedure and specific steps, not how you felt while you were going through the
steps, we’re not here for your opinion. We’re here for the information.
I enjoyed reading your blog. I agree that it is essential to write what you know for sure or have experienced, otherwise it comes across as contrived. And yes, sometimes you just want good information, not opinions, especially when it involves technical gadgets.
ReplyDeleteGreat insights on when to get personal and when to not! I really like your example on technology blogging. In this case you just want the facts so you can learn about what the technology does.
ReplyDeleteI think you are spot on when you talk about how the picture we paint through our use of language allows for us to connect with our readers. In my opinion blogging is all about connection and creating a place that the reader will want to return to time and again. It is a very possible feat to accomplish even when selling a product or service, only, what matters is not just what you write, but how you write it and how the reader can connect with it. Human interest can do wonders in these type of situations.
ReplyDeleteGreat point on blogging about something a writer doesn't know about. This kind of posturing is unprofessional and, well, annoying. You also have some good insight about blogging factual posts vs. opinion posts.
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