There is a lesson to be learned from blogs that are “successful” in getting committed followers: they tend to have a very focused topic or purpose. They have a specific identity. And people know that if they go to that blog, they will be able to get information or perspectives on one topic exhaustively.

That’s great if you are a focused person.

What if you are a dabbler? What if you are the type of person with many interests and passions? What if you are what some people would call a “renaissance man” and others would call RANDOM?

The solution, I think, is either multiple blogs or taking time to streamline your existing blog to one or two related topics (i.e. gardening and recipes, backyard chickens and locally sourced food).

Part of this stems from an existential question: what purpose does the blog serve? Is it a forum for sharing personal thoughts? Is it for education? Do you care to build a faithful following? When you address those questions, you’ll be able to decide what things detract from your blog’s purpose and what elements help it stay on target.

What draws you to blogs – topic or writing? Many people are drawn into a blog first by personal connection – you know a person who knows the person who writes the blog. But if it is poorly written, chances are you won’t get as much enjoyment from reading it since you’ll be distracted by typos and grammatical errors.

Do you follow any blogs? Which ones and why? I’d love to hear your perspective!