If you try to be all things to all people, you’ll end up satisfying none. If you try to please everybody, you’ll end up pleasing nobody. If you are trying to be the best at everything, you’ll end up being good at none.
Too many blogs fall into this trap. And it’s not just blogs. These principles apply to any new media tool, especially websites. They apply to just about everything else in life, too, whether you are marketing a widget, promoting an event or evangelizing with your ministry. You can not be all things to all people. You need a focused purpose.
If you look at anyone who has ever been the best at anything, whether it is your favorite Saint, singer or basketball player. Their life revolved primarily around a single, focused purpose. Their actions served that single, focused purpose. And they rejected any temptation of anything that did not serve that single, focused purpose. Successful blogs are no different. We must be just as disciplined in our efforts (something I still struggle with constantly).
Every blog needs a target audience. A niche. What is yours? If your answer is “everyone” or “anybody” then you need to put down the keyboard and go back to the beginning. If your answer is just “Catholics” then you probably still need to put down the keyboard and go back to the beginning. What kind of Catholics? What do they do? How do they think?
What is the purpose of your blog? Write it down and tape it to the top of your monitor. Read it before every single post you make. Ask yourself, “does what I am typing serve this purpose? And is it uniquely speaking to my particular niche?”
Now, it may take some experimentation or discernment to figure out this purpose. And that’s ok. But I would encourage you to make identifying this purpose a priority.
As Christians, we have the most important overall purpose of all: To love and to share the Gospel. But in what particular way are you uniquely serving this purpose? New media is giving us endless ways to do this and an amazing ability to reach particular groups and types of people like never before. But it’s not enough to just have this new media, we have to use it…and use it well.
What is your purpose? “Begin with the end in mind,” says Stephen Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). This is a very Catholic concept. Our “end” is the ultimate purpose of our life.
The Catholic Church has always reminded her spiritual children to reflect often, even daily, on “The Four Last Things”: Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. For there is nothing better conceived than this powerful meditation to bring forcefully before our minds the essential purpose of life, namely, to save our souls and avoid Hell.” - Fr. Martin Von Cochem, O.S.F.C.
And we do this especially today as we begin this season of Lent with a powerful reflection of our end - “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” With this end in mind, we prepare for the event that gives that end a purpose - Easter.
That makes it an especially good time to also take a minute and refocus the purpose of your blog (or whatever else you are doing).
And just so I’m not all talk and no walk, my blog here on the Register will now be focusing on Catholic New Media. And I will be doing my best to serve that particular purpose well.
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You’re right on if your goal is to get as many dedicated blog followers as possible. However, for some people this isn’t really the goal. For me, it’s more about collecting my intellectual interests into one place. If nothing else, it’s a nice personal journal. The other benefit is being able to refer friends and family your blog (and thus your thought process). Or perhaps you’re a second or third tier blogger that sometimes provides the upper level with a story. As a “hobby blogger”, once I start reciting Stephen Covey quotes it starts to feel like a job. That’s just my 2 cents.
Thanks for the comments, Ben. I definitely understand what you’re saying. But I still think the principle applies whether we quote Covey or not.
It sounds like your purpose is to “collect your intellectual interests into one place.” Nothing wrong with that. That’s a purpose. That’s how my blog started as well and often still serves that purpose. If you stick to that purpose, you will be successful at serving that purpose.
For some the goal may be to get as many followers. For others it will be to get the right followers. For others it may be to be a reference for certain topics and it might not be regularly followed at all. For others it may be to share current events with friends and family. The principles still apply.
Matt,
My issue w/ “begin with the end in mind” is that sometimes I just like to wander around w/ no real purpose. It’s certainly not good to go through your entire life like that, but I think it should have a time and a place. And for many people that time and place is the blogosphere. If I over apply the “ends” principle then I find myself questioning everything I do. For instance, I’ll stop paying attention to people while I wonder “This conversation has no purpose - how can I get out of it?”. But then I guess you could say there is a purpose to listening and that is to love them. I guess the principle still applies - it’s just a matter of how much effort do you want to exert in applying it in each different situation. And for me, my thought process is usually, “that’s an interesting thought - I’ll put it on one of my blogs” (yes, I have a few different ones to at least separate by topic). This is just me thinking aloud (a scary thought). I should also note that I do like Covey and I enjoy your posts.
I’ve been trying to discern this kind of thing lately. I started blogging a little over a year ago. My goal was to connect with other Catholic moms. But then I got all kinds of confused about what and how to share. I made new blogs with new focuses but never stuck to them. Somewhere along the way I decided I liked decorating blogs and fiddling around with code. So, now I’ve started an entire new blog with that main goal but also with the door opened to share about my daily life and my faith. It’s been “live” for only a week or so but I can tell I’ll be much happier focusing on “lighter” topics like blogging and recipes then when I was trying to be a serious Catholic. I’m working on a page titled “Why I Am Catholic” which will be a simple reasoned argument but will be in a prominent place. Maybe I’ll even reach more people along this way then before, KWIM? For sure, my ego will be less involved as I enjoy rather than labor. Thanks for the thoughts.
Dawn - I think that’s great! Having a purpose in mind doesn’t mean it has to STAY that purpose or be set in stone forever. I did very similarly to you - and am still doing it - with my personal blog. It has shifted over time to become more what I think works well for who I am and who God has blessed me with in readers. That’s part of a healthy process. But we have to start somewhere…and I think starting out with a purpose, no matter how imperfect or uncertain it may be at the beginning, is helpful. Then we adjust from there.
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