6 things I've learned about blogging

I've been writing this blog for about three months now, and I've learned a few things about the blogging profession. (I was inspired to write this post after seeing that Wired has now officially claimed that blogs are passé and I should be Twittering and Facebooking more.) Here's what I have found.

1. The Internet moves in mysterious ways. I don't claim to understand it and I don't think anyone else does, not even the most well-paid SEO experts. When I posted once about Google Chrome, there was a flood of visitors here -- I think because it showed up on Google News. But I have had other posts appear on Google News for long periods, even as the title story, and they have not become popular. My guess is that, when Google Chrome debuted, people were just clicking on any reports: is the browser any good, does this mean Microsoft and Mozilla are worried, is it fast? They probably downloaded Chrome and tested it, but they wanted to see what the blogosphere thought of it. There was a similar reaction to iTunes 8 and most recently the T-Mobile G1. However, there are no patterns to any of this. Is it all about being first? Not really -- I posted about iTunes long after it came out. Is it about reputation, as Wired suggests, and only the well-funded blog magazines with multiple staff writers break stories? That doesn't seem right either, because sometimes the guy who breaks a story has a Blogger account, lives in Iowa with his parents, and just happened to find an obscure patent for some new gadget. I think you have to write well, post about an interesting topic, and then hope for the best in an unpredictable realm.

2. Digg matters, but I haven't decided how much yet. Digg can make or break your blogging career, but it all seems so random. One of the reasons: I have no idea why one story gets almost 1800 diggs and another gets 0. Sometimes they can be the exact same story. I know that there are influential diggers, and you have to build up a friend list, but let's be honest: how can you predict that a blog post for a guy who built a Lamborghini in his basement would get well over 3000 diggs? Is it because people have searched for the word "Lamborghini" and it is more distinct than the phrase "sports car" -- or is it because people just suddenly cared about building cars in your basement today? There is no rhyme or reason to it. Yet, if you are not active on Digg, your posts will never catch on fire.

3. I'm not sure if quality matters. I think really bad writing matters -- people are not interested in a blog that is lame, and lame blogs are easy to spot. But, as my editor has noted, there is a lot of really amazing content on the Internet. A well-crafted blog post, as Wired suggests, can get easily lost. If quality doesn't lead to traffic, because we're all inundated with so many RSS feeds all day, and if being first doesn't matter, then I have to wonder what does. I think it is luck. Writing a blog at the right time on the right topic, and somehow getting the attention of Google News and Digg -- that's what matters.

4. Posting multiple times per day is not the answer. I used to think that the more you posted, the more people think you have an active blog and will return. I've read this in blogging how-to articles and books, and I've been told this before. When I used to run a music blog, I tested the theory and it proved somewhat accurate back in the early 00s. It turns out that, with so many blogs, multiple postings don't seem to matter as much anymore. Each post enters the public registry as a self-contained entity and either flies its way to high traffic or dies a sudden death. People will re-visit blogs, but mass attention often comes to those who craft one worthwhile post. Another way to say that is, one post can attract several hundred thousand visitors, some of whom will bookmark the blog (most won't these days), but the days of getting attention for a personal blog by posting a lot seem to be over.

5. You have to blog about what people want to read about. Despite the utter complexity of the Web, there are patterns and some predictability to the buzz. I am amazed by Digg Labs, which shows what people are digging. It's fun to just get all of their tools running in tabs and see what people are attracted to. Today, it has something to do with Faith Hill in a swimsuit. A few days ago, Web users were drawn to the presidential debates. I also regularly visit Google Trends Hot Topics, Yahoo Buzz, Techmeme, and Technorati to see what people are blogging about. Some of the Google Trends Hot Topics are really interesting and reveal what people are into these days -- it's a cultural thermostat that changes every few hours, and there's no telling who or what will end up in the top ten. The temptation is to write about your passions -- what you care about. Fine, but it turns out that no one will read it.

6. Just make a list. Okay, if you are new to blogging, this is the best tip of all. I don't know why they attract attention, but they always do. Top 49 most influential men, 7 Wii tricks, 25 Tweaks for your Firefox Status Bar are all climbing up the Digg charts. Of the 50 Diggs at the Swarm site (which shows what people are digging in real-time), half of them are lists. I think it is our nature to accumulate lists of things, to make us feel smart, and to maybe one-up our co-workers and friends. "I know these Wii tricks and you don't so that makes me better." I think lists will finally stop attracting the most attention someday, once everything in the universe has been listed.

So, what have you learned about blogging? Post your list (ahem) in comments.