How do I clarify my blog's purpose?

[Andreas]

Hi, everybody.

This post is basically a thoughtball! Not to mention the most candid of my posts yet. This may not come out as the most polished thing I've ever written, but I need to write this thread out – now. I'm so sick of this indecisive feeling. This post has oversights and mistakes in it guaranteed, but I'm just hear to fail my way forward at this point.

Long story short, I started a site (http://byteful.com) as an vehicle to grow and to contribute to the world, yadda yadda yadda. Not too complicated right? Right. Because I'm a Renaissance soul, or someone who has too many passions in life to pick just one, I felt the need to mirror the site after myself, namely having it be multifaceted. I created a gallery for my photography, graphic design, and 3d stuff; I created a Blip.TV account to host some video projects I was working on, and I created a blog as the heart of it. (Incidentally, my graphic design skills have made somewhat of an effect.)

After six months, I'm having trouble with clarity. I'm not sure what the focus of the blog should be. So far I've written about my photography adventures, blogging itself (which is painfully to profuse in the blogging community. everyone writes about that), creativity, success, and put some of my poetry up there. I was just playing around in the beginning, but now I question the direction of what I'm doing. I know that if the blog doesn't have some kind of focus, it's doomed to failure.

Am I going to be uncategorizable if I keep this up? Part of me says follow your bliss, but how do I tie all of these seemingly separate disciplines under a common theme? What is my message anyway?


It's not easy being a renaissance soul.
Need. focus. purpose.

Oh, and in your replies, please be gentle.

[Patricia]

I can relate. Multiple blogs could be an alternative. One for each of your interests/passions. A network of blogs. That would give focus to each blog while allowing you to write on a diversity of topics. This is what has worked for me and it's lots of fun! In my case it's even "worse" because one of my main passions is writing. Being a Renaissance soul can be fun if you embrace it.

[Brutha]

What is my message anyway?

If you have no message what is the point of writing a blog, and reading it?

[Patricia]

Originally Posted by Brutha

If you have no message what is the point of writing a blog, and reading it?

I think what Andreas means is that there are too many things he wants to write about, not the other way around. Having too many things to write about makes it difficult to give his blog a focus, which might give the impression that there's no clear message. At least that's what I think he's saying. Still, even if there's no clear message, a blog can be a tool for a lot of things, from self-expression to self-discovery/journaling, from practicing writing skills to getting in touch with like-minded people and everything in between. I think a better question to ask here is what he expects from this blog, why he wants to have one in the first place. I think he already answered that, though:

I started a site (Byteful Blog) as an vehicle to grow and to contribute to the world...

So, I really think it's just a matter of accepting the blog for what it was originally intended for and embrace its diversity or organize the diversity in separate blogs - hence my suggestion...

[Andreas]

Originally Posted by Patricia

I can relate. Multiple blogs could be an alternative. One for each of your interests/passions. A network of blogs. That would give focus to each blog while allowing you to write on a diversity of topics. This is what has worked for me and it's lots of fun! In my case it's even "worse" because one of my main passions is writing. Being a Renaissance soul can be fun if you embrace it.

That's a good idea, but lately I feel as if the interests are consolidating. That's a good feeling. Recently someone pointed out to me that everything I create falls under "artistic/creative expression". Thanks for encouragement regarding being a RenaiSoul.

Originally Posted by Patricia

I think what Andreas means is that there are too many things he wants to write about, not the other way around. Having too many things to write about makes it difficult to give his blog a focus, which might give the impression that there's no clear message. At least that's what I think he's saying.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Thank you for articulating that.

Originally Posted by Patricia

Still, even if there's no clear message, a blog can be a tool for a lot of things, from self-expression to self-discovery/journaling, from practicing writing skills to getting in touch with like-minded people and everything in between. I think a better question to ask here is what he expects from this blog, why he wants to have one in the first place. I think he already answered that, though

Growing is a consequence of contributing anyway. The question now is how does that contribution show up in a practical sense. And I would say artistic expression in the form of photography, graphic design, and occasionally video – all elaborated on and analyzed in written word (blog).

Big Mahalo to everyone! (mahalo means thank you)
While I may not be at 100% clarity yet, I'm closer now.

[Andreas]

Been thinking about the my site lately.

I'm considering reframing it's purpose to something like: "Providing a Fresh Look at the World through Photography and Graphic Design"

Yet there's the photography stories on the blog as well... how to tie in?

My About page just seems to be going in too many different directions. Help.


Self. Doubt. Learning. Experience. Ouch.

[Mr Jody Hudson]

I suspect there are many of us who are Generalists rather than strict Specialists; especially those who are drawn to this forum and it's symbiotes.

I like your Blog and suggest you just continue to add categories as they make sense to you and continue to post things that are in more than one category.

It looks very good. Now the challenge is to continue to post two or three times every day, at least!

[JeffS]

Tie it all together! Or try, anyway.

I mean, none of the topics you're discussing are uniquely yours ...that doesn't mean they aren't interesting, in your hands or anyone else's, but what IS uniquely yours is your combination of interests and your views of them.

So, what is it that makes all of these things interesting to the same person?

One of the fascinating things for me reading Steve's blog is how consistent the message is, despite the fact that he writes about a really broad range of stuff. Notice how he manages to have some reference to programming or computer games somewhere in every single post...that's something that probably no other PD blogger can claim. That's a pretty weak thread to use to tie things together, but it does make his PD blogging stand out.

Most of all, to echo some other comments, just keep writing. The purpose of many blogs is that of a public journal ... the blog itself can help you find the purpose of the blog. It's circular, I know, but so is PD .