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The Changing Face of Interlinking Blogging Culture [And the Impact of Twitter]

Posted: 02 Apr 2009 02:07 AM PDT

Today at SMX Sydney Rand Fishking and I had a pretty cool chat about how Twitter (and other factors) might have changed the landscape of blogging and the way that people link up to one another.

I was going to sit down tonight to write up some reflections on the conversation but Rand beat me to the punch and wrote it up better than I could:

“In 2006, a popular blog post or piece of content would generate a remarkable amount of blogging activity. It wasn’t uncommon for a few hundred small & mid-size blogs & news sites to pick up a story, add their thoughts and create links. Today, even very popular pieces of content in the technology sphere are lucky to have two dozen blogs and traditional websites write about them. What’s happened? Darren and I proposed a few potential theories:”

I’ll let you read what those theories and some implications of that on Rand’s post - Could Twitter Cannibalize the Web’s Link Graph. I’d be fascinated to hear your thoughts in the comments section of his post.

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To have a Niche Focus with Your Blog or Not? Tips on Making the Decision

Posted: 01 Apr 2009 07:21 AM PDT

In this guest post Sherice Jacob from iElectrify and author of Get Niche Quick explores a question I get a lot - how should a blog be niche focused or not?

At one point or another, all bloggers have had to sit down and make a crucial decision with their blogs. Do you focus exclusively on one topic or do you cover several related subjects in an attempt to “cast the biggest net” and capture a larger share of visitors? Once you’ve decided - how will you profit from your new blog?

And as a side note, you can profit from your blog with more than just money. Added exposure, loyal readership and a greater marketing reach are just some of the many untapped “profits” that result from a popular blog. But deciding whether to “niche-ify” or expand is that one critical tipping point that influences your blog’s success more than any other.

Ultimately, your decision will likely reflect the amount of information on the subject, plus how much time (or not) you want to devote to it. Here are a few tips and insights to help make your decision easier.

To Niche or Not to Niche?

To successfully write a niche blog, you not only need an interest in the subject, but you need to come up with timely, detailed content about it that no one else has. Don’t be afraid to go deep into the subject - something that your competitors haven’t done because they either don’t know the answers or they’re afraid to do more than just skim the surface. Become known as the person who goes a little deeper, uncovers a little more and shares it with fellow fans and readers and you’ll reap an extremely loyal audience.

There is a downside to niche blogging, and that is the issue of “boxing yourself in”. Do you have enough to say about the subject to actually warrant a full-scale blog? Or will you run out of steam within the first few months? Sketch out possible titles and topics for articles if you have to - just to see how much time and effort you can devote to this blog.

Then there’s the question of serving ads or not. Consider your audience and their reasons for wanting to visit your site. Do you want to create more of a community around the topic or accentuate it with relevant, focused ads? Either way, you’ll need to prepare yourself to cultivate that niche blog until it thrives on its own.

One Blog, Many Topics

Having one blog cover several topics can be a great choice if you have the self-discipline to stick with it and give each topic its own space. My own blog (www.ielectrify.com) focuses on design and marketing tips - but each of these branches off into their own niches as well, such as copywriting, social marketing, email marketing and so on. A larger blog like this takes more time to develop and you may find yourself blogging for a year or more until you get a sizeable audience. That’s because there’s no defined topic. People who are interested in email marketing might not want to know about social networking, or people who are looking for copywriting tips might not care about adding audio or video to their site, but all of these sub-sections are necessary for the “big picture” of what it takes to have a successful design and high-converting content.

When It’s Good to Go Big

You’ll want to create a larger blog with broader categories if you have a subject that includes so many “pieces” to the overall puzzle that it’s impossible just to focus on one part alone. ProBlogger is a great example. Not only does it teach you how to make money with your blog, but you also find blogging tools, blog design details and freelancing/job posts as well - all conducive to helping you make a solid income as a blogger.

In the end, the decision to go with a niche blog or a larger content-focused blog depends largely on your goals for it and what you want out of it. Either choice has the potential to become a remarkable success as you continue to grow and develop it. Now get out there and start blogging!