How do you define your blog?

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So, the SA Blog Awards is going on as I type this. There seem to be varied opinions on the awards and their purpose. This post is not about that.

I got to thinking, through all time leading up to the awards, how does one define your blog in a single category? I mean, on this blog I’ve written about the web, coding, design, music, cooking and more. How do I define what “category” my blog falls under? Or, for that matter, do I define it?

In short, my question to you all is,

“Does one need to define one’s blog into specific categories?”

Bare in mind, I’m referring prodominantly to personal blogs here, not necessarily topic-specific blogs, as that goes without saying really.

Comments

7 responses to “How do you define your blog?”

  1. Graham Avatar
    Graham

    You have feeds for each tag? Perhaps have 2-3 “major” tags, one of which is used in each post, and people can subscribe to the techie version or the everyday version?

    Reply
    1. Matty Avatar
      Matty

      True, true. Thanks Graham. That does sound like a plan. 🙂

      What I was referring to though was morea question of “does your blog have to be defined in specific categories?” and, if it does, how does one define that in a personal blog? Is that considered limiting one’s personal blog growth?

      Thanks for your comment. 🙂

      Reply
  2. NielDLR Avatar
    NielDLR

    I don’t think your blog has to be defined. If you write about things that interest you it is defined as a personal blog. That’s how I see it.

    Reply
  3. Laura Avatar
    Laura

    I agree with Niel – a personal blog is one that doesnt really fit a category but is about the writers life in general!

    BUT I do get the need to define it further because it is very broad then! I dont think you should have to define it. If you are writing it specifically to WIN an award then yes I suppose you need to define it and figure out what the judges would look for in a personal blog. If you are writing purely for the sake of writing and to gain something deeper than an award then no I dont think you HAVE to define it!

    I also dont think its limiting as nothing is set in stone – so you can start as a personal blog and then realise your photography or technical posts are the most popular so shift focus to that!

    How do I define my blog? Well its MINE – I write what I want when I want 🙂

    Reply
  4. Matty Avatar
    Matty

    @NielDLR : I agree. A personal blog is definitely a defining category.

    @Laura : Agreed. Nothing is set in stone with a personal blog. Over time, many blogs that I read have developed and shifted focus. It almost seems to be the natural nature of a blog. 🙂

    Your last line is awesome. “I write what I want when I want”. Totally the defining factor of a personal blog. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Brendon Avatar
    Brendon

    I’ve heard it countless times from “blogging experts” – Be specific, target an audience. It seems that being specific and targeting a niche will mean that readers will come back more regularly for another bite of the cake that they like. Maybe that’s true, that by being too broad in your range of topics that it’ll have an unsettling effect to a potential regular visitor. That makes sense in a lot of ways. But really dude, I believe that the web medium should be about freedom, no constraint. I think that a person writing about varying topics makes the content more interesting as a whole. If the blog isn’t a business or corporation tool, then it’s a reflection of the person. And interesting people don’t only have one interest. Although I could be on my own here 🙂

    Reply
    1. Matty Avatar
      Matty

      Hey Brendon. Thanks for the comment. 🙂

      Yeah man, I totally agree. Interesting people surely have more than 1 interest. 😛

      Yeah, I think it probably boils down, like you said, to the purpose of the blog. If there’s a clear niche, and it’s business or corporate geared, the definition is clear. A personal blog is, by default, personal- thereby showcasing the interests of the blogger.

      It could also be defined by the blogger’s writing, actually. I mean, what if the person writes about a range of topics, but from similar angles? Another item to add to the seemingly endless list of possible ways to define one’s blog. 😛

      Reply

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