A Blogging Manifesto

Cosmic Questions

What is it about blogging that turns me on, both in my own writing and in the writing of others? Why is it that certain blogs really irk me, while others strike just the right tone and cement my avid support? Why is it that some of my posts achieve broad readership and get picked up far and wide, while others, some of which I like a great deal, get read by only my most hard-core followers? And just to add a little more spice to this introspective rant, how much of my blogging is the result of pure narcissism versus my deeply-felt desire to share my domain expertise and perspective with a larger audience? These are not easy questions. And I feel almost naked asking them of myself. But I am having my own little mid-life blogging crisis and I want to use my writing as a vehicle for getting some answers. Right now.

Why I Blog

So let me start with the most basic question: why do I blog? Because my guess is that by answering this question, I will find the seeds of the answers to all the others. So the results of my Freudian "free association" exercise, following the form "I blog because...," are as follows:

1. I like to write
2. I like to be read
3. I like to read what I write because it is a window into my heart and my brain
4. I like it when people say "When I read your writing, I can hear you speaking"
5. I like the peace I feel when writing
6. I like the passion I feel when writing
7. I like to share my knowledge and experience with others
8. I like the recognition
9. I like the feedback
10. I like the connection to my audience
11. I like the challenge of writing something that people care to comment on and link to
12. I like seeing my Technorati/StatCounter/Feedburner numbers going up
13. I like to feel more hip than a normal Wall Street guy
14. I like being viewed as an expert
15. I like the new friends and colleagues I have made
16. I like the deals I've been shown, some of which I've invested in
17. I like to feel as one with the online world

Getting Introspective

I'm sure there are other reasons but I think this is a pretty good list. Looking at the 17 items it certainly answers a lot. What turns me on? See 1 through 17 above. Narcissism vs. desire to share? Some of both to be sure. And I'm ok with that. But what about those posts I write that get little pick-up, notwithstanding the fact that I think they're great? Oh, does that bug me! I can't help it. Why doesn't anyone like my stuff on creative destruction? Come on, folks. It's good stuff! At least to me. And that should be ok, right? Why does every post need to get picked up and spread all over? It shouldn't matter. As long as the writing is good, the points made relevant and that I feel good about it. I'm not sure I'm mature enough to feel that way, but I guess I'll try. Oh, and what about that practice of checking my page views multiple times a day. Who cares, right? But I'm always interested in both how many people and which people are reading my stuff. It's an addiction. Kind of like the Blackberry. And both habits are tough to shake. I'm trying to be more grown-up about this. But there is a certain excitement to being read and impacting the way people think about things. This is what really gets me off. Being an influencer. And influencer as the result of my ideas and my ability to communicate them, not my aesthetic tastes. Hmm, this explains a lot.

Getting to the Root of it All

So what really bugs me about other's blogs? Poor writing. Bad spelling. Weak analysis. "Safe," non-challenging positions. Simple aggregation without analysis. Cluttered, distracting pages. These are some of the hallmarks of sites that I find difficult to read. That said, there are exceptions to this rule. My friend Fred Wilson has a sickly-cluttered blog that takes too long to load because of its "widget farms."  But I enjoy A VC and read it every day. My other friend Howard Lindzon spells like crap and could take a course in modern English, but I enjoy his content and his firm stances on stocks, issues and people. So, as with most things in life, it is not simply black-and-white. But what Fred and Howard's blogs have in common relates to the quality of the content and the passion with which that content is delivered. I am apparently willing to look beyond cosmetic annoyances to get to the meat of the issue. This is good insight. Nice to know I'm not totally superficial, eh?

A Blogging Manifesto

In light of these conclusions, I'd like to put forth my own Blogging Manifesto. This may not work for you, but it does for me.

#1: Write with passion

#2: Write well

#3: Take a position - always

#4: Think about what your audience would like to read, but don't be limited by it

#5: Don't be obsessed with your readership; if your blog is good, they will come

#6: Leverage your experiences and domain expertise in your writing

#7: Be able to back up opinion with fact and cogent arguments

#8: Excellent content can make up for a lot of cosmetic annoyances

#9: Blog to live, don't live to blog

#10: Have thick skin; if you're not pissing anyone off and being criticized, you're probably not writing with enough conviction

So that's it. Take it for what it's worth. I hope you enjoyed the post, because I enjoyed the process of writing it.

Comments

[George]

After seeing you rip into Howard's writing, I don't feel so bad about some of my own sloppy writing.

[Kristian Hansen]

Roger, I agree with your thoughts about "Why" to blog.

Writing with passion and conviction are the hallmarks to online success. Couple those attributes with sharp wit and the ability to creatively criticize an idea (taking a stance) - and you have a good blog going.

Thats what I see on Fred and Howard's blogs each day and why I think they are so successful.

Kristian

[howard lindzon]

blogging awards is what would further destroy blogging.

the reward is in gettting a small conversation going and thinking through ideas for personal growth.

[Michael]

Roger,

Yes, mid-blogging crisis is a good way to put it.

Yaser, there are already TONS of blogging awards out there. In fact, I would say that their used to be a bubble in blogging awards about two years ago before some of the award sites folded/disappeared.

[Yaser Anwar]

There should be blogging awards, seriously. Maybe Howard will read this and he can do something about it!

Also, sir, if I can complain about one thing re: this blog would be the color. Maybe its just me, but it's a little tough to read and see at times.

Look fwd. to the new design.

Otherwise pls keep sharing your domain expertise, as I've learned a lot from your blog and networked with a few bright readers as well. Many thanks!

[Roger]

Brian, thanks for the kind words. I really appreciate the feedback. If this post is any indication hopefully you know how much this means to me.

Mike, am I catalyzing yet another mid-blogging crisis?!? You are a rock star, man. RE: feed readers, I do use a reader - sometimes. But I gotta tell you, A VC just isn't the same being consumed in a reader vs. the native site. I like the look and feel of many blogs, and Fred's is one of them. Sure, the widget crap irritates me, but it's vintage Fred and I simply like going to the site. I just do.

[Brian Lichtenberger]

Roger - I've been an avid reader of your blog for months now...I read it daily. I initially became interested because I work in the financial technology space and consume almost anything I can read about the industry. That being said, I've sincerely enjoyed your thoughts on the many ranges of topics your blog has covered, particularly topics outside of financial technology. I find your blog insightful and terrifically interesting. (As examples, I think you were way ahead of the curve on Sony/Microsoft/Private equity firms going public/the challenges of content providers monetizing content/impact of the internet on everything we do...I could go on.)

I read a lot of blogs and it's easy to get caught up in "blogging about blogs." Sometimes this is interesting but most often it is not. The problem I have with many blogs (which I believe you do as well) is that there's such a focus on talking about other blogs. Simply stated, who cares? I read your blog because you have specific expertise/knowledge that is insightful across a range of topics. What I'm trying to say is, please continue to do what you do best. Ignore the noise as best you can because it doesn't do your blog justice. I wish you continued success and will remain a loyal reader, especially if you continue to deliver interesting content. -BL-

[Michael]

You certainly pegged both Fred's and Howard's blogs. I keep telling Howard to turn on a damn spell checker but he just won't do it.

I like the manifesto. I've felt burned out on blogging for a loooong time now and I think it's time to shake things up a bit. Hmm...

Oh, one other thing -- I take it from the "cluttered pages" part that you don't use a RSS reader. You really should try using one. It'll save you a ton of time and spare you from having to load those cluttered sites (assuming the sites provide full feeds).