I wanted to do a quick follow up to yesterday’s post regarding poker blogs. I got a few emails from people asking what they should write about. First off, I have no idea what you should write about. The important thing is to find your little niche. I tend to post very infrequently about poker. I post a lot about things poker related. I tend to talk post about poker sites, other blogs, the poker industry, and here and there I’ve been known to write some posts people find funny. That’s MY style. It’s not right for everyone. I don’t know if HDouble could do comedy but he writes the hell out of a strategy post. I always check in with MeanGene for his take on televised poker. I know Pauly’s got solid, interesting tournament coverage. If they tried to do what I do they probably won’t do it well and if I tried to do what they do I would likely fail in a spectacular fashion.
That’s why I said in my Poker Blogs post that this is my creative outlet. I experiment with things. I write about this or I write about that and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. The whole idea of poker blogging is to find your little zone. If you can find that zone you’ll likely find an audience. If you’re trying to copy me or Iggy or BG you’re going to fail. There’s no secret to successful blogging.
You do need to find a niche, but you need to find a niche that you want to write about. If you don’t care about the subject then people will be able to tell. The author of this blog explains how he writes about what poker related stuff because that is his style, he writes what he feels not what he thinks everyone whats to hear. This is the secret in my opinion if you try to please everyone you would please anyone.
I completely agree with finding your zone. It’s a creative outlet for the author, not the readers. The readers benefit by the author’s insight and perspective, or simply by the pleasure of reading a well written piece. Nobody who has ever tailored their work to try to appeal to the widest audience has turned out anything greater than a mediocre product.
Oh, and do what Joaquin says – naked chicks. That will bring them in like flies to horsecrap.
I found my “little niche”, but she was under 18 and now I’m playing NL with the Boys in Folsom Prison. the problem is, whatever hand you play, they win.
Keep up the good work, I agree totally with what your saying about poker blogs
MEP
clrusso,
The best advice I can give is to write something worth linking to. I’m not saying that as a reflection on anything you’ve written but in the more general sense that if you write things people find interesting they’ll want to share what they’ve found with others.
I’m thinking about doing a much more detailed post on this soon so I’ll not try to make my point here. Stay tuned and I’ll explain my personal issue with link requests.
Bill
This issue hits home with me, because I’m new to the blogging scene, not to mention the poker bloggers community.
I started my blog to showcase my (stinky) science fiction writing. In that section of the blogging world, links were freely exchanged because networking is important (meeting editors, publishers, etc.)
Well, the writing thing petered out and I started playing poker. My blog has reflected this change.
As I read other poker blogs I would innocently ask them to exchange links. Needless to say, I didn’t get a good response.
Here I am, not making any money from my blog, nor intending to, simply trying to be neighborly. What I got, in no uncertain terms was “What can you do for me?”
Well, what if I just want to be part of the community and be able to share what I write with others? What’s it hurting you (plural ‘you,’ not anyone specific)to link to my site? At worst, people come to my site through yours, and the return traffic isn’t so heavy. So what?
I doubt I’m getting my point across successfully. Let me finish by saying that I’ll add anyone who asks to my site. Stinky writing, subversive ideas, whatever. Community is a web- the more strands, the stronger it is.
I say that sex sells well, Bill. Get naked girls on your blog…yes, that’s the ticket.