At this writing, I’ve posted over 420 weekly round-ups of content that I think would be of interest to IT project managers. Without counting, I’d guess about 9,000 links. Curating so many lists has naturally led me to some opinions on what makes content interesting. So, here are a few thoughts for my fellow bloggers and other content producers.

• Visualize your audience and keep them in mind when choosing topics. Write about Why and When and How they can do something useful. Create value for them
• I generally leave out generic stuff that reads like it was bought from internet copywriters or placed by some marketing team. Be original
• I also bypass the topics that have already been done to death. Start a new dialog
• Good search engine optimization technique certainly has value, but it’s no substitute for good content. Don’t let SEO get in the way of what you want to communicate
• Use facts and diagrams. Provide links to reputable sources. Show your math
• Don’t make unsupportable claims. Don’t present conventional wisdom as if it were controversial and don’t present the controversial as settled. Maintain your integrity
• Read your own drafts like a skeptic. Aspire to be valued as a trusted resource
• Let people know who you are—put your name on your work. If you have a good reason to post anonymously, you can use a pseudonym
• Post an About page with your biography, a good headshot, and an EMail address that you don’t mind being exposed to the general public
• Turn on comments on your blog posts. You can meet some interesting people that way
• I took a lot of the pictures embedded in my posts, including the three on this page. Stock photos are fine, but be willing to expose your personality to your readers. Be willing to be liked
• You are building your brand. Be mindful of what you say, but express your opinions in a way that will make your readers think. Be interesting
• It’s good to have well-founded opinions, and most people like reading well-written, opinionated content. Try to say something profound and memorable
• I regularly include links to opinions I disagree with, and frequently adjoin articles with differing or supplementary opinions in a “point / counter-point” sequence
• “Omit needless words.” Read The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White
• Use your spell checker and grammar checker. There are many bloggers whose work would benefit tremendously from proper editing
• Write clearly—ambiguity is for Christopher Nolan films
• Sell the good stuff; you don’t need to discredit the alternatives. Take the high road
• Be insightful. Aspire to be quotable
• Good expository writing is well-structured. It provides some history, explores the issues and alternatives, convinces, stimulates, and calls to action. Especially if the action is to compose a rebuttal. Aspire to start a debate or even a ruckus

Thanks to all of you who take the time to produce good content—it’s appreciated. And thanks to everyone who reads these round-ups and the other content I post here. I get a lot of enjoyment out of writing this stuff and interacting with the readers. Peace be with you!

Title

Article Name

Advice to New (and Established) Bloggers

Description

Curating over 420 weekly lists with about 9.000 links has naturally led me to some opinions on what makes content interesting.

Author

Dave Gordon

The Practicing IT PM LLC