Are Most Blog Posts Just A Ton Of Junk? Here&#039;s What I&#039;ve Figured Out L

Jim Murray

7 years ago · 4 min. reading time · ~10 ·

Blogging

Jim blog

Are Most Blog Posts Just A Ton Of Junk? Here's What I've Figured Out Lately.

This is a re-issue of an article I posted over in the Lumpy Kingdom Of Microsoft Hamsters in the spring of last year. But most of the points made here could be easily applicable to what’s going on today, because the issues this post revolves around are still very much with us. If anything they are even more chronic.

The posts people like
to Ee oh i those
that reveal the wost
about the writer

(f youre afraid to tell
eople what youre
really feeling, hen all
our posts Will ever be
is part of the clutter.

www.bebee.com

I’ve been thinking a lot about blogs these days. This is mainly because I’ve been doing a lot of blogging myself. But also because I am a student of communication and interested in what makes a blog post worth reading.
I've been reading a lot of posts lately on Pulse, (now beBee) and other business blog sites, and have seen enough patterns to identify several areas of concern from a writer's point of view.

This Could Make Me Very Unpopular In The Blogosphere.

OK, first of all, let's discard all the so called Influencer crap on LinkedIn, because most of this is just book/self-promotion or HR jive. And let's also discard the so called 'reportage', because most of this is just PR, a lot of which is even paid for.
The rest falls into the category of honest attempts to create posts that actually try and get a point across.
What follows might sound a little harsh, but I have been a reviewer and critic in many areas and one of the things I have learned is to honestly tell people what I saw. Otherwise, what’s the point of doing this in the first place?

Ton Of Junk?…Not Ton Of Junk?…You Decide.

1. A lot of people really don’t know how to write very well. This means that their posts are awkward, lack confidence and communicate poorly, which, in turn, makes them boring and in some cases, maddening.

2. Most bloggers don’t really want to give away too many trade secrets. So they tell you one or two tempting things and then pad their posts with a lot of crap. This can be very frustrating for readers because what starts out interesting ends up boring.
3. There is very little strategic thinking applied to blog posts. No matter what you are writing about it’s very important that you create a premise and then resolve it. Readers aren’t stupid. They will notice when you start to ramble, stray from the point or are just trying to bullshit them, and they will leave.
4. Hardly anybody uses their post as an invitation to engage or get closer to their readers. This astonishes me. Every blog post you write is supposed to reinforce your expertise. Assuming that you at least have done that, you really need at least try and take it to the next level and encourage contact, or at the very least comments and sharing.
5. A lot of posts are just regurgitated iterations of other posts. This, I assume, is because most people have drunk the 'content is king' KoolAid, but are somehow incapable of sustaining the creation of original posts, so they borrow a bit from here, a bit from there and a bit from themselves. This practice is derivative by nature and tells you very little you might find useful and hardly anything about that person’s talents. Ergo, no interest.
6. A lot of marketing oriented posts are filled with marketingese or psychobabble. This is to say that they pretend to go deep into a subject, but because the writers obviously have no intrinsic understanding of what they are talking about, they get lost and end up, well nowhere.
7. Many posts were nothing more than (Your Business Sector) 101. Very few posts went deep into their subject matter, instead they floated around on the surface, oblivious to the fact that their readers, like all readers, were looking for some indication of depth. People read blogs to both learn things and to get to understand the skill sets of the author. Telling them a lot of elementary stuff just makes these posts highly forgettable.
8. Very few posts challenge accepted norms. I think this is because people don’t like to rock the boat. They worry more about the people they could be alienating than those they could be converting. If people were more assertive in how they wrote, their posts would be more interesting and would most certainly get them closer to the business they are looking for.
9. Hardly any posts attempt to reinforce a core brand message. This is a serious flaw, because your blog is a part of your marketing program and as such, every post needs to support your core message, even if it’s just a brand oriented paragraph at the end, which almost none of the blogs I read bother to create. Duh.
10. A lot of bloggers want to have a top 10 list, (the irony is not lost on me here), even if they only have two or three things to say. This forces them to create a bunch of bullshit points that either stray from the main theme of the post or simply tell people stuff they already knew. This, of course, is boring too.

“Blogging is not easy. And any given post can make or break you.”
Me

Most of the blogs floating around in the ether exhibit a blissful lack of awareness of how their authors are seriously inhibiting the progress of their brand through lack of consistency, shallowness, borrowed interest and poor writing skills.
So the advice here, and it’s free, is to work on improving these areas. Be more authentic. Be honest. Be original. Share good knowledge. And for God’s sake, promote yourself.
I know this is much easier said than done. And I also know that almost everyone has a good sense of where their own skills lie. So if you're not willing to make the effort to spend more time avoiding everything in the points I have just made or hire someone to help you, maybe you should consider tweaking your marketing plan to eliminate blogging altogether. Real bloggers would thank you for it.
Finally, I don’t want you to think that I’m attacking the whole blogging community. There are also some very good posts that I read. But honestly, they were in the minority.

This Is A Big Social Media Problem

What got me thinking about this in the first place was a very interesting online slide show on the content marketing deluge.
This is something everybody should be aware of, because if the opinions I have expressed here have any relevance at all, good bloggers are in as much danger as the poor ones.
Check this out. It is some serious food for thought.
Crap: The Content Marketing Deluge

If your business has reached the point where talking to a communication professional would be the preferred option to banging your head against the wall or whatever, lets talk.
Download my free ebook, Small Business Communication For The Real World, here: 
https://onwordsandupwords.wordpress.com/2013/11/24/small-business-communications-for-the-real-world/
 All my profile and contact information can be accessed here:
 https://www.bebee.com/producer/@jim-murray/this-post-is-my-about-page  
All content copyright 2016 Jim Murray

""""

#Jim Murray #Ton #Posts #Blog Posts #Lumpy Kingdom

Comments

Martin Wright

7 years ago #47

Some good points qell made, especially the first one about them not being well written. When I look at my first post that definitely applies. But writing takes practice. A real difficulty is remaining original.

Jean-Yves Piton

7 years ago #46

Great points Jim. Especially on the thought provoking side of things, which we all need more of and benefit from. We don't move forward unless we question things.

don kerr

7 years ago #45

Jim Murray A 'Mur' classic. Will share. timeless advice.

Joyce 🐝 Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee

7 years ago #44

I rock the boat for the most part. It's a bit uncomfortable, because I'm usually in it.

Jim Murray

7 years ago #43

#70
I could not disagree more with the concept of writing being a dead art. Have you been to Chapters or Barnes and Noble lately?

Jim Murray

7 years ago #42

#78
Nothing like going to bed with a good laugh in your head. Thanks Amigo.

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #41

#76
I appreciate your saying that. But you do just as well your self. And perhaps you should monetize promo space in your comments thread who clearly feel they can boost their visibility by piggybacking on your work.Just joking, of course. Or not.

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #40

#76
Yea, I see that. But perhaps you could monetize promo space in your comments thread for would-be writers who can't get noticed otherwise. Just joking, of course. Or not.

Jim Murray

7 years ago #39

#75
Phil Friedman Not at all. I simply fall back on that old chestnut, the 80 20 Differential, which states that the 80 is all crap of one kind or another. Not our stuff, of course. It's wonderful. Thanks for the repost. I'd reciprocate but you already have everybody reading your stuff. It seems kind of redundant. :)

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #38

Jim Murray, if I understand you correctly, the halcyon days of Blogelot are over and Sir Scirbe has screwed the pooch. Does that sum it up?

Devesh 🐝 Bhatt

7 years ago #37

The audience and the bloggers are not exclusive of each other. If someone is posting a lot of crap it is very much possible that they also read and appreciate crap. So it works for them and they will milk it while it lasts, even though they identify it as wrong and are well aware about those who know how to do it right. No matter how many people claim they appreciate good content and perhaps a contrarian view, they simply do not appreciate it when they read it.

Joyce 🐝 Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee

7 years ago #36

I don't write about business. I write fiction and nonfiction. If there is a 'moral' to the story, it's in there.

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #35

#62
Chas, not everything that is simple or straightforward is clear. But no, I have no interest in over-thinking a statement that I believe intuitively is just wrong.Cheers!

Jim Murray

7 years ago #34

OK...so I write this shit to stimulate conversation, debate or whatever, and I'm always happy when that can be achieved. So thanks everybody.

Milos Djukic

7 years ago #33

#49
That's true Phil Friedman. There were some big "battles" on LI. Thank you for that. Best Regards, Milos

Randy Keho

7 years ago #32

#55
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink Gerald Hecht Oops. My apologies. It slipped my mind that you recently had an unfortunate experience with horses and water. At least Bob was enjoyable. "Don't go changing, to try and please me." That Billy Joel, what a character.

Randy Keho

7 years ago #31

#50
There is no insight without understanding Phil Friedman I challenge you to visit the closest school and tell the English teacher that "insight is the meat of the sandwich, whilst the rest is only garnish." In addition to the teacher, I doubt that any parent would find that to be an acceptable approach to teaching language to their children, either. On the other hand, with texting quickly becoming the favorite mode of communication, anything is possible. is there an emoji for failure to graduate?

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #30

#51
Gerry, to quote (or maybe paraphrase) Chas Wyatt, "One man's garbage is another man's treasure." I am not sure what that really means, but I am sure I will figure it out --- just as soon as I understand the meaning of life. Perhaps, one man's dumpster is another man's castle. Cheers!

Randy Keho

7 years ago #29

I applaud your encouragement of others to continue writing. However, the act of writing itself does not lead to improvement. There must be a conscious effort to continue learning more about the skill. Otherwise, there will be an endless repetition of the same mistakes. #22

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #28

#38
Gerald, genuine insight neither requires, nor assures brilliance of expression. Yet, it is the insight which is the meat of the sandwich, whilst the rest is only garnish. (I've been spending too much time poring over the scrolls of Chung King these days --- or maybe the egg rolls, I am not sure.)

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #27

#47
Milos, I do as well, as you know. My position has always supported providing a level playing field in social media publishing when it comes to providing reach (exposure). For that is the only way to assure a meritocracy. Cheers!

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #26

#40
Chas, that may be true, but only in the sense that one person's treasure is, without question, valuable to THAT person. However, that value may or may not transfer over to "the market". If it did, all artists would be monetarily wealthy.

Milos Djukic

7 years ago #25

#35
Phil Friedman, I agree LI has double standards. I am not an expert in any particular field of expertise, including writing, but I also support all dedicated writers who have not yet earned well-deserved attention. And there are plenty of them, here.

Milos Djukic

7 years ago #24

#33
Yes sure Jim Murray. Thank you for your help, support, advice and this article. As you know, I am a great admirer of your writing.

Mohammed Abdul Jawad

7 years ago #23

#42
Gerald Hecht Be spirited and keep expressing well...and that's double jubilation.

Jim Murray

7 years ago #22

#37
Paul Walters. I'm glad I could be of some small assistance in helping you see the reality of your life would actually involve things like drain snakes and spanner wrenches and none of the foolish keyboard stuff.

Paul Walters

7 years ago #21

Jim Murray Oh dear!!!!! Ok thats it. Writing career over...off to plumbing school for me !!

Mohammed Abdul Jawad

7 years ago #20

#12
Milos Djukic What's the uses of learning when you spread not your insights? Come up, with human-touch stories that carries a parable, your perceptions and few precepts at the end. Be bold, be active and start buzzing to make beBee popular!

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #19

#31
Milos, I don't really agree with John C. Abell, when he says, "Readers know when you don't know your subject". Social media, and particularly LinkedIn, nurtures an environment in which people are encouraged to "fake it until they make it", and to self-certify as experts. I believe that over time, in many cases, pretenders and posers will be found out. But only if true experts are willing to speak up, and even then oft times only after a lot of damage can be done.

Jim Murray

7 years ago #18

#27
Thanks Milos Djukic. I don't really think of my writing as content marketing. I attach no expectation to it. I just do it because that's what writers do. My business does not rely on this writing in any way.

Mohammed Abdul Jawad

7 years ago #17

#7
Jim Murray Agreed.

Milos Djukic

7 years ago #16

#28
Jim Murray, It seems to me that the key statement was proposed by John C. Abell, LI Senior Editor: "Readers know when you don't know your subject". With an experience, we gain the ability to recognize someone's knowledge, even if it is not from our professional field. The need to write on social media may be something quite abstract or very intimate, but also a source of money, success and fame. The essence is in balance. After all, everyone chooses their motives and intentions.

Jim Murray

7 years ago #15

#25
Aurorasa Sima...part of the reason I write some of these posts is to challenge people a bit. But this post was written originally on LI at a time when there was a lot of real crap being post on their publisher. I just thought that some of the insights were valid now as well as then.

Milos Djukic

7 years ago #14

#22
In that case, you can close your eyes for a moment :) Writing is the undistorted image of yourself. This does not apply in the case of content marketing.

Milos Djukic

7 years ago #13

#22
Absolutely not Jim Murray. I will be even more open, and repeat once again: "Some of the characteristics of today's social media writing: Lightweight pastime, nothing more. Nicely packed, colorful and controversial nonsense. Amateurism of a painless white noise information. Writing is an exclusive and privileged activity. This is a reflection of your mind, when it makes sense. In the second case (hyper productivity - I am a "productive" writer syndrome), it's a nonsense. After all, writing is a serious profession." - from "The Agony and Ecstasy of Social Media Writing", LI long-form post published on September 16, 2014 Content marketing‎ and killed writers.

Milos Djukic

7 years ago #12

I'm staying in defense of all who are imperfect writers.

Jim Murray

7 years ago #11

I hope that I haven't turned anybody off writing. That's not the intent. I have done many other posts where I make it clear that everybody who has the desire should write, and keep writing because the more you do the better you get. Everybody has to start somewhere. But there are a lot of people who are only writing to fulfill some sort of digital marketing mandate, and these are the people who aren't so intent on really communicating as they are just throwing crap at the wall and seeing what sticks.

Milos Djukic

7 years ago #10

"Extrinsic writing motivation is provided through the support, human attention and interaction. The process of transmitting messages to the curious reader requires knowledge, dedication, writing skills and fresh ideas. Someone's writing must have color, clear personal touch and scent." - from "The Agony and Ecstasy of Social Media Writing", LI long-form post published on September 16, 2014

Milos Djukic

7 years ago #9

#17
It is very easy for a writer to surrender in front of the pervasive and intoxicating magnetism of superficiality. It's costly and has unpredictable consequences. That's the main reason why any social media, will hardly become a platform for quality writing. But, yes we can help. Writing does not have to be only marketing and self-promotion. Then, flaws are not important.

Milos Djukic

7 years ago #8

Only one trivial or non-genuine article may cause disappointment among the audience, but more important is severe emotional dislocation of self. Nevertheless, below average article was never one that is written from the bottom of one's heart.. "Of all that is written, I love only what a man has written with his own blood" - Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Milos Djukic

7 years ago #7

Or "It is better not to write at all than to write nonsense." That's why I write less and less. I almost stopped completely.

Jim Murray

7 years ago #6

#3
Thanks Nicole Chardenet. I have done several posts on the technics of blogging that have included your advice prominently.

Jim Murray

7 years ago #5

#5
Ren\u00e9e Cormier....Actually being a good writer isn't a necessity. But being an organized presenter of info is.

Jim Murray

7 years ago #4

#2
. Pretty much. Fortunately are you move along you get more selective about what you write and choose to read.

Jim Murray

7 years ago #3

#4
Gerald Hecht. I don't believe your comment for one second, Gerry. Keep doing what you are doing, You are part of the group that keeps the standards high, self-depricating humor not withstanding.

Mohammed Abdul Jawad

7 years ago #2

Jim Murray Well on the theme of volumnious content, I presume that on a closer analysis we can witness how this creeping digital and social media world has left every user overloaded with junk of information. Too much data keeps weakening our memories, and it has left us lost, like a vagabond, in the virtual world.

Mohammed Abdul Jawad

7 years ago #1

Jim Murray Well on the theme of volumnious content, I presume that on a closer analysis we can witness how this creeping world has left every user overloaded with junk of information. Too much data keeps weakening our memories, and it has left us lost, like a vagabond, in the virtual world.

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