The JackB

"When you're in jail, a good friend will be trying to bail you out. A best friend will be in the cell next to you saying, 'Damn, that was fun'." Groucho Marx

What Is Your Blog About?

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I just received an email from a reader who wants to know what my blog is about. Or should I saw that they complained that my blog is about too many topics. I thanked them for their concern and promised to address it.

Since your email was so thoughtful I decided that I would apply the same attention to my response.

So dear reader, here are the top 49 posts I have written, or at least one of my stat counters says that these have received the most visitors. I don’t know if they have received the most comments, but they seem to have received the most visitors.

Now I can’t tell you if there is any real meaning in any of this. I haven’t gone through this list with a fine tooth comb so I can’t provide you with as many important and powerful stats as you might like.

But what I can say is that these 49 incredibly powerful, insightful, moving and educational posts talk about writing, blogging, parenting, education, dad blogging, schools, the universe, mean moms, life/death, sex but no drugs or rock and roll, Tim Tebow,  Pinterest, Social Media, Moms, CNN, UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Pan Am, Why Cleveland sucks, movies, electronics, television, books, the Kindle, the Spindle, records, CDs, DVDs, Laser Discs, Floppy Disks, Brake Jobs, Boob Jobs and corn dogs.

Plus if you read every post and leave a thoughtful and intelligent comment on each one you might win a prize from Ronco, Fedco and Gemco not to mention KTEL and the Blue Chip Stamp people.

And because I love you best before I provide you with the links here is footage from a cruise you should consider taking

  1. The Cure For Insomnia
  2. The Best Cover Letter….Ever
  3. One Slightly Used Pump For Sale  )
  4. Why Steve Jobs Isn’t Important Now
  5. Some Things I’ll Teach My Children (Updated)
  6. Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog
  7. A Letter To The Universe
  8. Mean Girls Come From Mean Moms
  9. Do Things Happen For A Reason?
  10. Dealing With Divorce
  11. 666 Devilish Ways To Become A Social Media Superstar
  12. What Happens To Your Facebook Account When You Die
  13. Your Blog Bores Me
  14. 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer
  15. Bloggers Are Narcissists
  16. An Open Letter To Triberr Members
  17. Teach Your Children To Be Responsible With Money
  18. He Didn’t Die
  19. The Most Important Things In Life
  20. I Should Have Slept With Her…. Again
  21. Jesus Hates Tim Tebow & 17 Other Reasons Why Your Blog is a Failure
  22. Never Bet Against A Sicilian When Death Is On The Line
  23. The Pinterest Predicament & The Rule Of Four  )
  24. My Children Confront Death Again
  25. A Whiter Shade Of Pale
  26. He Died A Hero
  27. How Frequently Should You Update Your Blog
  28. And Justice For All
  29. The Most Valuable Possession
  30. It Wasn’t Worth Getting Arrested
  31. Spit Or Swallow
  32. 100 Best Movie Lines in 200 Seconds
  33. The Perfect Blog Post
  34. Please Don’t Steal My Content
  35. When Mean Girls Grow Up
  36. The Phone Sex Surprise
  37. How To Write The Perfect Blog Post
  38. Build Connections & Community
  39. Do You Still Beat Your Wife
  40. The Story Of A House- The Final Days
  41. How To Deal With Mean Girls & Mean Moms
  42. Writers Write Right
  43. The Naked Truth
  44. The Children Of September 11
  45. WordPress Comments Vs Livefyre
  46. The Best Bloggers Are Storytellers Part 2
  47. What Is A Dad Blogger? Or How One Man Made Millions From Blogging
  48. The Rules Of Blogging
  49. Your Blogging Privileges Have Been Revoked

Much love and affection,

Jack

P.S. Try not to take yourself so seriously, I don’t.   😉

(Visited 159 times, 1 visits today)

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Comments

  2. DadandBuried says

    I don’t think a blog’s topic – especially a dad or mom blog – is anywhere near as important on the angle or the voice of the writer. There are no new topics, there are only new approaches.
     
    http://www.dadandburied.com

    Reply

    • TheJackB says

       @DadandBuried I only write about new topics. Really, that is all I cover. For 8 years now I have cornered the market on new topics. That is new and not nude.

      Reply

  3. Late_Bloomers says

    Hi Jack,
     
    I thought it was: take a walk on the wild side, interesting perspective with the short bridge. 
     
    One blog = one topic = ok as you write about life, ludicrous in all other aspects. Can I only write about my *%&/  because some blinker wearing person tells me so? Love the metaphor about the sun, stars and planets, any shooting stars in sight?
     

    Reply

    • TheJackB says

       @Late_Bloomers A long walk on a short bridge can make for some wild times.
       
      I am used to receiving all sorts of different opinions about my posts and writing. It is like everything else, some love it and some hate it. Some are ambivalent and some are charged up enough to say something.
       
      It all depends on how you respond to it.

      Reply

  4. JanBierens says

    I would like to add: “I don’t take myself serious… No one else does…”.
     
    A few moments ago I commented on a blog post of a friend, that wanted to switch from the so-called niche blogging to a ‘free – format’ type of blog. This friend was worried about her blog going down in Google’s page rankings. I always advocated the “No niche blogging format”. 
     
    I like your cynicism. Just saying…
     
    // Jan 

    Reply

    • TheJackB says

       @JanBierens You don’t a niche to be successful. Be passionate. Be personal. Be consistent and just be.
       
      Cynicism is underrated.

      Reply

  5. herocious says

    My blog, TheOpenEnd, is about multimedia insights into any and every topic, at least that’s what it says on google. It’s really only about life though.

    Reply

  6. herocious says

    My blog features multimedia insights in any and every topic, at least that’s what the snippet says on google. It’s really only about life.

    Reply

  8. Vidya Sury says

    🙂 I ‘ve had that question frequently, Jack (considering that I’ve been blogging since 2003, one’s bound to ask that, right?).  At various times, I’ve felt, depending on my mood at the moment, that specialization is for perverts (irreverent I know and quite senseless, but makes you smile anyway, I hope), specialization is for pure researchers and that sort of excreta. 
     
    I think blogging is like a fun party with friends who bring more friends and more friends….and turns into a big group hug. 😀 That’s why I am happy. Never worry about stats/comments/shares. When they happen, that’s wonderful of course and very welcome. 
     
    (I’ve noticed that the last few times I visited here that little pop up on the bottom right hand corner consistently keeps recommending “Tales of a 40 year old nothing”. Hmm. Is it me, or who?)
     
    Anyway, I am bookmarking this post because I haven’t read all the 49 most popular here. 😀 And you know how much I enjoy reading. Variety IS the spice of life. Let’s never forget that.

    Reply

    • TheJackB says

       @Vidya Sury Hi Vidya,
       
      I think that our voice and our blogs change over time and that is ok. You started doing this a year before I did and I have to imagine that you have seen some of the same evolution/growth. It is a good thing.
      Blogging is a party and what party is fun without friends. I think if we are true to ourselves we build our community around us and good things happen. 
       
      You are most welcome to read any or all 49 posts, but better get started because you can blink and there will be 49 more. 😉

      Reply

  9. AnnieAndreHacks says

    I agree with Harleena, we write for our readers but write for ourselves too.  having said that, my husband walked in when i was playing the video on this post and started singing along with it. i’ve never heard the song before but anything that gets his toes tapping and vocal cords singing is alright by me. that’s all i have to say.. 

    Reply

    • TheJackB says

       @AnnieAndreHacks Hi Annie,
       
      Gordon Lightfoot is the original artist. He has a lot of other material that you might recognize from the 70s, Sundown, The Edmund Fitzgerald…
      I just love Johnny’s cover so I had to use it.
       
      If we don’t write for ourselves we lose a huge opportunity to take our readers on a more passionate and more interesting journey.

      Reply

      • BrandonPDuncan says

         @TheJackB I’m good, brother. Hanging in there as well as anyone could. Not overly happy about deploying again, but I signed the line, so…
         
        Looks like things are doing well around these parts. 🙂

        Reply

        • TheJackB says

           @BrandonPDuncan Well I hope it is an easy tour and that it goes quickly. Keep your head down.
          Things are crazy around here, lots of stuff going on but I think it is all going to be good.

          Reply

  11. JudyDunn says

    Most interesting topic, Jack. While Harleena is perfectly correct, it is your blog and you have the right to address any use and write whatever content you want, I have to say that, for me,  refining my blog’s niche was the best thing I ever did. It was the same way with our business when we moved from general, anything and everything marketing to online/social media marketing. People looking for an “expert” in that area naturally gravitated to us. And we got more clients. 
     
    I would have to know more about the 49 posts you list above to make a judgment, but if they were your most popular ones, each one could have drawn a different set of readers depending on tour topic. For instance, did some people come by Google so they were looking for content on a particular subject or person and were attracted by your headline or other keywords? (“Jesus,” “Tebow,” “Mean Girls,” etc.). So they might have been niched posts within a general blog. 
     
    I think that both kinds of blogs (general and niched) can exist and be successful but I also know that there are certain readers are looking for help with specific things and want to know that the blogger will stay fairly close to those topics (for instance parents who might not be  interested in knowing how to write or use social medai better).  As long as you are clear on the home page on what you are about (even if that “about” is about everything), I think you are okay. Just my humble opinion. 
     
    One funny thing. At first I couldn’t tell who you were addressing in the sentence right about the video for the song from the disaster pic The Poseidon Adventure. (With my not so stellar eyesight, I didn’t notice your final message below the links to your 49 posts. Thought you were telling me to get into a sinking ship.)  Haha. 
     
     

    Reply

    • TheJackB says

       @JudyDunn Hello Judy,
       
      I always tell my friends to take a long walk on a short bridge, to go play on the freeway or to sail on a sinking ship. 😉 It is all part of trying to be a lovable grouch.
       
      We are in agreement about most if not all of your points. There are significant benefits to being an expert in your niche. A blog can also be successful from a more general position.
       
      One of the things I want to tweak on my blog is the “about me” page. I think it addresses the salient points and anyone who reads it should have a much better understanding about what to expect here.
       
      But I think that it is important to revisit these pages at least quarterly just to see if there are ways to tighten things up.

      Reply

  12. StartYourNovel says

    I’ll tell you what, Jack, I think your blog is about being an American dad in the early 21st century.
     
    So in your blogging system that would be the Sun – the organizing principle – and all the other topics are like the planets spinning ’round it.

    Reply

    • TheJackB says

       @StartYourNovel Hi John,
       
      I hadn’t thought of describing it like that but I really like it. A blog is a bit like a universe filled with stars and planets.

      Reply

  13. Harleena Singh says

    Interesting question Jack!
     
    People surely would have asked you that question and it’s not surprising at all. However, I strongly feel that the more topics you are able to cover, the more audience you are able to reach and greater the connections.
     
    Besides that, what matters most is that this is your blog and you have all the right and freedom to cover and write about whatever you wish. Yes, we do tend to write for our readers as well, but if we can combine both things, that turns out well – isn’t it?
     
    Thanks for sharing this wonderful list, some of which I still haven’t gone through. 🙂

    Reply

    • TheJackB says

       @Harleena Singh Hi Harleena,
      I think there is something to that. It is a question of how you effectively you can cover those topics and what your goal is.
       
      Ultimately if we don’t write about the things that make us smile and fuel our fire we tend not to last very long as bloggers.

      Reply

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