Blog Boggled: Me, Me, Me--How About You?

           I've really been milking Alex J Cavanaugh's  Blogging Idiosycrasies Part Two and Blogging Idiosycracies Part One, but it's a topic that I too enjoy examining and it's what I frequently post about on Monday's Blog Boggled feature.  I'm a student of blog science and if you are a blogger then you should be as well. 

          Aren't we all a little curious about why people would want to visit our blog?  What would bring them back again?   Why they would follow?   What we can do to keep our blog posts interesting enough to keep readers coming back and leaving comments?    How important is blog content?

          The topic of talking about oneself as blog content was one thought that arose in the comment section of Alex's second post.  This is what I want to address today.   Is blogging about oneself merely egocentric information that no one else wants to hear or does it have relevance?


          Let me cite the following from that comment section: 

         L. Diane Wolfe said, "I try not to talk about myself all the time. Those who do seem egotistical and it becomes annoying."

         To which Alex replied, "Easily annoyed, Diane? Yeah, I couldn't talk about myself. I wouldn't know what to say."

          I would agree and disagree with both statements.   I really enjoy when L. Diane Wolfe tells about where's she's been and what she's been doing.  I want more information about book promo events or speaking engagements.  I think those of us who read Spunky's blog think of her as a friend even though most of us don't know her in real life.  When she relates anecdotes about herself it allows us to feel that the friendship is more real.   Learning about her life as an author, speaker, and motivator is something that we can learn from as well.

          Likewise, I wouldn't mind hearing more stories about Alex's life.  Especially when the book promo begins I hope he will keep us filled in on some of the things he encounters and the people he meets.  Those of us who are interested in becoming authors want to know more about the process of writing, publishing, and promoting.  Tell us more, Alex.  

         Patricia Stoltey expressed this well when she said, "I like to know about a writer/blogger's life and interesting things about his environment and experiences, both personal and writing-related. And I like hearing how a writer is promoting his work, new small publishers, and agent searches."



           As far as the sentiment of bloggers who talk about themselves becoming "egotistical and annoying", I don't think L. Diane really meant this as a blanket statement which really encompassed all.  Not to be overly presumptuous, but I think I know what she was talking about and she didn't have most of you in mind.  She would probably have a similar view as Patricia--at least that would be my guess.

           I can think of some wonderful examples of bloggers who often talk about their own personal lives.  Ruby from Blabbin' Grammy gives us homey recounts of what's happening in her life.  Many of us find her writing style to be engaging and it's like a daily serial that readers can really get involved with.  Gosh, I feel like I know her and even like she's a relative or something.  Style combined with content counts on this blog.

           Then there's the wonderful poet Yvonne from Welcome to My World of Poetry.  Many of her poems have to do with things in her past or her present activities.  She is another blogger whom many of us have come to love because we feel like we know her.  She uniquely passes us this personal information through her cleverly written and often heartfelt poetry.  Even her award presentations and best of lists are delivered as poems.  I for one truly enjoy my regular blog visits with Yvonne, not to forget that she is an amazingly prolific and thoughtful commenter.

             There are so many other wonderful blogs where the authors talk about themselves, such as Karen Walker's Following the Whispers,  Teresa at Journaling Woman,  Diana at Welcome to My World, and many more.

             Then of course, yours truly blogs about himself often.  I hope I haven't bored anyone with my stories about my past and anecdotes about current happenings, my lists of favorite things, or any of the other information that I reveal about myself.   My intent is to entertain and to share some of my knowledge and get feedback about the knowledge that you have that relates to what I've talked about.  It's like a conversation on a train with a stranger--sometimes random and pertaining to wherever the conversation happens to go.

            There are many blogs out there and many blog friends to be had.  Personally, I do agree with what L. Diane Wolfe said about some blogs being a little annoying, or perhaps it might be better to say not interesting to me.  If I don't enjoy the writing style I will more than likely soon be gone. If there is nothing for me to relate to then I will likely lose interest.  But, let's face it, there is something for all sorts of tastes in the world of blogging and I'm not going to judge what someone else wants to read.   One the other hand, I know what I like.

            What kind of content appeals most to you?   Do you like to hear about a blogger's personal life and interests?   Does writing style and originality trump content?  Or will good content keep you coming back even if the blog posts are poorly written?  Do you like to write about yourself?  Why or why not?