Choosing Your Topic: Difference between revisions

Choosing a successful topic is essential to the success of the overall blog <ref group=>Carroll, p. 140</ref><ref group=>Rehner, "Choosing Your Blog Topic"</ref>. A topic expresses one essential idea within writing and ties together each successive post <ref group=>Loos, "What is a Topic?"</ref>. Topics can seem to confine creativity, however focus within a blog topic opens [http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/10/06/blogs-without-topics-are-a-waste-of-time  creative possibilities]. A focused topic encourages the audience to engage more actively and interact as a part of a blog [http://www.briangardner.com/niche-blogging  community], ultimately enhancing the popularity of the blog. Creating a successful blog topic can take a significant amount of forethought and preparation through Brainstorming for Blogs, Focusing the Niche, Assessing the Idea and Finalizing the Topic.  

Brainstorming transforms creativity into [http://library.deerfield.edu/research_guides/us_history/topic_worksheet.pdf  organizational thought]. Individual brainstorming encourages writers to get out all of their ideas in order to focus and reorganize them into a cohesive concept through personalization and Brainstorming Methods<ref group=>Mind Tools Ltd., "Brainstorming"</ref>.

Begin brainstorming by writing down personal interests, dislikes, and topics that appeal to you. With a little introspection you can analyze and learn about yourself, your disciplines or “something that helps define your personality” <ref group=>Lucas, "Choosing a blog topic"</ref> and your passions. In addition to personal interest, you must have experience in your topic ideas in order to establish a credibility in your writing. Consider your personal experiences and how they have shaped who you are and your writing style, as well as your qualifications. Most importantly, use your [http://www.unm.edu/~pre/law/archuleta.htm  personal character] to your advantage when brainstorming in order to allow the audience to understand a little more about you. This transparency will not only make you a relatable online personae, but will also help form a specific audience and blogging community.

With so many topic ideas, it may be beneficial to use Brainstorming Methods in order to produce an organized and manageable view of your ideas. These methods allow you to break down unmanageable and overwhelming ideas into effective parts.

The [http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newISS_01.htm    Mind Mapping] Method encourages you to “get out of the realm of words alone and see how different spatial representations might help you see the relationships among your ideas" <ref group=>The Writing Center, "Brainstorming"</ref>. This [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_concept_mapping_and_mind_mapping_software    method] begins with a central idea and builds outward, incorporating all possible topic ideas.  

[http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newISS_01.htm    Free Writing] is another useful method, especially when facing the inevitable writer’s block, where writing starts and it does not stop. This method encourages continual thought, even through nonsensical ideas and pure imagination.  

Another great tool used in Brainstorming is [http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newISS_01.htm    Thinking Outside the Box], or a technique where you try to understand a concept from a different perspective and then relate it back to your initial idea. For example, imagine for a moment that you are writing about your own culture. Think of all the different possible meanings for culture, such as a bacteria culture or referring to a refined group of people, and try to relate those concepts back to your original topic. Often, this method gives you a different perspective than you may have originally identified.  

When a topic is narrowed and [http://litmuse.net/resources/digital-media/choosing-a-blog-topic    focused] into a niche, the writer can express more expertise on the subject, reach out to more people and essentially connect with like-minded people. In order to find your blog niche, focus on your blog’s purpose, differentiation and inspiration.

Your blog’s [http://weblogs.about.com/od/startingablog/tp/Top-Ten-Reasons-to-Blog.htm    purpose] will help focus the [[Readability|<i>Writing Style</i>]] and [[Audience]] for your blog. Your purpose for your blog could be to educate yourself, educate others, research a particular topic, or learn through communicative discussion and debate. Your purpose for your blog may be to help other people with similar problems, convince others to support a particular cause, or even promote a particular cause. Your purpose for your blog could also be to network and connect with like-minded people, establish your profession, make a type of portfolio for yourself, or even simply for profitability.  

Another aspect that will help narrow your topic is to decide how you will differentiate it from other similar blogs through your personality, a different perspective or identifying an untouched idea. Use your personal experiences and personality traits to tailor the topic in a way that will allow you to express yourself. If you consider yourself a comedian, narrow your topic in a way that you can express your comedic side. If you are analytical, narrow your topic so that you can use that to your advantage. Using different perspectives can help narrow your topic greatly. This may include [http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/brainstorming  journalistic perspectives], such as Who? What? Where? When? Why?  questions, or simply narrowing the topic through geographical topics<ref group=>Lucas, "Choosing a blog topic"</ref>. If there are specific areas of interest that most similar blogs are deficient in or have not yet explored, use this information to narrow your topic and make your blog topic original.  

Once the blog topic idea is focused, assess the popularity and originality of the idea.  

When assessing the [http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/15/how-to-choose-a-niche-topic-for-your-blog    popularity] of the topic idea, discover other blogs with similar ideas and view their popularity. Look up books or journal articles with similar topics in online stores, such as [http://www.amazon.com  Amazon] or [http://www.barnesandnoble.com    Barnes and Noble] and view comments and the popularity of the books. Another great tool to [[Research Methods|<i>research</i>]] the popularity of the topic is to use the [http://boostblogtraffic.com/blog-topic  “For Dummies” test]. Try to find a book in the [http://www.dummies.com  “For Dummies” book brand] in your topic. If there is a Your Topic For Dummies, the topic is already popular and is a great idea to begin your blog topic.  

Though the idea may be popular, ensuring the originality of the idea will ultimately set yourself up for success. Make sure that your topic idea is creative and unique from other blogs with similar topics. Finding an unexpected aspect of the topic idea will give you a fresh and energizing niche. In addition, presenting an intriguing viewpoint can reinvent a popular topic idea.  

Once your blog topic is ensured for success through focus and assessment, the topic is ready for finalization of the topic title or subtitle.  

The [http://jesslively.com/how-to-choose-blog-topics  topic title] or [[Headers and Sub-headers|<i>subtitle</i>]] should be explanatory and easily readable. The viewer should understand the topic idea simply through the title. The narrative of the topic is also essential to the title’s observable intent. A first person narrative suggests sharing your personal views while a third person narrative suggests a more educational and professional approach. For example, adding the first person –ing to the beginning of the title “Discovering a Passion” gives the reader the impression that the writer will incorporate personal experiences and viewpoints into the blog, while a third person “Discover a Passion” leads to the intention of education and expertise. Lastly, the title and subtitle should have an angle, whether this be something memorable, catchy or fun.

The hardest part of choosing your blog topic is [http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/newsletters/how-to-choose-the-right-blog-topic      getting started]. Topic ideas may not seem perfect until you begin brainstorming and expressing your ideas. Most importantly, use your first instinct to organize and focus your topic idea.