Choosing Your Topic: Difference between revisions

Choosing a worthy topic is essential to the success of the overall blog <ref group=>Carroll, 140</ref><ref group=>Rehner, "Choosing Your Blog Topic"</ref>. A topic expresses one essential idea within writing and unifies each successive post <ref group=>Loos, "What is a Topic?"</ref>. At first, a specific topic may seem to confine creativity, but focusing the topic actually provides endless [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 and encompasses Brainstorming for Blogs, Focusing the Niche, Assessing the Idea, and Finalizing the Topic.

#Make sure you must have experience involving your topic ideas in order to establish credibility within your writing.  Consider your personal experiences and how they have shaped who you are and your writing style, your opinions as well as your qualifications.  

#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 relatable online, but will also help identify your specific [[Audience]] and blogging community.

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 related topic ideas. 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>.  

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

[http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newISS_01.htm    Thinking Outside the Box] is 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 bacterial 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, connect with more readers and essentially attract 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] should focus the [[Readability|<i>Writing Style</i>]] of the blog subsequently helping to identify your [[Audience]]. Some purposes might include the following:  

* Research a particular topic

#Use different perspectives, such as [http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/brainstorming  journalistic perspectives] and geographical references<ref group=>Lucas, "Choosing a blog topic"</ref>.

*Research resources

==Assessing the Idea==

===Popularity===

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, search for blogs with similar ideas and investigate 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 assess the comments and overall 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 reference for your topic in the [http://www.dummies.com  “For Dummies” book brand]. If such a book exists, the topic is already popular and is a great place to begin your blog topic search.  

===Originality===

Though the idea may be popular, ensuring the originality of the idea will be an important aspect of your topic choice that will ultimately mean success or failure. Your topic idea must be creative and unique enough to set itself apart from other blogs with similar themes.  Finding an unexplored aspect of the topic idea will give you a fresh and energizing niche. In addition, presenting an intriguing or contradictory viewpoint can reinvent an overexposed topic idea.

The [http://jesslively.com/how-to-choose-blog-topics  topic title] or [[Headers and Sub-headers|<i>subtitle</i>]] should be overt and easily readable. The viewer should quickly grasp the topic idea by simply reading 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 opinions into the blog, while the third person “Discover a Passion” suggests the blog’s intent is to educate through expertise. Lastly, the title and subtitle should have an angle- something memorable, catchy or fun.

The hardest part of choosing your blog topic is the act of [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 instincts, interests and personality to organize and focus your topic idea.  

*Carroll, Brian. [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/041599201X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=humanindex-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=041599201X    "Writing for Digital Media."] Routledge; New York, 2010.  

*Loos, Eugene E. [http://www-01.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsATopic.htm ''What is a topic?''] 2004. Web. April 5, 2013.

*Lucas, Gerald. [http://litmuse.net/resources/digital-media/choosing-a-blog-topic/    "Choosing a blog topic."] 2013. Web. March 29, 2013.

*Mind Tools Ltd. [http://www.mindtools.com/brainstm.html  ''Brainstorming."] 2013. Web. March 31, 2013.

*Rehner, Amy. [http://choosingatopic.wordpress.com  "Choosing Your Blog Topic."] March 2013. Web. March 29, 2013.  

*The Writing Center. [http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/brainstorming/   "Brainstorming."] 2013. Web. March 31, 2013.