Posted on May 22, 2008 by Katy

As I recently spent some time browsing the blogosphere and reading some past comments on I’m Blogging That, a realization came to me that I thought might be of interest to address.

In general, I see that a lot of bloggers do not value themselves, knowledge, or worth. And while this topic may have been approached many times, there are difference stances for everyone of the value of a blog, the writing, and the blogger behind the blog.

But, I’d like to look at the other side of knowing your value and let’s just set it straight now that your value isn’t always about money. While money can play a role, it’s not specifically what I’d like to address with this post.

Value, to me, comes in many forms — knowledge, writing skills, personality, networking, and links. Let’s dig into each of these to address how each adds up to how we value ourselves and how readers value our information.

Knowledge

One of the benefits of having a defined niche blog is being able to play off of your own knowledge. If you know a great deal of information on math, perhaps you should become a math tutor with your blog (hey, just a suggestion and something a little different, right?).

Playing off of your own knowledge will make writing easier for you, creating more time for other activities around your blog or for off line life. There isn’t a limit to the amount of blogs that can be created by simply going off of your own knowledge. When you think about all the things you know, I’m sure you can come up with at least 5 niche blogs from each area. And filling in the gaps in your knowledge is easy with the ever expanding web.

Value comes with knowledge because you’re able to share experience, how to tips, and share a different point of few on probably widely talked about subjects. By defining something as your own “method” with any post, you’ll see that you attract interested people who can add value to the conversation by sharing their own methods.

Writing Skills

None of us have to be English majors to write a great blog. And the truth is, that while obvious typos and incorrect uses of words is going to annoy people, it’s not the end of the world. Get your point out there. What I have always played on myself is writing like I’m having a conversation. When you read what I have written, I want you to feel as though we’re having a conversation and I approach every post I write with this same attitude.

Brush up on some general grammar rules, proof read your posts to try to catch errors, typos and then role with it. As long as we understand what you’re saying, you’ve got a point, and you show the effort to put your best writing forward, you’ll be OK!

By brushing up on your writing skills, you’ll create value by having an easy read. Short or long posts doesn’t come into play when your writing is something that is not natural for a good read. Conversationalists and informational posts tend to be the ones that need to be written the best. I simply suggest proof reading… and then do it again!

Personality

You’ve probably heard the saying, “me too blog.” The truth is, no one likes these blogs and no one wants to read these blogs. And while it’s initially easy to get traffic as a “me too,” it’s just not sustainable as readers are looking for something new and fresh.

Keeping your personality in your posts, adding your own commentary when writing, and showing at least parts of who you are adds value to your readers and allows them to make a simple connection with you that will keep them coming back.

Remember, there are probably another 1,000 blogs talking about your same subject. By showing your personality, you’re putting your best forward which will allow you to write on any subject and never become the “me too” of the niche.

Networking

It’s not just about self promotion! When we get mixed up in networking by only promoting ourselves, we’re losing the game. When it comes to networking, the equal balance is showing off your best work and boosting other’s work as well. Other bloggers want to network with those that they find to be helpful and insightful. When you promote other’s work just as much as you promote your own work, you find a balance of both.

Value is created when other’s see your desire to reach all aspects of networking and not just there for self gain. Rest assured, most who are playing the networking game are only there for themselves. It’s a turn off to high profile bloggers and network users when someone is only there for self promotion and let me tell you, these aren’t people you want on the opposite side of you.

Understand that by sharing the content and work by others, you’re going to be helpful to someone looking to read information you share. The more relevant information you share, the more people take an interest in you and your opinion — this will lead them to your blog.

Links

When you’re reading a blog, don’t you pay attention to what they are linking to? From deep linking their own posts to extending information by linking to another post, the sites a blogger choose to link become an extension of the information they want to share and are writing about.

By linking to sites that you know will be helpful to your readers or relevant to the topic of your post, you’re demonstrating how you can be helpful. Your readers feel as though once you discover them, they have a chance for a link, and of course… it’ll show that you’re generous and pay attention to the topic and niche that you’re writing about.

The value here is that you continue to be helpful and provide information for your readers that you feel may be of interest of them. Even if it means you’re linking out and actually inviting your readers to exit your site for further information.

Summary

Creating value for ourselves as bloggers raise our reputation, networking ability, and authority. Look to be someone who provides awesome quality posts and value for the reader. Few people will take the time to read a post that has no self benefit so consider all factors of how you can add more value to your blog and post. The result may be that you gain in popularity and are seen as someone who is a “can’t miss read!”

Your Value

What factors do you use to create value within your blog and for your readers? When reading a blog, what is valuable to you as the reader — more information, more conversation, more links? We all have basic needs as bloggers and readers to gain value, what are your needs?