The Original Dad Blogger- What Is A Tagline Worth?

"Come, Sit, Tell Me About America..." (#1 of 2 - a set)

Friday afternoon, headphones on listening to Otis Redding sing Hard To Handle and thinking about how I’d explain dad blogs and taglines to President Lincoln.

I have no doubt Old Abe would understand tag lines and why people use them after all he wasn’t just appointed president. The office isn’t part of a monarchy where the lucky man just happens to be born into the Royal Family. Nah, you have to run for president, you have to earn it.

Of course if I was speaking with Mr. Lincoln I’d ask what he thinks about campaign finance reform and inquire about his opinion on the SCOTUS ruling about political donations and then I’d rub my eyes and ask him to teach me how to live to be more than two hundred.

How Do Blogs Become Popular?

My current tagline about being the original dad blogger is rooted in sarcasm and snark. It comes from several years back when a series of popularity contests developed and there was a mad race to try to become voted The Best/Most blah blah blah blogger in the blah blah blah blogosphere.

It irked me. Some have said it is because I didn’t win but that is not really it. I am not going to lie and say there have been moments where I felt overlooked and bothered by it.

But what bothered me the most was the impression that the winners were all people who attended the blog conferences and that the judging wasn’t based upon who was a good writer but who was the best marketer.

I am still convinced that some of the best known and most heavily trafficked blogs are that way not because the author is a good writer but because they are a good marketer and I suspect in some cases because they attend the conferences.

That might not be true. I could be wrong but I could be right too.

What I am certain of is that quality of writing is subjective. My favorite example is the disdain Mark Twain had for Jane Austen, but there are lots of examples of “professional authors” dishing out hate upon other authors.

Anyhoo I painted myself into a funny corner where I tell you I don’t care about being popular but want more readers. Did it a long time ago and decided that if I was going to play the game I would try to play it my way and that is part of why I am thinking about taglines again.

What Is A Tagline Worth?

My friend Judy is responsible for making me think about taglines. I am not sure if I ever told her that I have used The Hollywood Guide to a Better Blog Tagline as a reference.

If you don’t make it over there I’ll share part of the comment I left on that post where I shared some of the taglines I considered using here:

The Condom Broke

Larceny, Mutiny and Insanity

I Write. You Read. They Buy

Lately I have been thinking about changing the tagline because I am not sure how effective The Original Dad Blogger is. No one catches the snark and if they did I am not sure it would help and frankly being the original or oldest anything is not always indicative of quality or value.

What Does Your Tagline Do For Your Blog?

If the president and I were sitting on that bench  I mentioned just as soon as we finished talking about the Paleo diet, Crossfit and Tough Mudders I am sure he would ask me to explain how my tagline is helping me.

And if he didn’t I would bring it up and ask him what he thought to see if my concerns were rooted in my own paranoia. I asked the Shmata Queen about it once and she wrapped her arms around my neck, looked deep into my eyes and told me I am a great writer and that I should stop making fun of Cleveland.

I took it to mean that tagline didn’t do much for her.

What Is Your Plan For Your Blog?

What is your plan for your blog? That is not a rhetorical question or one I limit to commenters. For a long while I have sort of straddled the fence of being a dad blogger and a writer/marketer.

I don’t want to be limited. It is part of why I don’t limit myself to one niche and another reason why I am thinking about taglines.

But enough about me. Do you have a tagline? Do you like it? Do you have a plan for your blog or are you just flying by the seat of your pants?

There are no right or wrong answers, I am just curious.

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5 Comments

  1. CrossFit Sucks June 19, 2014 at 8:36 am

    Hey we’re spamming all the blogs.

  2. TheJackB April 8, 2014 at 8:54 pm

    Lardavbern Fair enough.

  3. Lardavbern April 8, 2014 at 7:57 pm

    TheJackB Lardavbern
    I don’t have a specific reason. I simply have not thought about it.

  4. TheJackB April 7, 2014 at 12:17 pm

    Lardavbern  Is that because you don’t focus on it or because you have trouble with it?

  5. Lardavbern April 4, 2014 at 1:47 pm

    I’ve never thought about tagline. I also would not put myself in the class of good marketers.

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