Some people worry about headlines and others don’t because it is all narishkeit.
Foolishness that comes from our desire to try not to succumb to the dread disease of blog post failure.
Some bloggers write about themselves in the third person and use content boxes to quote the words they wrote some years back because they found new meaning in them.
Oh wait, that is me I am talking about.
Part of what makes life so damn interesting is that you are given the choice to take what is in the box or what lies behind door number one but no one tells you what happens when you choose one or the other.
No one tells you which choice a wise person would make and which would belong to the fool. Sometimes it doesn’t matter because the fool can choose to be the wise person and the wise person can be the fool.
That is the joy of the journey. It is the chance to walk along a road and have experiences that you can’t possibly have without taking that walk. Peeling Back The Layers
The Best Bloggers Are Storytellers
I have written about this multiple times because if you want to become a great blogger you have to focus on becoming a better storyteller.
You have to learn how to create the sort of content that is captivating, creative and compelling.
Ya know the kind of shit that people will read like a gourmet meal, something to be savored and not devoured like a greasy pizza you eat after a night of drinking.
Smarter men than I would probably link to the first post I wrote about bloggers and storytellers because it received a double spoonful of comments and that might encourage some people to believe I have some talent.
Or maybe not.
*****
One of the things I love best about blogging is how easy it is for us to use it as a tool and guide to figure out where we were and where we are going.
It is a resource you can use repeatedly to determine what you think, feel and believe and whether you have any skill at sharing that with others.
It is a living chronicle of the lives of people who mean something to you, be it love or a blistering hate.
Flip through the pages and you’ll find references to those I care enough about to protect and those who are in dire need of defenestration, hopefully by me.
The blog is also a simple version of the bible Emerson referred to in the picture above. It is a collection of thoughts and ideas that have helped to shape and define my world.
987 Bloggers You Shouldn’t Sleep With & 5 You Should
Sometimes I craft these ridiculous headlines to see who will respond and to remind myself about where I want to focus my energy.
Could I work on coming up with headlines that aren’t silly and that are tied into my posts?
Yeah, I could do that.
Could I focus on telling simple stories that have a broader appeal than some of the things I have written about here?
Yeah, I could do that too but it wouldn’t be as honest as just writing.
I used to do more of it than I do now and it is possible that I might do so again. but I am not going to say how or when that will happen.
As people grow, blogs evolve.
Sometimes that means that readers unsubscribe (several have done so here) but that shouldn’t be something people fear.
Those who stick around are the people who really like what they read and find value in it. Not everyone will.
This blog has always been focused around and about the journey.
Journeys Make For Good Blog Fodder
There is a big moment coming up next week in my journey. A time that might have very significant influence on the direction we head in and something that will lead to plenty of blog fodder.
What I don’t know yet is how much of that fodder is going to be of the kind I can share. I don’t say that to be a tease or create interest.
I share it because as a dad blogger I have had to become very conscious of how much I can share about my children here.
When they were little it was really easy and now that they are not so little the rules have changed somewhat. There are boundaries in blogging.
Today I look back at that post about peeling back the layers and ask again when Monty Hall is going to show up because if ever there was a time when it made sense it would be now.
Today is the day for him to offer me whatever lies behind door number one or whatever lies in the box on the table.
There is no X-Ray vision or clairvoyance to help me choose. No way to figure out what the wise man would choose or if the choice made by the fool would be the smarter move.
All I can do is make the best choice I know how to make based upon limited information and then roll with it.
And with that you have the advice/commentary I give my children about many things.
Life is made for living and if you only play it safe you never really live.
I am about living.
Jens-Petter Berget
I was reading to see if you mentioned me among the 987 bloggers, but I got distracted when I read about the greasy pizza …
Headlines are a lot more important than most think. Most of the time it’s why I end up reading a post, that and the relationship I have with the blogger. I enjoy short posts more than long, but it depends on the story and the value.
Danny Brown
Of course, the content needs to live up to the headline. There’s nothing more frustrating than a click-bait headline leaving you empty when it comes to the content (unless it was a deliberate post to show the fallacy of that approach). Its the quickest way to lose me as a reader.
Jack Steiner
I have a love/hate relationship with headlines. Sometimes it makes me crazy how much influence they have on whether people will read a post, especially when there are so many posts out there that fall short of the promise.
That is not to say I have never dropped the ball, but sometimes…
Pizza…yum.
Danny Brown
Does Pizza Man eating pizza make him a cannibal?
Jack Steiner
Excellent question, I’ll answer after I finish this slice, hard to type with a full mouth. 🙂
Larry
Seriously, one of your wackiest titles yet. It did make me curious and left me thinking what is on your mind now.
Janine Huldie
I am all about living, too and honestly love that I can come back to my own blog to share all sorts of moments that my family and I have indeed lived. In the end, I can go back and relive so many of these times and memories just by reading and quoting my own blog. Pretty cool in my eyes! 🙂
jacksteiner
We are definitely in agreement about this. It is very cool.
Danny Brown
So, wait – are we talking about sleeping with all these bloggers in a single day, or over a sustained period of time? I’m just trying to calculate the lube needed…
The evolution part is key, mate – not only that, but realizing that you’re evolving, and people will either evolve with you, or move on. And that’s no bad thing. I’d far rather have fewer people that are truly invested in my blog, versus countless numbers of sheeple who skim headlines and leave a “Great post!” comment on every single post.
Besides, time is limited – we shouldn’t be filling it with things we’re no longer committed to. That’s why divorces get so painful (I’m only speaking from TV experience here, mind you).
Onwards and upwards!
jacksteiner
You only get three days to make it all happen so…
Some years back it used to bother me when I would notice that readers were disappearing, especially those who seemed to really enjoy being here and whose prensence I appreciated.
But when I thought about why they might leave it made complete sense.
We all grow and change and so do our needs so it makes sense that some people would move on because the changes they went through and those I went through were no longer in sync or useful.
We’re in complete agreement, better to have those who really want to be around than those who never dive below the surface.