A Manifesto for Blogging

Writing a Manifesto for Blogging might seem like a highly-individual blog post – and, to be fair, most of the content in this blog post was written purely for me, by me, a few years ago. To remind me why I’m blogging. However, I’ve decided to update my personal blogging Manifesto, and having been heavily influenced by the amazing work of Brian Solis here, Chris Brogan here, and Blair Enns here, it felt like sharing my Manifesto might be useful for other bloggers out there. Plus, I’m currently drafting a Blogging eBook, so the principles of successful blogging outreach are on my mind. So, here’s the previously unpublished Manifesto – my 12 Principles of Blogging: 1. We will serve our audience We will not blog in a selfish, self-obsessed, or self-important way – but, rather, we will blog to serve our valued audience. 2. We will give advice freely We will give our advice, knowledge, experience and expertise freely to those who take time to visit our blog posts. 3. We will not sell or broadcast We will not produce a ‘flog blog’ or attempt to broadcast at our readership, but will offer useful counsel at all times. 4. We will blog consistently We will provide a consistent blog – whether this is daily, weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. Consistency counts. 5. We will provide blogging inspiration We will inspire our audience to bigger and better things with every blog post we publish. 6. We will give individuality importance We will highlight the importance of individual thinking and creativity in our blogging. 7. We will welcome audience feedback We will listen to our readership and welcome their inputs on our thoughts via blogging. 8. We will pass on what we learn We will freely share and pass on what we’re learning in our lives. 9. We will not adopt a herd mentality “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain 10. We will highlight helpful resources We will consistently provide useful links to resources for our audience – see Principle 1. 11. We will write our blog fearlessly We will be fearless and brave in our blogging, to give our readership the full facts – see here. 12. We will never stop learning We will keep our minds open, learning, and sharing with our readership. When we give, we receive. Further thoughts This basic Manifesto is a stripped-down part of a wider and longer piece I’m working on – there’s enough material in it, having been delivering Blogging Outreach since 2005, to compile into a whole eBook, I suspect. But the bare bones above are a good starting point to generate further thoughts on why we blog. For me, the ‘why’ is so crucial in effective blogging.