Today, the most popular use of a blog is to teach something. Chances are, you wrote your latest blog post with the intention of teaching your reader’s something new. But, the chances of effectively teaching them…not as great.
It’s now 2011, and something doesn’t feel right to me anymore. Something has changed, and the way we spread and learn information online is different. Unfortunately, some of us are still stuck back in 2010.
For years now, there has been so much emphasis on writing content that is “unique” and so mind-blowing it should go viral every time. So much emphasis, that I think we have finally reached the tipping point to where we reject such obvious and repeated information on sight.
Just a year ago, people who wrote articles among the lines of “how to start your first blog” or “10 ways to draw in customers to your business” could still drive in some serious readers. Today, I think we are smarter and demand content that has more substance to it and search for more exciting mediums to teach us.
The New Standards of Teaching
We don’t live in a world where “signing up to a newsletter to get a free eBook” is even remotely appealing, and we certainly don’t take a blog with a mediocre design seriously. It’s time to stop thinking back to what worked “back then” and start thinking about what will work in the future.
Just like how it’s always been, you have to embrace the times. Stay up to date with how content is being delivered from the blogger to reader. Some of the coolest things I’ve seen recently are:
- Webinars — Live presentations with groups of people online
- Videos — This will always be popular, and bloggers are making better videos
- Facebook Pages — Creating a Facebook page for your blog is all the rage lately
- The New Sales Page — Chris Brogan breaks down what he thinks will replace those long product sales pages
By finding new ways to present your content to readers, you will find that not only are you drawing more people to your site, but you are actually teaching those people.
By successfully teaching people, you create everlasting readers. Their hunger to learn will only grow more fierce, and it’s your job as the educator you are to keep teaching; to keep presenting your content in new, groundbreaking ways.
But don’t get confused, your blog is still the most important tool you have. Don’t stop writing blog articles just because you make videos, for example. You should create a balance of how you present content on your site.
People are still open to reading a “traditional” blog post. It’s still an enjoyable and effective way to teach online. However, the best advice I can give to you is to take your knowledge and try to spread it through other mediums as well.
Apple strives to create products as simple as possible, and I'd say they're doing pretty good!
The Age of Simplicity
We live in an age where everything has to be as simple as possible. Why surf the web on a computer when you have an iPhone? Replace an entire computer, keyboard and mouse with a touchscreen device with one little button on it.
People love when things are simple, and guess what? Things are only going to get simpler. And people will fall even more in love with these simple innovations. More lazy too.
Blog designs are only getting simpler. This isn’t the earl 2000′s where clutter is good. If you look at any savvy blogger out there, they only present content that you absolutely need to see. And they present it so you do see it with ease.
Even take advantage of the mobile outburst. Optimize your blog for mobile devices, develop an app for it even. Treat your mobile users great, because one day your site will be accessed from a mobile phone more than any other type of computer.
Think about how you can make your blog experience simpler in order to really teach.
Now, incorporate that philosophy in the new ways you present your content on your blog; in your webinars and your videos and the next great idea you come up with.
Before you go…I thought I would share a video that I found through Twitter. In this video, Glen Allsop from ViperChill.com shares his own opinions on the Future of Pro Blogging. It is truly an eye-opening video you all have to see if you actually read to the bottom of this blog post.
The Discussion
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Nice post, thanks for this share.
On the subject of ‘teaching’:
I was thinking recently that Wordpress could not be a more appropriate platform for schools to share class notes. Data is organised by date (timetable) and category (subject), the blog would represent the entirety of the school’s activity and the headmaster would be the superadmin with teachers as less-privileged ‘posters’.
Taxonomy-identified archives would help teachers to look over and revisit past lesson plans and, with media such as slideshows and videos being used frequently in classes these days, the blog would allow students to review and even download media they would otherwise only get to see during the course of the lesson.
Just a thought!
Videos still rock!
in order to stay up to date on what programs I should be running I check the top 200 sites each month and once in a while go deeper than that to see who the movers and shakers are. That way I make sure I am in line with the natural flow….you must be dynamic
Thnx for the Post dude,it has given me a lesson that now i need to change my basic principles for work .Lolz, i will try to follow it from now..!!!
Things aren’t getting simpler – they’re just getting easier to use. I know it’s a subtle difference but it’s an important one.
Great Post. I believe in the KISS principle, keep is simple s…. These are great ways to teach new concepts, variations on concepts, and sharing. Does not replace the entire learning cycle, but does get initially engagement.
The coolest think about blogs is definitely teaching someone something. I remember a lot of interviews with a programmers (like Sergey Brin from Google, and Bill Gates from Microsoft), and they said, that when they started there were no blogs and no books from which they can learn. God bless the new generation haha.
Webinars and Videos are usually the way to go when wanting to teach online. I see it growing more and more every day. People are starting to get more tech-smart and seeing all of these great opportunities.
My personal favorite would be the videos. They seem to be able to reach anyone, no matter the age. They make it easy to understand. The world is changing and we need to change with it!
Thanks for post. In my opinion additional tools such as videos or facebook cand bring new visitors. Also I use the Guest Posts for haat purposes
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