How to run a language community blog?

How to

RK Rishikesh Sinha

For those readers, who have wrongly dropped at this blog. Don’t leave, especially if you are going to create a web niche that doesn’t exist in web before. My experience might be helpful to you in your blogging endeavour.

For those readers, who wish to run a blog/website specifically on a language community, like this blog, read this post. It might be helpful to you.

These are the lessons that I learnt while running this blog since 2007. When I started I didn’t have anything in my mind. I was too young to involve into community activities, especially associated with news and views with dangerous ramification.

Blank slate

Your mind should be clear like a blank slate. When you begin you shouldn’t have any notions whether it is good or bad, prejudices, inner motives, or any parochial views. Since you are going into an uncharted territory, your mind should be open and wide. If you have any, burn them. It will drain your energy and you will not be able to see through many mirages. Give your blog the supreme status to fill your mind and soul, and not through any source - oral, grapevines, whispers…

Choose your Location wisely

From where will you be running the blog? This is a very important question. A location will play a major role in the running of the blog. If your location is near to source, usually it is considered “the best”. But it has got some problems that will arise in future. You will be facing lot of possible interference hence there will be no independency.

And if it is away from the source, there is nothing to disappoint about that you cannot run the blog. There is a blessing in disguise. You get no interference. Your neighbours and surrounding doesn’t affect you. You maintain a blank state of mind. You focus on your work, than getting involved into pull-and-push dynamics.

It is again upto your style of working.

Maintain anonymity

Your name will sail and sell. So, don’t put your picture-perfect photo anywhere. Guard your privacy. You are not a star or icon. You are just another person who will only observe in natural state.

Create a natural team

Since you are going into a zero-profit blogging activity, try to create soon a team of good natural writers who connects well with the readers and doesn’t charge their effort and time. Respect their efforts and time. You don’t have anything to give them in return except your true feelings.

Database marketing (writing)

From the first day, equip your blog with all possible statistical tools. Dive deep into the numbers. Analysis and monitor readers’ activities inside and outside your blog, try to find the linkage between data that is being created inside your blog and outside it. This will facilitate to create content which readers wish to read. Also you get early signals. 60 percent of content could be created based on these numbers.

Create an ecosystem

Try to create an ecosystem where people not only write for the blog but anywhere in web or print. Try to publish articles in local media which is near to the source population, so that the news piece could appear in the blog. This will encourage organization to go near the media, and subsequently the blog could be run on auto-pilot.

Controversy or No-Controversy

Controversies are like porn. You love it, but you hate to share it. This applies same with blog. Try to publish no-controversy pieces.  Since, you are running a blog with ‘search’ element which could be referenced in future. Abstain from it.

Comments

Don’t get disturb with no-comments of readers. Initially, the pouring of comments will seize you. Sooner the better, avoid getting addicted to comments. Successful blogs/websites have nil comments.

Read

Read and read. If possible read books from various disciplines. I would suggest, read standard books in political science, history, sociology. If you don’t read, you will be in a confused state. And somewhere in the long run you will lose interest in the blog or any activity that you will be witnessing. Only your reading will firmly anchor you to the blog.

Balance of visitors

Maintain a balance of one-time visitors and regular visitors. This will always keep the blog fresh. Since the regular visitors gets blind eye to your blog soon, the one-time visitors will maraud your blog.

Understand message

Many times, you will encounter news pieces which don’t have any impact outside your blog, but if it is carried in the blog might create problems and flare up emotions. So, before you push the publish button. Understand the message correctly.  Don’t publish it.

Passion

The most important stuff, you must be full of passion not only for the blog, but for the whole niche. You must be genuinely passionate to slog on it for years. How to check it, whether you are really full of passion or not? Will you work on the blog for years – with no name, fame and money. If yes, you can. Rest you cannot.

Leave the blog

Like all good things must come to an end, your website or blog also has a definite time period. Though I have not brought this blog to an end, I believe, when you will leave the blog for good, tell your readers. So that they don’t waste time and harbor any expectation of any update. Write a good post, thanking everybody for the beautiful journey.

Armoury

Your blog should be armed to teeth. You should be able to fire all the weapons that are in your armoury. Exploit all the web tools. This will stretch your blog to the maximum to target readers. 

Hope the lessons that I have learnt will be helpful to you.