A Blogger without a Niche
When starting a blog there are hundreds of thousands of things to write about but most bloggers prefer starting out (especially their very first blog) by not sticking to a particular subject, but just writing on anything they feel inspired, or informed about at a particular instance. They are concerned with every subject that is either hot, has lots to write on, or suits their interest.
When Should a Newbie Choose a Niche?
As far as I am concerned, no niche-blogging for newbies. Yes! Blogging is fun, and can as well be easy but it is very possible to abandon a blog just a few months old because you started out on a wrong foot. Niche-blogging is one good example of a wrong foot for a newbie. Even if you have a particular niche in mind, I will recommend you start by rambling and then gradually narrowing yourself and focusing your attention to your desired niche. I will recommend you take up to ten weeks for this transition.
A blogger with some experience can easily start a new blog on a niche and excel. This is rarely expected of a newbie who has never blogged before, even if he/she has a mastery of the subject at hand. Niche blogging is not only about subject mastery. It is first about blogging, before the niche aspect (specialization) comes into play. How do you specialize when you can’t situate yourself in a general context? How do you teach the blind, when you can’t even teach at all? You must learn how to teach before you can specialize in teaching blind people. When should a newbies start a niche? As I suggested, start rambling and take about ten weeks to prepare for your niche.
Niche-blogging Prerequisites
If you ever want to intentionally forget (sounds crazy, I know, ha ha ha) the basic requirements for Niche-blogging go ahead and feel free but please try to remember just this one; Niche-blogging requires a bit of skills and experience in blogging. We have said that before and I can’t stress any further. Starting a niche blog can be a thorn in the flesh because it demands some blogging experience, very good writing skills and a mastery of the subject matter of the pursued niche.
Subject mastery does not only go with good writing skills, but also with experience and expertise in related fields. It goes with the ability of confidently present information and also with the thirst of further knowledge which calls for intensive research, with improvement and success being the ultimate goal.
Rambling to Niche-blogging: A sample route
I think the best way to Niche-blogging is by gradually limiting your rambling world. As I said before I will advice a newbie to take up to ten weeks for this.
What exactly do I mean by limiting your rambling world? Let’s assume you want to start a movie critic blog and that will be your very first blog. You have NEVER been into blogging. If I were in your shoes, I will take the following route 10-week route.
Week 1, 2, 3 and 4 – Rambling about movies. During these 4 weeks, I will blog about just anything that I know that is related to movies. When I say anything, I actually mean anything. Hollywood celebrities, news, movie production, movie personnel, the history of movies, types of movies, scriptwriting… just anything.
Week 5, 6 and 7 – You can’t criticize what you don’t know, so don’t expect your readers to understand your critics if they don’t know how, where, how, why, when…etc. during these three weeks, try reviewing as much as possible. Write biographies of actors and actresses, reviews of producers, production studios and teams, reviews of movies proper…etc
Week 8 and 9 – You’ve been saying some serious stuff and now it is the time to make your blog more friendly and interactive by engaging into mid discussions with your readers. Blog about social aspects of movies e.g. pros and cons of movies, impact of movies on the society, relating movie ratings to age groups, when to watch movies, what types of movies to watch under particular circumstances, etc… Come on! Feel free. It is your Blog.
Week 10 – This is a god time to introduce your niche. What is a movie critic? Why criticize a movie? What is the importance of movie critics to the society and the producers…
That is just a model. If I were to start a movie critic blog, I will follow a trend similar to the above.
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Very well done, Uncle Che! As for me, I am no expert of any field so I have just been rambling and rambling without a niche, hehe. I would love to have a niche though had I only have some expertise on certain fields. But at any rate, I love what I am doing so I’ll just go from here.
BTW Uncle Che, I have difficulty understanding the sites you gave me, RE: Problem with KUERDAS site. I wouldn’t be shy to say I’m crying for help!