One of my friends is starting a technical blog and he sent me a draft of his first post. I made a few comments and I found this post that had same good ideas buried down towards the end of the post. I could try to paraphrase this, but the author made some good points to consider and he didn't a good job explaining three good rules to post on.
I'll insert some comments in his text.
Impact on your writing: three critical concepts you must adhere to
This is why most press releases fail to be viral, and quite dull, and in general the more corporate PR gets involved in the messages the less people read it.
1. Build relationships with your audience
Social networks like a personal approach. They want to see your personality. They want you to share. They want you to evoke emotions. These elements are key to creating engagement not just with your content, but with you. Social networks make you more accessible to your potential readers and can play a significant role in growing your reach.
Think of this point as what do people want vs. what do you want? You may want to be viewed as an authority and trusted advisor, but do people trust someone they do not know? People want to feel like they can trust the information. People trust people. People get suspicious of information they cannot look up where the information came from. Ahh, the information came from this person.
I remember when I first began publishing sites on the Web, the approach I used was dry and academic. This was the strategy I used to communicate authority and trust. I am beginning to think that this is no longer the right approach. Do you trust the advice of a university professor that you have never spoken to? Or does the combined opinions of your friends count for more?
This is why being a blogger is part of the social web.
The wisdom of the crowd is very much upon us and it is only going to get stronger. As a writer, you need to accept the notion that trust comes from familiarity with you, and your ability to be approachable will enable you to communicate your message.
I totally agree with this point and from the day I started blogging, I was frustrated with blogs that pointed to things, but didn't say why I should care about this post and what was in it.
2. Tell me why I care
The other big factor that emerges from the ability to get all the world’s information online is that there is too much information. We are more impatient than ever. If I am going to spend the time reading your article, whether or not I trust you, tell me why I should read this article in the first paragraph. Get to the point.
Do you want to a thought leader or a follower? Who reads the followers? Think of stuff no one else does. Or at least try.
3. Strive for uniqueness, not “me too”
Lastly, don’t waste your time writing “me too” content.
