Gateway Blogging

The Advantages and Problems with Blogs are One and the Same

One thing that makes blogs different from other types of website is that blog content is listed in reverse chronological order and is archived after it drops off the home page. This is great for keeping up with news. But unlike a more “traditional” (I suppose such a thing now exists on the web) site, where the navigation is like a tables of contents in a book, blog navigation leaves a lot to be desired. In other words, you can’t find a damn thing unless you search for it. And even then, the built-in search that comes with WordPress blogs kind of… what’s the word I’m looking for? Oh, yes: sucks!

So, what is an advantage in one sense is a disadvantage in another.

Here’s What it Means for Your Business Blog

It means you couldn’t possibly give away too much. Wait… what? Yes. When I was first forming the ideas that are becoming Gateway Blogging, I thought that it would be important to not give away too much information or “free help” in the blog. Otherwise, there would be a lack of incentive for someone to hire you or do business with you–you just helped them for free.

But it’s not that easy. I can give you an example from Remarkablogger. On that blog, I wrote a 12-part series of posts on how to start a business blog. Because blogs post in reverse chronological order, there’s no way to easily read through all the posts in order unless I add links to each post for the series in the correct order (there’s a plugin for that, now).

Even then, in order for someone to take all of that information and assemble it together into a coherent, cohesive package, it would take hours of searching and effort. I did exactly that, and made an ebook out of it. The ebook is a collection of information that has been put into chronological (and just plain old logical) order in an easy-to-follow book format. I also expanded on the original material, but even if I didn’t, the book has a much higher value than those scattered posts. I could easily sell the book (but I’m not, it’s free).

Here on Gateway Blogging, we will be writing about all things that will be in the book. However, the nature of a blog is such that it would be extraordinarily difficult for someone to take the information freely available from the blog and reassemble it into something like what the book is going to be. So there’s really no way we could give away too much information on the blog. Unless you’ve been following us from the very beginning, or unless you have a huge amount of time to read, the nature of a blog makes understanding the gestalt prohibitive. We can write as much on the blog as we want, and still charge for the book or other related services, because the information will be packaged and arranged differently.

Blogging vs. Consulting

This also brings up the difference between reading information on a blog and getting personalized help from an expert. How many “problogger” type blogs exist? Hundreds? Probably thousands. You can read them all day, and get tons of great advice. But none of them will address your problems, your issues, your needs like having a personal consultation with an expert. At Remarkablogger, I write all the time about how to be a better blogger, but that’s not even remotely the same as when I look at your blog and help you with your specific needs.

You just can’t give away too much on a blog. It’s not possible. The help, services, or products you sell to your clients will far surpass any free information they got from your blog.

Photo: kalandrakas under CC license