Almost two months ago I launched a personal blog called Nomad Theory as a result of wrestling with this very question.
The reality, at the time, was that I felt imprisoned by my own blog, and I wanted a place to write about things I enjoy. Things outside of work that define who I am.
Starbucks. Sarah McLachlan. Music. Traveling.
I’ve done a lot of writing here on this blog, and a majority of that has been focused on things like business, blogging, social media and general internet stuff.
While I’ve enjoyed the conversations that have taken place on those posts, I have to admit that such focus on those topics have caused me to do something I swore I’d never do – writing for search engines.
Yesterday I read a post over on the Blueglass blog about staying ahead of the next Google update. Being completely honest, I was convicted by a point they made.
Be relevant to people, not robots. (or search engines)
Eh, ok. Guilty as charged, and in some ways I feel really badly about this. Over the past 6 months, my daily traffic has doubled, and I’m extremely thankful for that.
However, my bounce rate has also increased, which tells me that a lot of folks coming to my blog leave after reading the post they land on.
For a person who loves (and thrives) on engaging their readers and having meaningful conversation in blog comments, this is bothersome.
It brings back the whole “quantity vs. quality” argument.
While I was vacationing last week in the Caribbean, I was forced to spend some time away from my laptop and the internet. Don’t get me wrong, as a complete and total workaholic I managed to check in from time to time.
But during that time away, I really thought through some things I struggle with on a daily basis when it comes to my job and personal brand.
I’ve realized that lately my blog posts feel very mundane – at least to me.
It became quite clear when prior to sailing away I wrote something personal and was overwhelmed with the amount of comments that took place.
That afternoon, the clouds went away and it hit me that it’s possible (believe it or not some of you want me to share my personal journey. Not just tell you what I think you should and shouldn’t do.
I do have a category on my blog for personal stuff, which I’ll warn you in advance I plan to fill a lot more in the coming days.
So do you think it’s possible to mix business and pleasure on the same blog?
I’m not really talking about posting one day about your kid’s baseball game and then the next discussing legal issues or being an entrepreneur.
More than anything, I’m wondering if there’s a way to intertwine the two, so that personal experience can be woven into factual information. Let’s discuss.
Oh, forgot to mention that my blog is sporting a shiny, new coat of paint.
Good times, Happy Friday, and all that…
I think it is possible because I do it all the time with my blog. My articles can change from day to day but it is my inner self that keeps my dutch blog running. I don’t write for engines but for myself, what I want and what I experience. I hope you find that to Brian, by the way, your blog is awesome!!
Thanks Robby, appreciate your comment. I’ve done way too much robotic blog posting of late, and I look forward to sprinkling more personality into my posts.
I think it is possible as long as you are really passionate about one subject. If you are passionate about dog training and just this subject you’ll definetelly enjoy writing about this and do well from a business perspective. If your writting is about almost anything then you might dilute your blog content.
Yeah, I hear you. My passions do include social media, business and the likes, but they also include the things I mention in the post. Obviously I won’t clutter my blog with “today I did this” and “yesterday I did that” kinds of posts, but I might add more opinions than I have of late.
Very cool design (as always).
The way I blend the personal with the business is to use personal stories, inspirations, anecdotes, etc, to illustrate a business point. I might just say where I got the idea, or I might relate it to something that happened. For example I nearly drowned while kayaking so used that in a post about fears, etc etc
Jon Morrow’s famous story of “On Dying, Mothers, and Fighting for Your Ideas” and Brian C’s story about his snowboarding accident are other great examples.
That’s exactly what I want to do. My Copyblogger post that I referred to was a good example of my “story” mixed with practical business decisions I made – so a good entanglement of my life.
Great idea, Chris, mixing the two elements. I like it.
Yeah, I love mixing two elements by personal stories and intergrate to the post, especially with my passion. When you love something, you’ll do it with all your heart.
I think it depends on your angle. You have a completely separate business identity (StudioPress, Copyblogger, etc) that folks who exclusively care about business would be drawn toward. With BrianGardner.com, you are who you are, which includes many of the same topics that may be found on StudioPress or Copyblogger’s sites, but I expect to hear *your* take on them.
Which, of course, your take is developed through your personal experiences.
Right, I don’t care about your kid’s baseball game (though an aside that his team won their division or whatnot would be nice to read), but how you, as a person, developed to your current train of thought is important to me. If nothing else, hearing more about how you traveled to get to your current place helps informs me on how to apply your thoughts to my situation, even if I don’t agree completely or haven’t advanced to the same stage, etc.
Looking forward to the renewed focus.
Thanks Brandon, and we’re on the same page. I don’t intend to make this a “dear diary” kind of blog, just wanted to let folks know that more personality will go into my writing.
Which sparks an upcoming post idea I have about “fewer clients” and Jerry Maguire references.
I did setup a second blog using Mindstream on a subdomain for more truly personal sharing (silly things my two-year old says, etc). Mainly for my own edification, but someplace that I can direct my mom to when she asks why I haven’t written about the kids.
Facebook could do that, but eh, the less Facebook in my life, the better my days tend to be.
Thanks for posting this, Brian! I’m in the process of relaunching my site and combining all my blogs into one, so I’m glad that you think it can be done! And I’m digging the new look.
As much as I love the idea of having a personal blog, and moreso how much I like the design on Nomad Theory, the reality is that I don’t have time to maintain two separate blogs. I wish I could, and maybe at some point I can. For now, it looks as though it’ll be personal stories and experiences sprinkled amidst practical posts on social media, business and the internet.
That’s my problem, too.
Currently, I have three blogs (Ugh!). However, I have decided to open up one to a larger community of Christian writers (GodlyWriters.com). The other two I will manage more directly. One will have more guest posts (CrazyAboutChurch.com), but my personal blog (CharlesSpecht.com) will just be mine for personal stuff.
Such a great post, Brian!
I write a beauty blog and every once in awhile I just get frustrated that I can’t write about anything else. (I call it “The Itch” haha!) Like you, I love music and traveling. (Sarah’s Afterglow album is flawless, btw! Love it so much.)
Anyway, I started a personal blog because of this frustration last year, but then my beauty blog suffered and I was all over the place, and I learned that in the end, readers are coming to your blog because of YOU. They probably can find the information I was writing about on another beauty website, but they liked the way I wrote it, the way I presented it, etc. I moved the personal posts to my beauty blog and started writing more personal stuff and I got lots of readers saying how much they loved it. Now, my blog is a bit of a mix. So I do think it can mesh – if anything it creates more of a closer “relationship” because your readers can really know you better, and you can know your readers better too
That being said, I am looking forward to more Personal posts and I am very sure I am not the only one! I love your blog – whatever you decide to write about. Keep up the great work!
Renee
So you mean I’m not the only person with this struggle?
Good to hear that others have the same struggle. For you, it’s easier to compartmentalize since your Beauty blog domain is extremely nichey. (if that’s a word.)
For me, and I wrote about this on Nomad Theory, it was that my personal domain became the place I didn’t feel I could write personally at. Which is a huge problem for a guy who likes to suck the marrow out of life. (read my about page and that will make sense.)
And because I’m curious, what’s the URL of your personal blog?
I think it’s possible. My personal blog is just that, personal, but I will occasionally throw some web or technology related stuff in there. Although it’s not related to business and it’s mostly opinionated, it’s good to change it up a bit. I can say that as a reader, I appreciate the personal stuff. I think most people are tired of reading stiff corporate copy. Most people want to hear from a person. And people have opinions, feelings and real lives. Plus, I’ve always said that the best SEO is simply writing stuff that people like and are willing to pass along. Well, that and the Genesis Framework of course
Great thoughts, Brian!
What a great question Brian. I think it’s one that a lot of people who blog professionally wrestle with. And I think the ultimate answer is that it just depends.
For example, for the Synthesis blog, I plan to use personal stories from my blogging experience at MSF and other sites to illustrate points. But there is no way I’ll get as personal as I do at Primility, because the reader base of the Synthesis blog just would not care and it would be the wrong forum. But for other types of businesses/blogs, getting more personal like that could work.
I think the perfect example was your post from before you left. It was the perfect blend of professionally-relevant points illustrated with a personal story that was relevant to readers.
Thanks Jerod – good insight. I’m in the same boat with the StudioPress blog, which is pretty much all business. Once in a while Josh will write a design post that has a bit of personality in it, but we try to keep things very professional over there as you do with Synthesis.
I guess it all boils down to… “it’s my blog and I can write what I want to” kinda thing.
When I come to “briangardner.com” I expect to read everything about “Brian Gardner”… personal, business, whatever! I find it funny how you nuked this blog and made it “personal” two yeas ago and now you post this. Maybe it’s time to resurrect the old content and make this place whatever you want to write about.
Yeah, I hear ya. For those who have followed me over the years, they are fully aware of this struggle. I practically wear it on my sleeve.
And that is why we keep coming back… it’s all part of that “Brian Gardner” experience.
I would add within the opt-in box at the end of the post something like “More about the personal me HERE”…because people are curious and revealing more about yourself will also benefit the business part as well.
I think the answer to your question depends on how you define “pleasure”.
Great suggestion Bob – and I’m guessing that will also reduce the amount of “unsubscribes” I get when personal posts go out.
Great post Brian. I actually miss your more personal stories. You have such a great story and are one of the few personable people out there that is really making it happen every day. Don’t get me wrong, reading your ‘how to’ posts has been very helpful to me but I enjoy the ‘why am I doing this’ and ‘from my point of view’ posts just as much.
More affirmation, excellent.
I guess it’s time to refocus (again) and do the Jerry Maguire thing. The funny thing is that I’m looking forward to this.
And thanks Paul, sometimes I guess I sell myself short and assume people don’t care about the things that go on inside my head.
It’s that humble entrepreneur curse I swear!
Really Brian, it’s inspiring and I can only assume that like me, the Genesis community (or a better term would be family) looks up to you and your team to tell us how it really is in all parts of life. I mean, I wouldn’t be considering leaving my full time job with one of the worlds top 3 advertising agencies to work for myself if it wasn’t for the inspiration (personal and business) and resources you and your team provide.
I’ve had many conversations with Matt Mullenweg where I’ve thanked him for creating WordPress which allowed me to leave my day job and live the dream.
When Nathan and I hear that Genesis extends WordPress in a way for others to do the same, another angel gets it’s wings.
…and that just made my day. Thank you to both of you!
I completely agree with what Brian said above, when I come to your website “I expect to read everything about “Brian Gardner”.
I love to How-To posts, but the personal stories are the best. Your “Copyblogger Media” post was really inspiring, (and actually got me to comment for the first time) so I see no problem in mixing the two. What you’ve learned from experience is what I enjoy reading. It’s what keeps me coming back!
Tutorials are great, but reading about your experience is better. IMO
Well, alrighty then – question answered!
I think you have to mix the two, to some degree. Someone who only ever blogs about business or WordPress, will eventually lose my “steam” because you’d just be a robot. A fine blend of your core content, mixed with your personality, is certainly what will bring back viewers time and time again.
We tend to forget that readers frequent our blogs in order to glean and generate a relationship, even if that relationship contains somewhat of an internet wall separating reader and writer.
The challenge, as you’ve stated, is falling outside of the boundaries of what is acceptable when mixing business and pleasure. But finding the right balance can be magical.
Great job pointing out the relationship element of blog readership.
While that can take place in the comments, what readers really want to know is “who is that masked man” behind this blog.
Point taken.
PS: I think that it’s hilarious that less than two weeks ago you said you wouldn’t be making any changes to the look of your blog for some time. Hmm, once a designer, always a designer!
Was that only two weeks ago? For some reason I was thinking it was longer.
For me the big difference with your blog is that I come here because I enjoy reading your posts. The tutorials are useful, the tips are helpful but I read because I enjoy what you have to say.
It’s motivating and inspiring to read your thoughts and stories and read how you’ve made an enjoyable life from WordPress, from blogging and working with great people. The fact that you write with modesty is endearing.
I think you have a nice balance Brian and I’ll be looking forward to reading your future posts.
Great redesign by the way
It’s becoming evident based on the feedback in the comments that a majority of folks do want that personal touch.
Thanks for helping clarify that, Robert.
That’s great. I think even your domain sets that out nicely. We can get more about Genesis at Studiopress and more about blogging and business at Copyblogger but here we get to hear more from you – your place, your rules
I think you’re on the right track Brian. Jay Thompson is the best example I can come up with of someone who definitely mixes business with personal and he seems to be doing just great!
I’ve never managed to cotton on to the idea of writing for the search engines anyway. I write what I’m passionate about and I write in my own voice. I agree with Robert above, my place, my rules.
I’ve also found having a separate personal blog doesn’t work. My passion for real estate is so much a part of me that I can’t separate it from what I write anyway. My guess is you’re the same and it’s an exercise in futility to even try to separate them. (Good plan to keep the dear diary stuff out though – we have lots of folks on twitter boring us with that).
You’ve pretty much hit the nail on the head Denise.
Yes, I agree – Jay’s incredible at integrating his own personal stories and experience into his site. Maybe that’s why he’s a household name and practically everyone in the real estate industry knows who he is.
And likes him.
I’ve been considering this more and more too. I have three blogs, design/business, personal, photography. And they all suffer because of a lack of consistency. I not sure how to mix my personal with my business site, but that is because I do some of the “my day” type things or my life as Nana. Which doesn’t really help to sell my business or build my brand. However your personal story about becoming part of Copyblogger is totally connected to what you blog about. Even posts on your travels would relate to this blog because it’s all about the life of a entrepreneur and reminds me why I want to work for myself. And as a designer, of course, your tutorials are invaluable and used almost daily!
That sounds pretty typical of people I know from the Genesis Community.
My friends Darcy Milder and Courtney Kirkland are good examples of moms that a) design b) have hobbies like photography and c) are moms. Both of them have told me on separate occasions that they struggle with maintaining them.
My suggestion is to have one site, setup like mydomain.com/design, mydomain.com/photography and what not.
I’m just enjoying that you’re posting more frequently. I tend to think that a person who writes well is interesting to read on a wide variety of topics. But it *could* be that I tell myself that to rationalize my own inability to focus on one specific thing.
Someone who does a great job of integrating personal stories, etc., into an overall focus on web design and small business ownership is John Saddington (Tentblogger). I read his blog because it feels like I’m getting to know him as a person while also getting encouragement and ideas for my own blogging.
And the new design looks great, too! I was reading this post via email and then I saw the part about a fresh coat of paint and had to come check it out.
I still need to get the responsive design stuff done so that the reading experience on the mobile devices is optimal, but ya know – Rome wasn’t built in a day!
Thanks so much for this post! I am in the process of creating a blog site and was waffling between doing 2 sites (one blog for personal and one plain ol website that clients could get info. about my services) or one site. I’ve been thinking more and more about just having one site, cuz I just need more simplicity in my life. After reading your post and the comments above, I feel confidant this is the direction I should go. Really appreciate all your helpful information about blogging and tweeting, etc. This technology thing is new for me!
You’re welcome Catherine.
I’m becoming (more and more) a big advocate on consolidation on the web. I’ve learned that overextending yourself really gets in the way of productivity, as I spent a lot of time getting frustrated with maintaining content in multiple places.
With the help of WordPress allowing us to register custom post types, we can put out different types of content on a single website, but it won’t alienate readers as that content doesn’t go out in the blog feed.
My code snippets are a prime example of content being on this site, but it’s not sent out to readers when I add each one.
I don’t think I realized those don’t go out to readers. Oops. Making a mental note and bookmarking that page.
Yeah, I registered a “code” custom post type for this very reason. Normal subscribers don’t care when I publish a “How to Reposition Primary Navigation” code snippet, and quite frankly I’d think a lot of folks would unsubscribe if I did.
I’ve also considered adding one for my Poetry as well. This way I can publish it, without forcing my readers to get emails from it.
That makes sense. I want to make a Code is Poetry joke here but I’m not sure how to set it up.
Hello Brian,
I recently moved from WordPress.com to a self hosted blog. At the time I decided to include personal topics; I too felt hemmed in. From a writing perspective it’s been great.
However, I underestimated the effort needed to self-host WordPress. I couldn’t bring subscribers with me and after a great first month on my own Google stopped sending visitors.
It’s like starting over again. Only now I have freedom to write about anything.
As ever,
Martin
Freedom is usually never a bad thing. While it might feel like a step back, in the end it might be two steps forward.
At the very least, leave a doorway open to the new blog from the old blog. This way anybody who stumbles across the old one can make their way to the new one.
Hey Brian. I subscribed the other day, and got this just in time to possibly save my site. I’ve been writing about my topic (IBS) for years, and struggled with writing for SEO.
I’ve found it’s put a choke on my writing so much that I don’t write for months at a time.
I don’t know what will happen if I just dump the SEO side of things, but I’m going to, just to see what happens. If I write more, then it’s a success, even if fewer people find me.
Thanks for being just in time
.
Glad to save the day Shawn.
I’ve found that it’s SO much easier for me to write 1000+ words that are personal than 250 words that are mechanical.
It’s like the shackles have been taken off – talk about freedom!
Great post! My site is mainly just for fun, but recently I’ve been wanting to add some reviews or more things that I enjoy that I think my readers may not.. Like your codes for instance. I love that kind of stuff! But my readers are mainly moms and I am sure aren’t interested. It’s like I live in two different worlds. One of a mommy blogger(which I love still), and one of a person who loves technology, internet, design and the like. Kind of hard to mix the two.. I made a sub-domain thinking it might help. Still not sure if I want to continue to explore that option.
I enjoy your posts, and I think it’s great to sprinkle in personal with the business. It makes it enjoyable and REAL. Not so boring and textbook like.
Hey Sarah, thanks for leaving a comment. I know a ton of mom bloggers who dig technology, so you might be surprised at the reaction you get if you write about “geeky” stuff.
Worst case, if you don’t want those post to go out in your blog feed, there’s an easy way with WordPress to remove categories from doing that.
haha You have given me hope!
Also, I didn’t know WordPress could do that, I think I’ll explore that option just as a back up. Thank you
Here’s how to do it.
Just replace the 99 with the category ID you want to exclude.
Oh nice! Thank you!!!
Yes, I wouldn’t mind to hear more about this Starbucks addiction and the lovely Sarah McLachlan …
A window to your life does breath fresh air into the business aspect of your blog… builds trust and creates a bond…and as admirers, we long to know how the successful ones live…not in a freakish, stalker way, {well for some, maybe, but not me…} but for insight, wisdom and longevity.
The two really are intertwined, regardless of whether or not you write about them on the same blog, so why not find a nice balance between the two?
I can write plenty about Starbucks and Sarah McLachlan. But don’t get me too excited, or I just might write more about being a Twilight fan.
But you’re definitely right. A window in is a breath of fresh air – and believe it or not, I’ve written something about that before.
Hey Brian, appreciate all you’ve done to educate and provide great tools to the Internet business community!
I think you’ve proven in this post that it is possible!
You went on vacation and had a realization (or revelation, whatever you’d call it) of a way to improve your business, enhance engagement, and better your audiences lives and businesses.
One of my mentors taught me that you should take time to vacation every 90 days. He said work really hard to accomplish your goals in 90 days and then take a break. Get away, disconnect, dedicate time to your family, etc.
So the business lesson is inside of the personal experiences you had. The power of unplugging, disconnecting, letting your mind free to do what it does while you relaxe and enjoy life.
This is a powerful message for all of us “workaholics”.
Hey Chris – glad my revelation while on vacation became a powerful message. Honestly, it’s comments like yours that motivate me to continue doing what I’m doing.
Thanks for taking the time to share what you learned from your mentor.
All good stuff!
I’ve definitely been struggling with having a personal blog as well as several other business related ones. I think it depends on how well known you are in your community (to determine if people want to know personal stuff about you) and/or how well known you would like to be online personally. (some people like to be more anonymous) I ended up making my personal blog (my own name) sort of a directory of where to find me online. I occasionally write some personal stuff on it, but mainly focus on my more business related blogs. When I become more “famous” perhaps that will change. LOL
I pretty much wear the things I want to write about on my sleeve. These things are mentioned (sometimes daily) on Twitter, Facebook and through images I post with Instagram.
So not much of what personally comes out is a surprise to my readers!
I am wrestling with the same problem for quite some time.
My official blog is about copywriting, content marketing and social media strategies for B2B companies. But while I definitely enjoy these things, I am passionate about biodiversity conservation, photography, food and various other things.
Should I put all these things under a separate category or should I write about them on a separate site altogether? I don’t imagine my prospects will be interested in my travel trips or rock climbing but I want a way to share them with other people in my life who care.
But then again, if I write two blogs, I know that I will have to divide my time and one will suffer at the cost of another Perhaps the answer is to use subdomains or custom pages?
Will they work in separating non work from work related things? I don’t know. Would I need a different theme (I am currently running prose, which might not be suitable for photos)?
Maybe the solution is to infuse enough of your personality in your business blogs but have another, less frequently updated blog with non work related stuff.
this is such a struggle of mine too – i have a blog {FancyLittleThings.com} where i post weekly DIY projects and then of course my business blog where i am sharing, connecting & encouraging bloggers & small business owners and joke often with fellow bloggers that i guest post on other blogs just to share my real stories that don’t fit either site. perhaps i will take some of the above advice and throw in a bit – begin to intertwine a little more personality, a few stories and perhaps someday an entire personal post! they might go crazy!
good article – as always. you are the only male writer i subscribe to {sounds narrow minded but it is what it is} & i enjoy every single post – whether written for me or a search engine!
Thanks Aimee, really appreciate that kind of support from you. It’s funny how passionate about not only working through this question for myself, but also helping others identify what’s good for them.
In the end, it’s all a matter of what you want to share and who you want to share it with. I have the fortune of not needing my blog to make a living, as that takes place by my ownership in Copyblogger Media.
For me, writing is more about helping (and self-therapy) and not about prospective clients and leads.
Thanks for this perspective Brian. I, like everyone else, have been struggling with this reality as well. I was thoroughly indoctrinated into the niche marketing ideal of focusing “an inch wide, but a mile deep.” While it’s a valid approach, like everyone else, I find myself split between two or more “Blog” projects, ultimately feeling like I am too scattered about, and somehow doing them all half-a$$ed.
For me, the integration of my personal philosophy, my spiritual philosophy, and my business philosophy, has always been the “Holy Grail” of Blog projects. Most of my projects are stalled at the moment, due to this very issue, as I contend with this paradoxical desire for focus, integration, and diversity.
Somehow, we each have to redefine our Blogs, so as to include whatever we choose to write about, and therefore justify the kind of posts conveying our humanity, our spirituality, and our business sense. Clearly, we all want to share it. I suppose it’s up to each of us to redefine our purpose and mission to include this type of integration. As usual, you are leading the way. I feel like I know you better already Brian. Thanks for sharing your humanity.
Hi Brian great post my friend, I think it’s a good idea to kinda combine both, this way your readers get to see another side of the author that might find even more interesting them.
Seems like we’re all in agreement here.
Hey Brian!
I like the new look of your blog! Which one is this?
I’ve contemplated that same thought too, business and personal blogging in one. Curious to hear what others have to say….
Have a great weekend!
Jocelyn
Hey Jocelyn, thanks! This is actually a custom theme that I built, so it’s not based off of any that we currently have available.
I think the reason why personal articles do well is that many are looking for a more personal connection. Online today we are constantly up against the hard sell salesperson. Pushing products and the promises of great riches if we just subscribe or click the buy me button…
Great copywriters have known for years the power of opening up online and telling others who you are, not just what you sell or can do for them. The perfect example of this was an email marketing campaign from a business client years back that for one email had a 65% open rate as opposed to their standard 25%. http://www.digitalmarketing.co.nz/?p=5759
The difference was that the subject line introduced something personal, a staff wedding I recall, and it worked wonders. Now, each of their emails includes a personal ‘aside’ and sales results from their email campaigns have slowly improved. Prospects and clients now see them more as real people, not a company, often referring to it during any subsequent ‘sales’ process, often asking about the individuals by name.
This means I personally think it’s possible, even recommended we occasionally blend some personal items, with business promotions or, as suggested here, have a personal blog category. This is especially true for the small retail business.
Around 25% of customers will appreciate knowing you better. Those ”Personalize/Amiable’ personality types will want to know more about you before they buy. Don’t be afraid to open up.
Brian, I agree with what most of the people stated before, by infusing personal content within your blog I think it engages readers on a more personal level. Instead of just viewing you as the “Creator of the Genesis Framework” you can convey other things about yourself, like your professed love with Starbucks coffee (I have the same affair).
Don’t switch this to a purely personal blog, as I’m sure that would upset many regular readers, but I think people what to know more about what makes your tick, or maybe it’s just me.
Thanks Zach, and don’t worry – I won’t make this a pure personal blog. I love the internet and social media too much to do that.
To be honest mate I have been waiting for you to talk more about the personal stuff.
The stuff that makes you think and what drives you to keep working in this space.
I try to write on a human level when I blog but as soon as I write a piece about some shiny new equipment my traffic doubles.
Sounds great right? Just write about the shiny stuff.
Thing is outside the gear I use that does not interest me at all.
What interests me is the human side of photography and the world. The emotion.
I will blog more about the personal side and if that means I sacrifice a small amount of traffic? So be it.
Keep up the great work!
Hi, Brian! We all have a personal life and it’s what makes us interesting. Don’t worry, your personality already shines through, which is what makes you interesting. Seriously, most of the time, I don’t have a clue what you are talking about, but I still read your emails. I do have a blog that I would love to write on every day (and I do not), so your topics pertain somewhat to me. I try to learn from your posts so that when I eventually have the time and energy to blog, I can do it well. I admire Ree Drummond for her great website, ThePioneerWoman.com, where she gets very personal, with boundaries, and it’s not offensive because it’s who she is with no opologies.
Bless you, and thanks.
Jill
Thanks Jill, really appreciate your comment about “no apologies”. That’s really how we should all feel on our own blogs, so thanks for that reminder.
Great domain name you, have by the way!
No doubt about it … for the past 10 years I’ve been writing a newsletter to a highly engaged subscriber list about my travels in Spain. Any genuine travel tips are most welcomed by readers which allows me to balance personal tales with affiliate sales (maybe I’ll write a site on poetry soon
)
The explosion of online social media has opened so many doors to developing this strategy further. I’ve therefore converted my site to Studiopress so that I can get involved in this area and make blogging a big part of my working week.
Whilst I’ve been working on converting the website I’ve received many emails and a few comments on Facebook from people getting worried that they hadn’t heard from me. Certainly there’s a place for striking a nice balance between personal and commercial.
Thanks for your interesting posts Brian. I’m enjoying them.
Best Wishes
Gerry
Great post….as always! I’m really loving your new perspective and the new look!
Thanks Sarah, appreciate it!
Hello Brian, I’m responding to this question as a first time commenter on your site. I just recently read a few posts of yours and decided to join the newsletter because I am in serious need of education in all matters concerning blogging. The question of whether or not to include personal information along with the business info is extremely relevant to me.
The site you will see listed along with this comment is to a vacation property my family owns in western NC. To make a long story short after reading a few articles recently I realized our site was not utilizing all the tools we should be, one of those being our “Blog” or article manager. So my father asked me to look into it for him and then actually author the posts for our soon-to-be “brand-new blog.” I’ve always been an avid journaler and played around with writing on occasion but nothing like this. I read that what sets one blog apart from another has a lot to do with personal touch, really putting your personality into the articles you author and yes, including personal information as well. But how to balance the two seems a tad daunting at the moment. Any advise you could give a just starting out blogger to a already established business site, would be GREATLY appreciated, especially in regards to how to include the personal with the business in a proper way. Nearly 75% of the business we get comes from people finding and using our site, so needles to say, there’s a little bit of pressure to make sure the blog content will be relevant and engaging.
Anything at all you can recommend in getting started would be very welcomed. I look forward to reading your upcoming posts and thanks ahead of time for any additional guidance you can give this professional blogging virgin.
Nicole
Hey Nicole, thanks for the coming by and leaving your first comment.
My biggest piece of advice for you is to start off slow, and do things rights. While you want to get into blogging, etc you also don’t want to do it recklessly. Focus on putting out quality content over quantity.
As you said, you get a lot of business through your website, so you definitely want your blog to reflect the quality of your brand that you have already built.
I’ve only seen it done a few times with great success. I think you need to be a far talented writer than most bloggers are to pull it off successfully.
I would love to read more of the personal side to your 9-to-5 as well as what makes successful people tick when they’re not working.
My personal blog has also morphed into my business blog. As a writer, I use my blog to connect to readers and to allow my potential clients to see what I’m all about, how I write, etc. It’s actually worked out pretty well despite the fact that I’m a copywriter blogging about parenting, being left-handed, life, art and philanthropy (among other things).
Good for you Jennifer, glad to hear that you been able to (successfully from what it sounds) do both in one place. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If you’re able to write personally in a place where you obtain leads and clients, keep it going!
Great blog design! Really clean, I love it.
I started my personal blog in December. It covers my thoughts on politics and faith. Although, recently I launched a personal business blog to support my efforts as a web designer and give something back to the community. I decided to keep them separate because they are two completely different worlds.
Now I’m stuck with a similar situation that’s not as easy to discern. I have one Twitter account but I love to tweet about both blog topics. Someone could follow me for the web stuff and get totally turned off when I tweet about politics (I tweet about both roughly 50/50). So, should I create a separate Twitter account for my personal business blog, which would be politics/faith free? Then again, I really don’t want to spread myself too thin.
A buddy of mine helped put things in perspective. He said I could look at it as maybe losing potential business. I think he has a point, but I’m still brainstorming this issue.
I’m coming to the conclusion that right now, while I maintain a role at Copyblogger Media and have some pretty big responsibilities that I need to focus on one blog, which will be here. As much as I would love to write a personal blog, I just don’t have the bandwidth.
Thus, moving forward I’ll compromise by trying to write more personally here. Hopefully that will satisfy the soul, and everything will be ok!
Brian I am really glad you raised this question, because I’ve been struggling with it too. I do most of my blogging on Staging Diva Home Staging Business Report which supports my main brand. I weave in personal stuff when making a business point by sharing what I learned from an experience. But it’s very niche focused, which feels limiting at times.
To get around that, much like you did with Nomad Theory, I started a new blog to focus on my broader mission of helping people design their ideal business and lifestyle but quickly hit the inherent challenges of supporting more than one major blog on a regular basis.
Heh, sounds like we’re running parallel ships here Debra. For me, I’m learning that it’s easier to weave personal experiences into my business/internet related posts here than it is to maintain a more personal blog over at Nomad Theory.
Yes, I wouldn’t mind to hear more about this Starbucks addiction and the lovely Sarah McLachlan …
I think its depends on what you are going to share. For me, its certainly possible as I am a huge fan of playing cricket in my free times but I also do sale some cricket related stuff to my friends in abroad when they needed and therefore, I am posting article about cricket history or any other tips regarding cricket and also sharing cricket stuff that those guys can select and order from there.
At the end of the day I think business and pleasure sure exist both on one place
Well, for starters, there _is_ a difference. It’s not the same; a business blog and a business+personal blog.
Both have potential, in your case.
But you gotta do what you can do for an extended period of time. That’s how ‘hobbies’ are defined. And I mean hobby in the most serious of ways. Design was your hobby, and look where it got you! Awesome!
I can know about wp hooks and other code snippets from the rest of the Internet. I’d come here to see what Brian has to say about it. And other stuff that Brian is up to.
It will become a challenge for you to make your posts ‘interesting’ and ‘useful’ for the readers. And as I face this challenge on my blog, I am loving it. I think (I may be assuming here) that you may love it tool, this challenge and responsibility-of-sorts.
The blog is acting like the feather on the camel’s back now, pushing me to try things I was only dreaming about. To do awesome stuff. Or help others do awesome stuff.
I feel like an adventurer now. I have even started calling myself that. Probably will replace ‘entrepreneur’ with ‘adventurer’ in all my bios across the interwebs.
I wish you adventure, Brian. God bless and all the best!
Brian and everyone who responded,
I quit writing months ago. I became bogged down with personal v business that I needed to take a break and get a clear focus. That, and along with my dad’s passing set me back.
I’m ready to begin and with your help, believe that it’s possible to have both personal and business blogs. When a baby shower hostess reads about planning an event for a Mom-to-Be, it’s not a positive experience for her to read about the death of my father and how I’ve coped with this while running a business. I’d like a separate blog to discuss how I’ve gotten through this while running a business, raising two daughters and maintaining…
So looking forward to what your new blog format is about. And yes, you had the idea and many of us have wanted it. Thank you, Susan
I’m a big fan of sharing personal stuff on your blog for several reasons. It makes it easier for fans and potential clients to connect with you, it gives you the freedom to blog about what you want, it also gives you something to write when you’ve got writer’s block, it adds entertainment value, it can also be educating if you share a lesson you learned from that personal experience…the list goes on & I’m all for it!
Brian, I only just came across this post, but it is SO relevant to me right now! I have been wrestling with this issue for the last few months. It totally derailed my blog (Tangerine Turtle) and I stopped writing for months trying to figure out who to be and how to make it work.
I don’t know if it has made it easier or harder that my blog is all about finding success everywhere in your life, in the context of me, a stay-at-home-mum who used to have a decent career, who is now moving into a work-from-home lifestyle. I want to stay authentic to readers just like me, but I also don’t want to it to be ‘just another mommy blog’. I also LOVE blogging and designing, so it is natural for me to write about those topics at least sometimes. I think it can seem too watered down though because it’s so broad, but LIFE is broad!
Any thoughts about the predicament?
As for your original post…I think it is ALWAYS good to post personal stuff because it is the best way to connect with people and if you wanted to just have a soul-less blog, you might as well take out every reference to you personally. But that just might be my ‘give it 100% or don’t do it at all’ attitude towards life.
Hey Brian,
For starters, there’s a definite benefit to tweeting older blog posts as I hadn’t stumbled across this one until tonight.:)
Your post raises a really interesting discussion. I’ve been an “about me” blogger for over a decade and developed a following of readers who enjoyed my “slice of life” perspective. In the past year or two I’ve transitioned into a personal brand, with my name as both my business and URL, and changed direction with much more technically-oriented posts.
The result? My mom no longer reads my blog.
Translation = The blog audience I’ve had in the past is no longer my audience now.
I assume my personal blogging journey reflects a larger trend; the nature of the web has changed. In light of social media (esp. Facebook), the need for a solely personal blog has diminished.
ALL OF THAT SAID (and sorry for the ridiculously long comment), I think injecting a personal element into business/technical blogs adds something unique and valuable. You can SEO a particular keyword all day long, which may get you a one-time visitor, but I think your repeat readers (like me) frequent your information because you have proved yourself a trusted source. And if I trust you for technical information, I’m more likely to value your opinion on non-technical topics.
Just my four cents.