This is for the bloggers, the creators, the website makers, the social media types, the writers of the world. Specifically, the online world where so many of us are spending our days.
The internet used to be a fun place to surf around.
We were free to roam. Little fear of having to navigate a multitude of pop-ups or link bait, just to get to some good old-fashioned content.
If we liked a site we stayed, if not we left.
We didn’t get strong-armed into sharing what we were seeing but were happy to share anyway. We wanted others to see what we saw, happy to pay it forward.
We didn’t get pushed to subscribe to an email list but we signed up anyway, happy to get new posts straight to our inbox but otherwise not be bothered unduly.
Each site we visited felt like it had its own heartbeat, we could feel the human/s behind it trying to share their message. Some sites fell into broad subject headings (some didn’t) but most felt like they had their own take on that subject, not just a rehash of something existing.
Blog posts had titles that meant something but that were not overly controversial, or full of hyperbole, just to get attention. There was the odd list post but not everything was “252 Secret Ways to…….”, or “675 Things You Are Missing Out On”.
We opened posts and felt like we were actually reading them for the first time. The creator’s unique voice shining through and adding something fresh, even on well-worn subjects.
Of course, that’s not where we are now. Today’s online world is a little more, Wild West.
Respect the Audience
Here’s an idea. Let’s give our audience the upmost respect. Let’s treat them like the welcome visitors they are. Let’s treat them with open arms.
How do we do that? We go back to Ground Zero.
We start with a new framework.
We break away from the current model of the ‘sell at all costs’ and ‘make as much noise as possible’. Instead, we try to create something meaningful, something useful. If it earns us a living or some kudos along the way, great but the work has to stand up on its own.
Internet Ground Zero
Let’s start again. Let’s breathe new life into the online world. Let’s agree some rules of engagement.
No More (or Much Less):
- Pop-ups
- Baiting readers to sign up to our email lists
- Invasive advertising
- Snake oil pitches
- Copy & pasted ‘thinking’
- Pitching other people’s products we’ve never actually used ourselves (but get a commission on)
- Faking it with just the sunshine shot view of our own lives offline – let’s be real and share our failures along the way as well
- Tricky profiling of our audience, so we can guess their next move (and make our next sale)
- Funneling our audience into landing page after landing page, promising the world but delivering little
- Spamming
- Buying up social media audience and robots, so we look impressive with 1000s of ‘followers’
- Treating our readers as ‘followers’ (let’s cut the pretending to be a guru charade)
- Treating our audience as customers with open wallets for us to stick our grubby paws into and help ourselves
- Cluttered websites, filling every bit of space with a pop-up, message to buy or some other distraction from the reader experience
- Hyperbolic and over the top blog post titles, just to get good SEO or social media likes, while no one bothers to stick around and read the whole post
- Writing for SEO and algorithms, over people
- Selling the myth of overnight success (on order)
Much More:
- Being of service
- Trying our best to add value
- Creating from our own pool of ideas (inspired by others, crediting others but never outright stealing from them)
- Writing from our heart
- Turning up to do the work (again and again)
- Being real and, at times, even vulnerable
- Sharing our best work on the day and trying to improve on it next time
- Creating the best possible products we can
- Creating the best possible experience we can for our readers
- Space on our websites for readers to breathe a little, unburdened by clutter
- Using social media to be social and add value to others, not just to sell or puff our chests out
- Treating our audience with the upmost respect
- Treating our audience as humans with feelings, dreams, cares, wants and stresses
- Doing our best to be our best
Let’s all be part of the signal, not part of the noise. Let’s make the online world great.