Monday, August 28, 2006

Do you have anything new to say?

I was reading another very popular blog a week or two ago and it said they never publish the same idea twice. Always new stuff, it claimed. Obviously your blog will not have repeat visitors if you do not add new and interesting ideas. However, can anyone really say that each blog post is completely new? The whole idea of a blog is that it is a continuum of thoughts and ideas. The same goes for being an expert. If you are developing yourself as an expert in a particular field, do not be afraid to repeat your message, but in a new way. I have probably written about the buzz you can create by following up with old contacts 10 times, but never in the same way and I am sure you have not read them all. If I did today’s post on Brain Surgery it would be new. But it would not be effective. The real key is to be able to take your old content and make it new through adding different viewpoints, uses or examples. Begin by looking through your old posts and seeing which ones are popular. Since you wrote that post, you probably have new experiences and insight. Now write the same post with a different angle and add the new insight. Even the people that read your older post will probably appreciate the refresher. We rarely read something once and immediately act upon it.