Being Unique in the Blogosphere

According to Technorati, 175,000 new blogs pop up every day. That’s around 121 new blogs every single minute! With that many new blogs every day, and with the tons and tons of already established blogs, it can be hard for a new blogger to get any traction in the blogosphere.

Unfortunately, there is no sure-fire way to make your blog popular, and certainly content is still king, but finding a good theme (assuming you’re using a blogging platform such as WordPress) is one of the most important steps in the process of building and growing your blog’s audience.

1. Unique themes remove prejudice from big name bloggers

Most of the big whig bloggers out there are familiar with the likes of Chris Pearson and his Cutline theme, and although it is a solid theme, if a big name blogger in your niche comes across your blog using the default Cutline, there’s a possibility he may initially think of your blog as cheap, or worse, he may think of you as lazy. Big whigs are the ones you WANT to look at your blog. You WANT them to link to you, but if you don’t do something to immediately grab his or her attention (like having a unique theme), you may not win them over.

2. Unique themes help with branding

I remember a few years back, Dodge Ram Trucks had a very distinct body style. People liked that, and before long, other truck companies (Ford, Chevy, etc.) started copying that body style. When this happened, it cheapened the look of the Dodge. When you take a popular theme and slap it up on your blog, there’s a good chance your blog (with the exception of the title and tagline and maybe some widgets) will look exactly like hundreds or even thousands of other blogs out there. By association, this cheapens your blog, and thus puts you at a disadvantage when trying to make a name for yourself in the blogosphere.

3. Unique voices rarely have a generic look

Like it or not, we are judged by how we look. Lincoln’s top-hat, Einsteins crazy hair, there are countless examples of influential people, unique not only in they way they thought, but in how they looked. Unfair as it may be, you will be remembered not only for what you say, but for how you look when saying it.

4. Unique doesn’t mean perfect

Even though the Cutline theme is probably one of the best themes available, that doesn’t mean that it’s the best choice for you. It actually may be better to have a theme that is less pretty, or less flexible, for the sake of being unique.

5. Unique blogs take a lot of work

…and I don’t just mean the content. It may mean hiring a designer to make a generic theme look unique. It may mean popping the hood of your theme and getting your hands dirty. But the payoff will be worth it.

If you don’t have a unique theme, there’s a good chance you’re not going to make it in the blogosphere. Do whatever you have to do to make sure your blog screams “you”. There’s no easier or more effective way to do this by having a brandable, unique theme.

Posted May 1, 2007 by Nathan Rice | Filed Under Blog 

Comments

7 Responses to “Being Unique in the Blogosphere”

  1. Brian Gardner on May 1st, 2007 8:12 am

    All great points, Nathan, especially for those who are new to blogging to consider. I agree a lot with point #4, in that the “popular” themes may not necessarily serve one’s site the best.

  2. Ed Sutherland on May 2nd, 2007 6:49 am

    A customized theme is important (surveys show users within seconds judge a site’s value), unique design alone does not ensure return visits. We’ve all encountered lovely-looking people who open their mouths and our opinions instantly change. If design is the foot in the door, content is what gets you into the living room and a comfy seat.

    Some of the most-trafficked sites are often the most plain and appear out-of-the box. Chris Pearson’s Cutline site attracts loads of users with the plain theme and a wealth of information. I agree a design can initially determine whether users will trust your content, but it is the content (or lack thereof) which cements your worthiness.

    There are some areas where design trumps content. For instance, a user must quickly scan a site and determine who is operating the site, its purpose and how to subscribe or obtain a feed. For that, a professional designer can greatly help. A design can also make easier locating content. If content is king, the designer serves the role as landscaper and architect. A castle is of no use if people are eaten by alligators in the moat while searching for an ill-placed drawbridge.

    Then there is the subject of the increasing use of RSS to syndicate that content. As people read headlines, content becomes more important than design.

    A few comments from a contrarian content person. ;)

    Ed

  3. Nathan Rice on May 2nd, 2007 7:06 am

    Great Line:
    “If content is king, the designer serves the role as landscaper and architect.”

    I don’t think your comment was contrarian at all. Obviously, there are tons of blogs out there to help with your content, but one must not forget the importance of the design. A bad design (I didn’t say simple) can ruin even the best content.

    Nathan

  4. Ed Sutherland on May 2nd, 2007 7:44 am

    I totally agree. Another way to think of the melding of design and content is art. The breath-taking response from viewing the Mona Lisa can be dulled if the painting is framed wrong and hung in a dusty corner. Just the same, the most ornate frame empty cannot draw the same number of viewers as a well-designed border for masterful art. Design and Content are co-dependent.

    The best examples of design and content aren’t the flashiest or the ones with the latest bells-and-whistles, but those which complement. Take Cutline, for example. The white background and sparing use of graphics highlights words well-suited to the theme. On the flip side, if you just had canned content and a bunch of Adsense, visitors would say ‘nice design, but I don’t think its worth my time.’

    Ed

  5. Brian Gardner on May 2nd, 2007 8:21 am

    Nathan & Ed - now figure this one out. Myspace’s design is less than boring, but in this case, content far exceeds design. To me, the Mypace site looks like anybody could have made it up. Functionality, I’m sure behind the scenes it’s very complex, but the overall look of the site is pretty bad.

  6. Nathan Rice on May 2nd, 2007 8:31 am

    I think myspace’s popularity is due to the massive group solidarity. Myspace has neither function nor design in its favor, yet it is incredibly popular. One of myspace’s most popular feature (its customization features) is its greatest flaw IMO.

    I think that there are obvious exceptions to this rule. Design matters *most of the time*, but every once in a while, it doesn’t. Take Kevin Rose for instance. If digg didn’t look pretty, it’d still be popular, because it had a “celebrity” endorsement, ie Kevin.

    Myspace is popular for being popular. One of the reasons people won’t jump ship on myspace is because all of their friends are on it.

    Windows is another one. Macs are prettier, but Windows is popular.

    These are indeed exceptions, but don’t count on joining the ranks of such players as microsoft, newscorp and google. Your best bet is to have good content and good looks.

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