Where to Find Content For Your Blog
Apr 23rd, 07 |Get a Good RSS Reader ~
Google Reader is a great web app when it comes to keeping up with what’s going on in the world. It lets you organize all your feeds by folder, add tags for reminders, and even customize the appearance more to your liking. Rather than surfing to all your favorite sites each day, take one gander at Reader and get the information you need, presented in one place. Reader shows you which feeds have new content, and the number of new items. You can also quickly change views, sort items by date, or name or unsubscribe from any feed. I used Sage for the longest time, and switched over to Reader a few months ago. I love it.
Regardless of what reader you choose, start subscribing to any feed you come across which looks even remotely informative, and evaluate it for a while to see if the content is worth following. After a while, you’ll build up a decent amount of subscriptions that you really like. In doing so, you now have a one-stop resource for post ideas. I scan through Reader every morning, even if I already know what I’m going to post for the day. You just never know. :)
Be A Joiner ~
Forums provide a way to meet like-minded people, learn more about your interests, occasionally get traffic, and get ideas for material. If it’s a really active forum, such as Sitepoint, there’s bound to be a lot going on. Newbies ask questions, seasoned vets offer advice, members conduct polls, give opinions, write reviews, and wage debates… there’s just no end. It’s like a bustling marketplace, and great for getting ideas. Joining a forum also has the added benefit of possibly forming friendships or business partnerships. Score!
Be More Social ~
In order to find content, sometimes you just have to put yourself out there, and that may mean signing up as a member of a few social media sites. If you’re anti, you might consider picking just one, and check it out once in a while. See what people are submitting and/or talking about. Becoming an active participant can also help generate some traffic. A few of the most popular sites are:
Let Life Inspire You ~
Some of the best ideas come from life itself. Isn’t it true Einstein discovered the theory of relativity while he was out taking a walk? On blogs particularly, the whole idea is to have a personal spin on the content you write. What better source for material is there than the reality around you? Family, kids, friends, co-workers, bosses, partnerships, employees, clients, lovers, ex-lovers, parents, pets, neighbors… all of them contribute to, and have an affect on your experiences within the world. You have to be careful about protecting identities of course, but sometimes life provides excellent material, without you even having to try.
*EDIT*
I totally forgot about Podcasts! They’re another great resource for generating ideas. If you don’t have iTunes, go grab it, and find some podcasts that relate to your blog or area of interest. I’ve discovered the best thing about listening to a podcast is it’s such a passive activity, which is nice if you have to balance your time between your blog and other projects. You can just jot down thoughts while you’re listening, and write up a post later.
