Olivier Blanchard, Gini Dietrich, Todd Defren, and Kyle Lacy are among many bloggers whose blogs I visit and read regularly. Each writes about the intersect between social media and marketing — but there is a distinction that three blogs share with each other.
Here is Olivier Blanchard’s blog:
Here is Gini Dietrich’s blog:
Here is Todd Defren’s blog:
Here is Kyle Lacy’s blog:
Do you spot the distinction that Olivier, Gini, and Todd share? Do you see the prominent logos and locations of The BrandBuilder Blog, Spin Sucks, and PR Squared? Do you recognize how Kyle’s blog name is his own name?
One convention isn’t necessarily any better than another, but I don’t recommend you read Spin Sucks. I do recommend you read Gini, though.
Something to think about.
About Ari Herzog
Lame answer, but I don’t make a distinction. I go for the content – so if that’s one author and their name; one author and a brand; or many authors and a mish-mash, it’s all good.
I also go for the content but as I mention at the end, I suggest people read your blog and Gini’s blog. I don’t specify the name of the blog, only the url. I equate Gini with Spin Sucks in the same way I associate the word Encyclopedia with Britannica; but I don’t suggest people research with Encyclopedia Britannica, only an encyclopedia. I suggest people read Gini’s blog at spinsucks.com, not Spin Sucks.
It’s trivial, but…
Initially content and then by author if that author produces good content.
I also like to see a little interaction in the comments.
Mr Brown above is a perfect example of good content combined with great interaction in the comments.
Thanks Mister Keith, appreciate that and the beer is on me.
Credit where credit’s due young sir.
Make sure that beer is cold.
I can taste it already.
If content and then by author, where does the title fit in?
Agreed sir, i think that interaction with the people who make the blog a success is a great thing to do. As Ari so often does.
I think it honestly depends on the blog (or blogger). Some blogs I read seem so uniquely attributable to that blogger that it’s hard to feel like you’re just reading a blog. Their personality, feelings, opinions, etc. really shine through. In such instances, I do feel more like I’m ‘reading’ the blogger, not just the blog, I guess. I’ve never really thought about it in that way before, but it’s definitely an interesting concept.
When you read a novel, do you feel like you’re reading the author or the title?
I am not sure what you are asking. I can think of a long list of novels I would recommend by name, and a shorter list of authors about whom I would say, “anything by XXX.” In either case, you are correct that neither the names of the books or the authors would inspire the recommendations.
BUT if it didn’t have a catchy title or an author I recognized, I might never have picked up the book in the first place.
Again, I think it depends on a lot of things, for example how familiar you are with the author’s works. I think the more you read books by a certain author, the less you feel like you’re reading just a title and the more you feel like you’re ‘reading the author.’ Like I mentioned before, as with bloggers, some authors have such a unique writing style that it’s easy for the particular title to fade from thought. When I read David Sedaris (not books by David Sedaris), for example, I really feel like I’m *reading him*, not “When You Are Engulfed in Flames.”
This question takes me back to a time when I had a Rolling Stone subscription and as far as I was concerned, they could keep any issue that did not have a P.J. O’Rourke byline.
I think it depends on the blog and the blogger.
For example, I’ll read anything on Copyblogger because I trust that everything they publish meets their high standards for quality content. Problogger, not so much. Sometimes I check to see if Rowse wrote a particular post and I pass if he did not.
Standards are a different element. The reason you read something on one website and not another website are your reasons and have nothing to do with the name of the website, right?
I agree the name (author or blog) does not overshadow the content, but I believe branding is more important than most of us realize. Maybe I am visiting a blog to read the content, but over time my mind makes associations with the branding on the page. At some point, those associations will affect how I respond to the content.
I’m having trouble following your logic on this one, Ari. What you’re suggesting is the title of the book is different than the author who penned it. The name of a blog (its brand) is created and written by an editor-in-chief or owner who is the author. That person will also have a brand. Who wrote Vampire Chronicles? Anne Rice. Who writes Spin Sucks? Gini Dietrich. There can be guest authors or co-bylines for books and blogs; why aren’t Spin Sucks and Gini Dietrich one and the same? She’s the creator; her product is a blog that happens to be named Spin Sucks.
Where is the logic flawed? I may suggest you read Gini’s blog and I’ll provide the url if you ask for it. But I don’t mention the name of her blog, for it’s not something that comes to mind. In my feed reader (as I read blogs by RSS feeds), I name each blog by the author, not the default name that pops up. So, Olivier’s blog (to me) is called Olivier Blanchard and Gini’s blog is Gini Dietrich.
But that’s my convention. And therein is my logic. How is it flawed? Because you view blogs by their names and not their authors? I say that’s your convention and it’s equally valid.
I think that she is saying that Gini isn’t the only person who writes on Spin Sucks. I am a guest blogger on Spin Sucks and have received several lovely comments from Jayme.
I believe you are saying that other than the posts by Gini, the other posts by people like myself, are NOT worth reading. I am sorry that my writing has tarnished your opinion of her site.
Where did I write Spin Sucks in negativity? Where do you get the word tarnished? Quite the contrary.
As to blog contributors, every blog has them. Doesn’t change anything. If Gini is anything like me (you can learn how to write for me here), she also acts as editor cleaning up grammar and adding h2 embellishments as she sees fit. I still have Spin Sucks in my rss reader as Gini Dietrich and not as Gini Dietrich & Co.
I defer to the blogger. If she wants to be known as Spin sucks, so be it, that’s her brand name!
Some bloggers put the blog name WITH the blogger’s name on their blogroll.
You get my email?
And we have multiple authors – four different guests every week – on top of the six I write. So it doesn’t make sense for me to put my name in the header.
Ari, whilst some blogs may have a fantastic design, I believe that if the author left, I would probably follow the author rather than the design, as it’s the style of writing that I am interested in, not really the pretty pictures on the side.
Saying that, a good design can do wonders for a blog
Ari,
I think it is actually both – we start with reading blogs to get the information but if author is engaging enough or provides a true value to me as reader – I tend to follow the blogger, as well as blog.
I think it is all perspective. For example, I read Olivier’s blog, but I actually didn’t know his real name for the longest time. I subscribed, so it just showed up in my reader as “The BrandBuilder” and that is all I knew him as. Since his twitter handle is also @thebrandbuilder, it keeps the connection, and therefore his brand.
A rose by any other name
A rose to some people is a rose and to others is a flower and to others is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa within the family Rosaceae.
When I see thebrandbuilder referenced in any online media, I think of Olivier Blanchard. But that’s me.
Dear Ari
Found you through Gini!
Nice take on this. You are right, I read the blogger! They make the blog.
cheers,
Rajka “Ryka”
I have a little different opinion I have thought about this thing earlier and I concluded that author will not write the stuff every time which you want to read or in which you are interested so you cannot hang up to just 3 or 4 authors but rather it will be good if you hand up with the blog in which 3 or 4 authors write about your interest.
For me as a photographer and blogger, I always look first for the author for credibility reasons. As we all know that the internet is full of information, so better select the reputable and trusted one.
Hi, Ari.
I go for the blog first and the blogger second. I get roped in by a catchy title, then read on because the content is truly informative and interesting. When I comment and the blogger respond to me and I see a connection there, I subscribe to that blog so I can see if his or her posts are the same as the first that I read. That is basically the reason I am following you, Gini, Danny, Griddy, Bill and a whole lot of others who are into connecting with other people.
…and I thank you for following me.
How can I improve?
Huh.. not sure I’ve thought about this in these terms. Someone recently asked me what I named my blog and why… and my answer was, I didn’t. Couldn’t really come up with a ‘cool’ name, so I just have a little warning in the header. Per Elephant’s Eye.. my blogroll lists the bloggers by name, not title unless it’s a multi-author blog. Which is interesting now that I think about it as Spin Sucks has lots of guest authors, but I still list it under Gini’s name. Huh. Like Danny, I’ll hedge and say I read content. FWIW.
As a guest blogger on Spin Sucks, I am sure that I am responsible for your dislike of the posts not created by Gini. I do tend to go on a rant and I am sorry if my posts have in any way tarnished the Spin Sucks brand.
Please don’t condemn an entire site, because of one ‘mad man’ who is allowed to run amok periodically.
I commented to you above and I’ll echo myself here: Please show me where I condemned Gini or her blog.
Well, your blog too is on your Name like Kyle’s blog.
Ari, I think the difference is that Olivier, Todd, and I all have businesses the blog supports. I think Kyle does awesome work, but his blog can be his own name because he’s writing books, he’s speaking, and he’s not supporting a staff (sometimes I’m very envious I didn’t chose that path).
I can only speak for myself, but we have a very specific strategy for Spin Sucks. We have four guest bloggers every week, in addition to the six posts I write. It’s also extremely important to me to build a brand beyond me, should I want to sell someday. If the blog – and the monetization – is Gini Dietrich, I can’t sell because it’s all tied to me.
The blog is becoming more than me (slowly) and that’s the goal. Plus our vision is to change the perception of PR professionals through professional development and education. Spin Sucks represents that vision in a very tongue in cheek way.
But, just like anything else in this crazy online world, what works for me doesn’t work for you doesn’t work for Olivier doesn’t work for Todd doesn’t work for Kyle.
Thanks for the elaboration, Gini; but as I replied to others, I still have your blog name renamed in my feed reader under your personal name regardless of other people who contribute to it. I also recommend people read “Gini Dietrich’s blog at spinsucks.com.” I equate your name with the url. But that’s me.
I usually go for the blog itself as a start. Then when I dig for more post and find these useful, I’ll start looking forward to the blogger. That will be the start of building a good relationship to the blogger.
Some days one, some days the other. Author, content, content, author. Depends on the day and the weather. I don’t eat cornflakes every breakfast.