Personal Blogging Vs Niche Blogging And 13 Blog Post Topic Ideas

When I started out on TypePad almost seven years ago, I wasn't sure what a blog was. I had previously read an article on blogging in a British magazine at my hairdresser's and thought I'd give it a try. I googled "blogging platforms" and eventually chose TypePad as it seemed to me the most reliable one. So, I set up my TypePad account in September 2004 - that was very easy to do, even for a computer illiterate like me! "And now what?", I asked myself. I clicked Compose and started writing about my day. To my mind, a blog was something like an online journal which you share with the world.

A few months later, having done some online and offline reading, I realised that blogging was far beyond that. Experts on blogging still recommend choosing a niche. I decided to keep my personal blog as my default blog but, in the course of time, I created three niche blogs: Cypria which is all about information on holidays in Greece and the Greek islands, English Today - a free online course of English as a second language and quite recently My Photo Blog - a collection of my favourite photos. According to experts, a personal blog isn't very popular with search engines unlike niche blogs. Funnily enough, my personal blog is much more popular than my niche blogs - although, I must admit that I have occasionally departed from my niche.

Not having a niche, on the other hand, may often lead to a blank computer screen  and you can't think of a word to write. I admire bloggers who claim their problem is quite the opposite - they generate a horde of ideas and always have something to write about. However, I've often hit a dry spell and found it relatively hard to break through a blank computer screen. So, I decided to carry a small notebook in which I jot down things that I find interesting while sitting at a café or waiting for my turn in a queue. More often than not, when I'm short of ideas, I click Compose and start writing straight from the heart. This is the greatest priviledge of personal blogging, isn't it?

Just in case you blog and get stuck at times , here are a few suggestions. You are very welcome to complete the list with your own ideas:

1. Create specific, step-by-step how-to posts (like how to use Windows 7, Facebook or Twitter)

2. Create a beginner’s guide to something - e,g, how to start a blog or how to make pomegranate jam

3. Write a Things You Don’t Know About Me post

4.  Write about your home and family first thing on Monday morning.

5. Write about something funny you overheard in public.

6. Describe what you consider to be the ideal way to bring up children.

7. Write a post about a dear friend.

8. Write about your first blog post.

9 Write about something amazing or frightening that happened to you.

10. Introduce your friends from a social network

11. Write about a typical day in the year 2099.

12. Write about a day that went disastrously wrong!

13. Write about the person you admire most in life.

 

 

Comments

[Tipper]

Great blog tips-and wonderful topic suggestions too. I'm like you-I keep a list of ideas-and everytime I think of something I add it to the list. At least that way when I hit a dry spell I have a starting point.

[Anastasia]

Same here, Tipper. I jot down thoughts and ideas and have filled two notebooks so far. So, yes, it's a starting point. I also open my Notepad and list blogs or websites I find interesting.

[Jim]

14. Write about your strengths and weaknesses! :-)

[Constantinos]

I've been blogging for about 5 years now but it's been almost a year I haven't updated my blog mainly due to lack of free time. However, I haven't given it up and intend to go back soon. I usually blog at weekends or when I have a day off work, so I can't say I'm short of ideas, although there are times when I get stuck. So your suggestions are very welcome and very helpful.

[Antigonum Cajan]

I rarely run out of themes to blog about. What I do feel is that in terms of horticulture, Puerto Rico is totally dead.

It is dull repetitious and no one knows the rules of installation composition and/or maintenance in the public or private sectors.

[Stefania]

My niche is a bit general - the world around us. I rarely write something myself but I spend time searching the Internet and bookmarking articles or websites that catch my attention. I classify them in a folder and then choose what to post and share. Thanks for the great tips!

[Lisa A]

Buonasera, Anastasia. This is a very good post which can be very helpfull for many other bloggers. My topic is art and painting and I write in Italian because is my language and I express myself better. Art is not only a job for me, it is my passion and I always find something to write about. I keep a long list of topics I have in my mind and I try to blog 3-4 times in a week. I think when you have a niche is more easier to find ideas.

[Laura]

Unless you blog for business or marketing purposes, I find personal blogging more appealing and less restrictive.

[Karolina]

I'm soon going to start my own blog and I'm working on setting it up. I know my niche is gonna be about Greece but I need to redefine it. Your post comes in handy and it's really very helpful.

[Mrkmakth]

I believe that the right niche allows you to control content and drive traffic to your blog more easily.

[Lakis Ioannou]

By the way, I have another great blog topic idea for personal blogs but also for blogs on mother-in-laws:

15. 100 ways to get rid of your mother-in-law

[Christina]

My blogging experience was quite disappointing. I had a personal blog but I gave it up because I often got stuck and was short of ideas about what to write. I wish you had posted this earlier! It would have helped me a lot.

[Anastasia]

Now Jim. that's a very challenging idea. I'll do that shortly, even though I wrote a lot about my weaknesses in the past!

[Anastasia]

I hope you will go back to blogging soon. Am I still your contributor or "guest author"?

[Anastasia]

I believe that blogging can often be very influential. I'm sure that through your blog, you can suggest a new concept of smart gardening which might appeal to a lot of people in Puerto Rico or anywhere in the world.

[Anastasia]

Many people think that blogging is all about writing. Not always! And, believe me, Stefania, some of the greatest bloggers have never written a word! What I love most about your blog is that I always discover something new! And that's what really matters to me.

[Anastasia]

I couldn't agree more with you, Lisa. I've never been short of ideas when posting to one of my niche blogs.But, on the other hand, my personal blog is a part of myself and I really like the way we interact as a small online community, learning so many things from one another.

[Anastasia]

Yes, you've got a point, Laura. Personal blogging is so much less restrictive. I feel I can post about anything, any time.

[Anastasia]

I'm so glad to hear that my post is helpful. Can't wait to visit your blog!

[Anastasia]

Not always, Mark. But, I guess it depends on the niche and how search engines ...react!

[Anastasia]

I regret having met my mother-in-law for a very short period of time. She was a great Lady! I sometimes wish she had lived longer. I loved her so much and I still miss her. On the other hand, I understand that many people don't get on well with their mother-in-laws. I wonder why ....

[Anastasia]

Christina, perseverance makes success!

[Constantinos]

Of course you are! It's a real honor for me to have you as a contributor to my blog and I truly appreciate this.

[Antigonum Cajan]

Well for the last five years one out of ten people commenting on smart gardening, issues or anything are local islanders. So long for smart anything here. Thanks for your pertinent response.

[Account Deleted]

These are neat and nifty ideas. Thanks for sharing them. Modesty aside, I don't run out of ideas. My ideas even seem to haunt me in my sleep...hehehe! The trouble with me is laziness. I can be so lazy that I don't write or too preoccupied with something else other than writing. So in my Posts dashboard, there are so many articles left unfinished and there are so many "notes and ideas" in my idea notebook waiting to be written.
Maybe because , I based my ideas on experience, on stories I hear and read, things I see, and emotions I feel. Although I am a blabbermouth, there are still some words that I would leave unsaid and those words left unsaid come to have a voice on paper.

[Anastasia]

One reason why I keep coming back to your blog is precisely because your posts are heartfelt and drawn out of experience. My problem isn't laziness. It's ...free time. I usually work throughout the school year 12-14 hours daily, including Saturdays, so at the end of a long day my mind goes blank! :-)

[Andy]

What I like most in your blog, Anastasia, is your transparency. Transparency means that no matter what the blog is about, the readers know what they’re getting into. Because transparency is really about trust.