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Evolving blog focus

I have been thinking more about my changing blog focus, and the more I read of some of the ProBloggers out there and the edubloggers, not to mention those who also discuss organizational power and research and reflective practice (and theoretical and philosophical foundations under all of it!), the more I think I may be trying to bring together interests that defy easy classification.

How postmodern. Ahh Lyotard, Foucault, and Derrida, where have you all gone?  How else can I make sense of:

  • instructional design
  • learning and teaching
  • social media
  • online community development
  • communications
  • qualitative research (especially autoethnography)
  • philosophical and theoretical foundations of
    • adult education
    • social and political philosophy
    • aesthetics
  • edublogging
  • reflective practice
  • coaching
  • research-to-practice
  • critical HRD

I wonder how or if other people sometimes feel their interests and abilities do not fit within the standard groupings that other people expect to see? Strange, how such a richness can at times seem so isolating.

Posted by Jeffrey on March 21, 2007 1:18 AM |

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Comments

Focus on one main area and delve into the others secondarily, provided that your readers are generally interested in the same type of topics. I agree it is tough to find a common thread between topics that are too diverse. What about focusing on the types of audience and their interests? Determine who you are blogging for and purpose--yourself or yourself plus others?

Posted by Philip Liu | March 21, 2007 3:20 PM | Reply

Philip, thank you for your thoughts here. I appreciate your taking the time to visit and post and engage me to think more about this. One of the challenges I am toying around with is the act of writing for an audience rather than writing for myself. If I write only for myself, then the focus is to develop something within my own thinking or to promote some message that is done for no other reason than my own interests. When writing for others, then the writing will be to inform or promote some agenda or message (and, perhaps, ultimately tie in with profitability or a social cause of some sort). I do not envision using this blog to make money (as I have no yet chosen to promote my professional and consulting work online yet), so am a bit unclear as to proceeding in this way. Thinking about your blog, I think I understand your audience, but am not clear as to your intentions and what you want to accomplish with it as I have not seen you promote your services - perhaps that comes after you develop your audience and their interests? I also really liked your statement: "Determine who you are blogging for and purpose--yourself or yourself plus others?" I think I need to focus on this, as I want to be read and followed but am not clear as to the purpose of this. I will work on your Visitor Grid to this end.

Posted, in reply to Philip Liu's comment, by Jeffrey [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 22, 2007 11:23 AM | Reply

Hey Jeffrey - great issue to grapple with. I have, over time, developed different blogs. Arjunsingh.com is my own personal diary online - I think I need a personal space online that I can even toy with a bit. Readers follow along if they want or can, but it is really more about me, I think. I used to have a tech pundit type blog that I tried to nurture. Its still up but haven't posted for over a year. My blog for others is about my passion for my community, and for the work I do as a city councillor. Its still got a very personal feel, but I also want to very much engage others.

Posted by Arjun Singh | March 23, 2007 7:52 PM | Reply

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