What should I post about? That's a really good question.
When you decided to start your blog, did you think about it then or were you just hoping it would come to you later on once you got started? If you're like me, it was a little of both. I had an idea, but I wasn't really sure. The other day, someone mentioned to me about having writer's block or maybe "blogger's block" would be a better way to describe it. They'd hit a wall on what to post.
I don't know if I have the answer for you, but I can tell you what I do. It basically comes down to posting what you love about the hobby. I'll use myself as an example.
When I first started blogging, I did the rumor thing. Posting about all the latest stuff I found on the internet. It was fun, but lots of people were and still are doing it better than me.
Then I started the FTW Blogger Group. But that alone did not set me apart from everyone else. It's still the best thing I think I could have ever done as far as contributions to the 40k world go, but that's another post.
Then I really started looking at what it is that I do with the hobby. What did I want to share with the rest of the 40k world? It wasn't battle reports, tacticas, army lists or tournament advice. I don't have those. To post that stuff wouldn't draw the response I get when I post things that are important to me. I love basic modeling/painting and gaming.
And so I started focusing on those two things. Sure, other bloggers post about these things as well, but these are what I focus on, these are what are important to me. They are what I have the most experience with and when I blog about them, I like to think it shows.
If I go through Google Analytics and look at what posts have gotten the most actual views (excluding the FTW Blogger Group stuff and things like Tutorials and Downloads pages), the top posts are my finished commission pieces where I showcase the finished model.
When I go through and look at what posts have picked up the most reader comments, they are the editorial articles where I talk about gaming or things that have directly impacted my gaming.
So what should you post about?
Maybe the question should be, "What is important to you?" Once you know what that is, you'll never run out of stuff to post. If it's battle reports, then go with it. Make them the best ones out there. If it's rumors, then get your ear to the ground and figure out what's going on. If you love writing tactical articles, then do your research and show us how to win games.
I will add this... if you started blogging to escape forums and bulletin boards because you want the freedom to "express yourself without certain restraints," you may be disappointed when not everyone jumps aboard with your blog. There are lots of critics out there and every one of them has an opinion.
Theodore Roosevelt has a great quote about critics:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
My point is this, find what you love about the hobby and post about that. You don't have to post everyday, you don't have to be the best, you don't have to know all the tricks and paint like a pro, you don't have to greenstuff things from scratch. If you're posting about what you love, it'll show and you'll never run dry of things to say.
And your readers will respond.
