WordCamp Detroit 2011: In The Beginning Was The Word

In his presentation at WordCamp Detroit 2011, Wally Metts spoke about the importance of clear, concise writing and the need to have a strong idea for your blog.

He shared advice for creating conversations that matter about things you care about. Here are my notes:

• People don’t come to our sites for the plugins, they come because we have something to say.
• Your blog needs a strong idea. You need a thesis for your blog. Something that says this is what I’ll find when I go there.

Create conversations. Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of style.–Matthew Arnold

• The expression of our ideas should be:
  • Credible
  • Concrete
  • Concise

Consider your blog as a social contract. The reader thinks,

I come to your blog expecting something. If I come back and get the thing I’m expecting, I’’ll keep coming back to your blog.

• Your goal is to be a trusted advisor. Establish a relationship that’s rooted in trust.
• The effectiveness of what you write goes back to the motivation you had to write it. Figure out the purpose of your blog.