I can haz attention?
One of the best ways to get people to read something is to make them want to read it. This sounds like a tautology but it’s actually a lot more difficult than it seems. People are exposed to information all of the time, leading them to flit from place to place like a sparrow on crack. One of the symptoms of this change in reading behaviour is Twitter – along with its kin, it basically suggests that if information can’t be presented in 140 characters, it isn’t worth reading.
What does this mean for the writer trying to get eyeballs? Well, it means that you need an engaging ‘voice’ – whether informal, conversational or confrontational, it needs to be compelling. One of main problems with getting readers by changing your voice is just that – it’s your voice. This means that trying to change it will be fraught with difficulty and, in the end, not be ‘you’. A possible solution to this problem is to apply lenses to your writing.
First post
Well, in the grand tradition of Slashdot and the other big ol’ blogs, I have to claim ‘first post’ – not too great a distinction while this is the only post but hey, whatcha gonna do?
Expect much more interesting and useful fare going forward once WordPress and I stop fighting so much.