Diversify or Centralize?

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately, and I see it something good for me as it encourages me to read and write more.

Here are some of the things that I noticed that makes me keep on reading these articles online.

Teleporting 
I really admire writers who take their readers to a roller coaster ride and takes them into where their stories are. I first experienced this kind of writing with John Grisham's "The Lawyer", a lot of people say that it is actually nothing compared to his other works. But the point is, I am not a person who's reading is on his most enjoyed hobbies' list so for a person to put me into a page turning experience is something else.

The blog Transcendental Tourist ( http://ajpoliquit.wordpress.com ) is a good example of this. Every time I read his posts, It feels like I am traveling with him. It lets you experience an array of emotions that you would feel as if you are the one who's experiencing what is written. 

Good Visual
One of the bloggers who I really admire most is Marky Ramone Go of www.nomadicexperiences.com when it comes to visuals. I like the way how items are presented to his audience. How everything is organize putting everything that you need to know right at your sight.
from www.nomadicexperiences.com
I remember reading Steve Krug's book "Don't Make Me Think" that discusses how websites should be presented. It says that your audience must not need to think how to use it, they should know where to find what they need and how to use a site with just a single look.

Easy to Digest
I like reading articles that can be easily understood. It is important that you connect to your readers. You can only make them come back and read more if you don't make things complicated for them. 

That is my first impression of Aleah Phils of www.SolitaryWanderer.com's style of writing. No Jargons, No old english type of wordings and no need to consult Mr. Webster to understand her posts.
from www.solitarywanderer.com

Stunning Photos
Of course for someone who has ADD like me, an article that has a good photo is a must. This keeps me glued to the screen and focused.

Well aside from keeping us with ADD on finishing reading an article, A good photograph provides readers a visual of what the writer experienced and takes the reader's imagination to another level.
from www.ambot-ah.com
A good example of this is www.Ambot-ah.com a blogger who's photographs I admire as most of the time you only need to look at his photos and you'll feel that you think you already know the story.

Straight to the point and No non-sense
I often read about things that would help me on my travels and I like blogs that offer a lot of information and does not beat-around-the-bush.
from www.pinaytraveljunkie.com
Gay Mitra of www.PinayTravelJunkie.com is a blogger mom that writes just the way I like it when I need helpful information. I like the fact that I can find information like how to get a visa, where not to spend your money without any fuzz.

They are just some of the blogs that I regulary read (click on the Pinoy Travel Bloggers link beside the Home link above for my complete reading list) that I admire and that continually inspires me in so many different ways.

So the question in my mind now is, should I create a dedicated blog so that my site would be more focused? I'm leaning more on maintaining what I have now. I thought that traveling is a part of my life and this blog is journal of my journey through this inexplicably mysterious life. Also, I have difficulty in focusing on things so I can't actually afford to maintain so many blogs because they would just be left unattended and lost in the end.

So maybe my answer for now is Centralize, I'm keeping an open mind though.....




12 comments:

AJ said...

OMG, Ian, I don't feel worthy in this company! I also look up to these bloggers. But I love my category - teleporting! Parang Startrek lang. Beam me up Scotty! :)

Thanks Ian for the honorable mention. You know what? I see a bit of all these blogs in yours. Keep at it and see you in Manila soon!

Pinay Travel Junkie said...

my pleasure to be included here! traveling is a big part of my life too... well actually, make that, it IS my life! and we can easily focus on writing about things we love, that's why i also ended up abandoning a couple of blogs too that are non travel related.

Marcos (ambot-ah.com) said...

Thanks for including me IAN, I really appreciate knowing what you like about my blog and what you don't like too :)

I actually also do the same thing. I like to take a mental note of what I like about other blogs (or what I think works) and I incorporate it in my blog.

Most times, I like to think of creating the perfect blog and the perfect blog posts. The more I think about it now, it's quite unproductive since it makes the task of writing blog posts a lot more daunting (as opposed to creating out content that comes out more naturally). This is one of the reasons why I have a lot of backlogs.

You have a talent in making videos Ian. That's something not a lot of travel bloggers do.

If I feel blocked when writing blog posts, I also like to check other PTB blogs for inspiration :D

Unknown said...

thanks Ian...natawa ako dun sa kay AJ, teleporting master. But, yeah once you started a style of blogging must keep with that, mine was more of a narrative with images, less focus on travel tips because others are more knowledgeable at that one. I dont take notes of my trips rather I rely more on memory (based on the photographs) and from there I compose my blog- It usually starts with the 1st sentence of the 1st paragraph and just goes from there. No need to treat it as a school paper, just let the thoughts flow freely.

tina said...

Nice post, i found inspiration din on you guys :)

Aleah said...

Thanks for including me here, Ian! Flattered naman hehe. As to your question, I would say diversify IF ONLY you have time and energy to devote to all of them. Tingnan mo ko, daming planong blogs pero wala pang nagagawa. Haay..

ian said...

hi Guys! thanks for your comments and suggestions.... I look up at you guys talaga on the way you write your articles and recount your experiences not only it helps a lot of people but it also gives your readers a sense like they are traveling with you...
@marky and AJ - haha... wala kase ako maisip na term para to describe yung kay aj.... kaya ayun hahahaha....
salamat po ulit =)

Nelieta said...

Thank you for sharing your view with us. You make some great points there! Thank you also for introducing great travel blogs to us! I am going to check those out now!w

Ed said...

hi ian, great blog list here. been planning to create one too. kaso di ko pa rin natatapos. hehe. we have so many great travel bloggers around!

we will all develop our styles in due time. that's the beauty of it. :D

Nelieta said...

Thank you for sharing your view with us. You make some great points there! Thank you also for introducing great travel blogs to us! I am going to check those out now!w

chYmera said...

Thanks for including me IAN, I really appreciate knowing what you like about my blog and what you don't like too :)

I actually also do the same thing. I like to take a mental note of what I like about other blogs (or what I think works) and I incorporate it in my blog.

Most times, I like to think of creating the perfect blog and the perfect blog posts. The more I think about it now, it's quite unproductive since it makes the task of writing blog posts a lot more daunting (as opposed to creating out content that comes out more naturally). This is one of the reasons why I have a lot of backlogs.

You have a talent in making videos Ian. That's something not a lot of travel bloggers do.

If I feel blocked when writing blog posts, I also like to check other PTB blogs for inspiration :D

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