What About Me?

Welcome back!

There’s been a lot of discussion on Twitter and blogs about sponsored posts, whether they’re ethical or not, whether bloggers should do them or not, and so on.  There are lots of posts on other blogs where you can debate this topic, so I’m not going to do that, here.  My only reason for mentioning the topic was that it brought me to a realization.

Do you have an “About Me” page?  What do you have on it?  What does it say about you and your blog and your message?  If you don’t have one, make one now.  Even if it’s just a short bio.  I’ll go into more detail about why in a minute.

The whole sponsored post controversy caused me to take a second look at my own “About” page.  If you already have an About Me page, you’re probably a lot like me, in that you created it and forgot about it.  If not, than this post may not be for you.

I didn’t even remember what, exactly, I’d said on my About page.  I needed to review it.  Now.

The cool thing about an About page is that it can help you direct your blog, set your message, tell your readers what to expect and what not to expect.  This doesn’t just help your readers, it helps your blog and helps it become successful.  I found, in reviewing my About page, that I sometimes stray from the message and direction I set for the blog.  It’s easy to do and many bloggers do it.

This is why an About page is so valuable.  It’s like a mission statement for your blog, that when reviewed regularly, can keep you from straying from that mission, too far.

It can also provide you some breathing room to keep your blog dynamic.  Within certain boundaries, you can expand and contract your message, content, and direction.  Without some guidance, though, you could stray all over, while your readers lose interest.

I’m as guilty as anyone else on this topic and I’m sure I’ve lost some readers in the process.  While you can’t please everyone, you should have some direction and framework within which you operate and manage your blog.  The recent controversy on sponsored posts taught me the valuable lesson of staying on task and continually reviewing your mission and your posts to ensure that you provide your readers what you promised to provide and constantly improving on that message and promise.

I know I’ll be trying harder going forward.  What about you?  Have you made that About page, yet?  If so, have you read it, lately?  Are you still giving your readers the best message possible?  If not, maybe it’s time for some tweeking of your blog or time to adjust your mission.

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