EVE-Mag.com

BaEB – Choosing a Topic

Published on 11. Sep, 2009 ... written by Smak.

This is the first part of the “Become an EVE Blogger!” series here at EVE-Mag.com. You’ve read the Intro on this series, so let’s get started.

In this article I’ll share my thoughts on choosing a blog topic, as well as looking at article topics.

When choosing the main topic for your blog and topics for your articles, you should really think about what exactly you are interested in, especially in the multi-facetted game of EVE. Think of what you enjoy most! Many aspiring bloggers are tempted to start a blog with a certain topic based on what others are already doing. Some write about stuff, that others think is cool. Be true to yourself and go for what you like most.

There are many blogs out there with different topics like Pirating, Mining, Trading, PvP’ing, Fan Fiction and so on, but most of the successful blogs are mixed-topic blogs. Some of  these blogs center around the author (the guy who runs the blog). In my opinion, a healthy combination of various topics makes the blog a really nice read.

Personally, I really enjoy reading about all the stories Pirates experience … fights, losses, victories … combined with a big load of humour and useful insights on tactics. Not only are these stories a great read … if you know how to read between the lines, you’ll probably find a lot of information on game mechanics and on fitting your ship for havoc. Learn from the Ebil Piwates!

To sum it up, here are some key things to pay close attention to when it comes to topics. Please feel free to add your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below this article:

1. Where’s your passion?
Passion is key, so make sure you really enjoy the things you’ll write about. No matter if it is PvP, Ratting, Mining, Mission, etc. … if you are passionate about something this will really shine through in your writing and keep you motivated and excited for it on the long run. People recognize, if the author is commited.

2. Embrace your readers!
A good blog stays alive through user interaction. Blogs use a very strong tool to keep in touch with your readers: the comments section. This is a typical feature available on all blogs. You should provide an e-mail address as well for those personal conversations and fan mails. Developing a successful blog is building a community around it. Think about CK’s Blog Pack and the Blog Banters again, mkay? Building a community means staying in touch with your readers. So if a reader drops you a comment, either on the blog section or personally via e-mail, take your time and respond in a timely manner. Devote some of your time to your audience!

3. Debate with your readers
New Eden is made up of all different kinds of people from different geographical regions, social stratums and cultures. When blogging it is most obvious, that a lot of pilots will find you and your musings on the interwebs, may it be through Mr. Google or through links from other blogs. Some readers may or may not agree with what your are writing about, and some readers may even strongly disagree and attack you verbally. Be aware of this and try not to take it personally. Every blogger has to cope with this.

Here on EVE-Mag.com I do allow for comments which strongly disagree, if they are not offensive and if they are to help and find the correct the post to the good . People are not always in consensus with your opinion and with what you write about. This is part of blogging, and the nature of bringing opinions together. To not let it end like a part out of bounds look at it like your blog was your living room: if someone acts out, he has got to leave. Basta!

4. Go in-depth of topics
Especially EVE is a game, that constantly changes and evolves. For example, think of the different patches and rebalancing, a.k.a the nerfs. Think of the political changes in Null Null space. There is so much to research and write about and the many blogs outthere are able to provide this information on the spot once the information is public. This is what keeps blogs interesting and makes readers come back for moar.

The Take-Away:
If you want to have a prominent and succesful blog, you must be authentic to your interests and passions in EVE-O. Get a feel for which topics are hot (or will be hot in the near future) and try to keep your content interesting. If you can manage to do this, you’re well on your way to become an EVE celebrity

What made YOU start a blog? Please share your thoughts in the comment section. Thanks!

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Become an EVE Blogger! – Introduction

Published on 09. Sep, 2009 ... written by Smak.

Picture credit: Wotlankor

Starting a new blog is always thrilling … because you never know, if you’ll be successful and if your readers will give you the appropriate feedback. Before going online with your EVE blog, there are a lot of things to consider. It isn’t done by simply installing Wordpress on your webserver or creating a blog on Podlogs.

• What is needed to start blogging?
• Which blog topic should I choose?
• How do I set up a blog?
• Where can I have my blog hosted?
• What should I do next, once my blog is up and running?
• etc.

These are questions often asked by beginners, and hopefully this series of articles in Become an EVE Blogger! (a.k.a BaEB) will help you to establish your blog after some time. Speaking of time: Maintaining a blog is very time consuming and requires a lot of commitment. Take CrazyKinux for example. He’s one of the most prominent bloggers outthere in the EVE community. He started his blog back in 2005 and he is still is enthuastic about it. In the last year his blog got a nice boost in readers and traffic, thanks to his monthly Blog Banters and community driven projects like The EVE Blog Pack. In another 12 months time, CK’s blog will continue to be one of the most established (if not the center) of player driven community sites, thanks to his commitment!

What does this mean for you, as an aspiring blogger?

To make it short: Look at your blog on a long-term basis … something you’d want to enjoy in 6 or 12 months time from now as well. Where do you want it to be in the future?

Think. Plan. Work on it everyday.

This upcoming series here on EVE-Mag.com will give you some useful insights and I hope, that you’ll enjoy this series and find some useful tips & tricks. Please feel free to contribute and share your experiences as an EVE blogger by commenting here on the site.

All the best,
Smak

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