Comments on How to prove that my blog is just not average?
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How to prove that my blog is just not average?
In the question What can I ask my readers to help me and how?, a skeptical answer is provided: my blog which is about challenging existing dogmas is just an average. There are many cranky blog of social criticism out there, and while I disagree that my blog is one of them, I agree that I lack a measurement to make this a concrete statement. For now, I can say that it provides a theoretical framework, and there are many influential thinkers and activists following it. They all says that the ideas are strange and unique, and other people should read it. Occasionally there is a random person thanking me for writing it.
Of course, in my perspective, I know how impactful my blog is, and how influential my readers are. My evaluation on my content is confirmed by who has read it. But I cannot convey this insight to you or any stranger who wants evidence that I deserve their attentions. What I just describe are just empty words.
How can I prove that my blog is not an average?
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Assertions about quality from the creator of a work, whether it's a blog, a novel, a video, a podcast, or anything else, are not convincing because of the conflict of interest. Even if your work is the greatest thing since sliced bread, you saying it undermines the claim, because lots of people who instead have moldy crusts would say the exact same thing. To prove the exceptional quality of your work, therefore, you need one or both of:
- influential readers saying so
- influential or numerous readers being actively engaged, for example through substantial comments
Many people (myself included) write blogs, and most of us will only ever reach our friends and a few others. The ones who've gotten more attention have inspired people to comment, tweet, promote on their own blogs, and otherwise draw attention to your work. And the whims of the Twitterverse (or other equivalents) can be hard to predict; sometimes there's just no visible explanation for one person having 50,000 followers while another with similar output has 5.
One thing is under your control: engage with the people who respond to you. If someone asks a question, answer it -- and maybe expand on the theme in a later blog post, if there's enough substance there, linking back to the question. If someone raises an argument against what you write, take it seriously and respond constructively and respectfully. Have a conversation with readers who've signalled that they might participate, in other words.
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