This week on Blog Chalk Talk, we'll be talking about controversy. Today Easton Ellsworth, author of Business Blog Wire and Editor for Know More Media discusses why can be good to stir the pot.
Here are 5 reasons why controversy can be good for your blog:
1. People love to argue.
2. People love to watch other people argue.
3. People love a story with conflict.
4. People love storytellers with a flair for the dramatic.
5. People love tackling difficult questions.
Notice that all of the above reasons focus on people and what they love. People are the main reason you're blogging, right?
Of course, controversy can be risky. If you're not careful, you can damage your reputation or worse.
Remember: Being controversial and talking about controversy are two different things.
Here are 3 tips on how to handle controversial topics well:
1. Always present both sides of the story.
2. Focus on the facts.
3. If something is just an opinion, say so.
Bonus tip: Don't blog angry. It's like driving angry.
That's the skeleton. What flesh would you like to add to these bones?
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Don't start a controversy post if you don't have time to deal with it in the next days. Some posts are successful and live on their own. Those based on controversy will live for days, even for weeks but they will need your attention and work several times each of the following days. It is not that visitors will argue, you'll have to defend yourself and to moderate conversation not only on your blog but (probably and hopefully) on other blogs as well. Hitting the publish button is not the end of the work on that post, it's the beginning.
Posted by: dandellion Kimban | July 2, 2008 3:22 AM | Permalink to Comment