Have you ever heard of WIIFM? It is simply an acronym for What’s In It For Me? I am sure you have encountered this in most every aspect of your life. Though you may not have heard of the exact term, the whole idea behind it is rife every where you go. Skeptical as I may be sounding right now, I believe this to be true. Even when it comes to blogging and reading blogs, people tend to think “What’s in it for me?†Why should I keep coming back to this blog? Why should I subscribe to it and spend my time reading the blog posts?
If you are not totally convinced, think about those personal blogs which contain nothing but rants of the writer. Rants that are of a personal nature, mind you. The chances are that he will catch the interest of some like minded people or people who know him. After a while, if the tone and theme of his posts do not change, the chances are that some of his readers would get bored hearing of this person’s life day in and day out.
Compare this with blogs which have a targeted audience. With these kind of people in mind, the author writes with their interests as one of his top priorities. My point is that when you write for your blog – or blogs, as may be the case – have a clear idea of who you want to be reading your posts. Then write in such a way that they would get something out of your work.
It’s not being skeptical. It’s being realistic. WIIFM is as real as real can be.
Originally posted on August 21, 2007 @ 2:55 am
