I’m a nice guy. I believe in peace, love and harmony. But I also want to be a successful blogger. It’s no secret that controversial posts that take an unabashed stance on a hot-button issue generate serious traffic. If we’re going to be completely honest, sometimes being a pr*ck, is the best thing you can do for your blog. Since nice guys finish last, here are two ideas on how you can blog out of character.
Create Personas. Latin for “mask,” a persona can give the flexibility and creative license you need to take a stance that you might normally avoid. Like an actor on stage you get to ‘ham’ it up, and at the end of the day, return to your normal self. There’s no guilt about what you did or said on stage, because you know what your true morals and beliefs are.
Write as an Inanimate Object. One of my more popular posts had me pretending I was a keyboard.
Writing from a different perspective can open your mind to thoughts you would not otherwise have. It’s an interesting way to tackle a topic you’d like to cover – and you might be surprised by the results.
If you do decide to blog as a character, I would recommend considering a second or third pen name. There are often things we’d like to write about, but understand that everything we publish can come back to bite us. This is where using a different blogging name can come in handy. You still get the authentic, real-life experiences that make blogs great – but without endorsing any ideas with your “real” name.
Do you ever blog as someone else? Is it something you would consider doing?
