Blogging Insights — Let’s Talk

Fandango

It’s Monday and Dr. Tanya is back with her weekly Blogging Insights prompt. She provides us with a quote about blogging or writing and asks us to express our opinion about said quote.

This week’s quote is from blogger, journalist, and author Cory Doctorow.

“Conversation is king. Content is just something to talk about.”

When I read the quote Tanya highlighted today, the first thing I thought about was that song from Jesus Christ Superstar that starts out with the line “What’s the buzz, tell me what’s a-happening?”

It seems to me that, in his quote, Doctorow is suggesting that the content of your writing is less important than the “buzz” it generates. Conversation being king may be great for late-night talk shows hosts, but when it comes to blogging, I couldn’t disagree more.

When I started my blog, it was a vehicle for self expression, a way for me to put my thoughts, opinions, and perspectives in writing. As I got into writing flash fiction, it was a means to flex my imagination and to hone my writing skills. I never expected to attract much of an audience for my writing. That there are those who read and comment on what I write is a bonus, one that makes blogging that much more worthwhile as a pastime.

That said, I think content is king and if the content generates conversation (i.e., buzz), so much the better. If you truly believe that conversation is king, then you must consider what you write to be little more than clickbait, and were the name “Buzzfeed” not already taken, that’s what you should name your blog.

That’s my opinion and I’m sticking with it, so let’s get this conversation going, shall we?

30 thoughts on “Blogging Insights — Let’s Talk”

  2. rugby843 August 15, 2022 / 9:55 am

    I guess you want more than just a what’s up bro 🙂 but you never know what you’re going to get back as a reaction. When I wrote you that email about the Jesus lady I was surprised by some new people I hadn’t heard from before which is wonderful but then I meant it for you because I thought you would get a kick out of it. So what’s up bro?

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Fandango August 15, 2022 / 1:44 pm

      I did, indeed, get a kick out of your Jesus-lady comment. I responded to your comment with “‘I don’t want to argue with anyone whose every other word is Jesus.’ Yeah, that would be an exercise in futility.” Didn’t you see it?

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        • Fandango August 15, 2022 / 2:46 pm

          I thought it might have been, but I just wanted to be sure, just in case it wasn’t. But in hindsight, your use of “bro” was a giveaway.

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  3. Sadje August 15, 2022 / 10:06 am

    I get your perspective Fandango, but I think that conversation is important too.

    Liked by 3 people

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  4. Paula Light August 15, 2022 / 10:16 am

    I had an older blog that I designed for comments with “bait.” Ultimately, that didn’t satisfy me as a writer. When I first began this blog I received no comments, yet I still took care to craft my posts. Nowadays I get some comments, not a lot, and I’m fine with that. It’s about the content! If I just wanted comments, I could pose inane questions like what’s your favorite cheese…

    Liked by 5 people

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  5. BENJAMIN NAMBU August 15, 2022 / 11:01 am

    I believe if the content of a post is strong enough, it gets the most silent readers talking. So content plays a major role in the kind of conversation a post generates.

    Liked by 1 person

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  6. Nope, Not Pam August 15, 2022 / 1:02 pm

    I took this from a different angle, as in to prompt conversation. Content should incite a reaction to promote conversation, for as stated on numerous occasions, likes as an indication of traffic, comments are an indication of engagement

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    • Fandango August 15, 2022 / 2:22 pm

      Good way to differentiate likes and comments. That said, good content is necessary to prompt comments.

      Liked by 1 person

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  7. Marleen August 15, 2022 / 3:00 pm

    I find the various versions of Jesus Christ Superstar fascinating. And content is key. I don’t know if I’d say conversation is king, but an attitude toward it is paramount (a near synonym I suppose). I’m a reject of more than one Christian site, where they liked getting in a jab (or even legal slander) and cutting you off or blocking what they don’t want to hear. It would seem to me that blogging is a place where more open dialog could happen, regardless of the perceived need, in some, that a person wouldn’t be allowed to join their church. But there will be recompense, and a false accuser receives the penalty he would have imposed or caused.

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    • Marleen August 15, 2022 / 3:11 pm

      That said, I have an atheist cousin who has gone off on a tangent where she can’t handle conversation. Her wife (also something of an atheist but different on that she was open to a sense of spirituality) kept her balanced, to a great degree. But the cousin can’t even handle the idea a “scientist” could be wrong about something. She, additionally, seems to be losing an ability to follow conversation she’s initiated herself. Actually, I’m concerned for her, now.

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  8. Lou Carreras August 15, 2022 / 5:33 pm

    I don’t think you have conversation without content. I don’t normally attract a lot of conversation on most of my posts. But I think of it as an extra bonus when I do.

    Liked by 2 people

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  11. Marilyn Armstrong August 16, 2022 / 8:05 pm

    Absolutely. 100%. Also, I don’t think the art of conversation is dying. I just think a lot of my friends are dying. Literally. Death tends to be a real conversation stopper.

    Liked by 1 person

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  13. Jaya Avendel August 26, 2022 / 8:14 pm

    Love your thoughts on how content that organically generates conversation is the best kind of content. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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