Blog Popularity

The need to be popular has penetrated the online world as with the rest of society. For instance, content on blogs now revolves around what can get the most views and create online popularity. Although generating online popularity may seem straightforward at first, there are many obstacles to success; a vast array of competitor blogs being just one impediment. Producing a blog with a high volume of traffic requires designing an appropriate appearance, building a stable reputation, and consistently posting new information. To explore what makes for a popular blog, the most popular blogs according to Technorati.com will be examined.

 

The most popular blog on Technorati is the online newspaper, the Huffington Post blog. In terms of appearance, the Huffington Post blog seems very professional. Upon entering, readers instantly see the potential credibility of the blog as it resembles a newspaper. This appearance is appropriate as the Huffington post takes pride in providing the latest news to followers. When reading different posts, it is clear that the blog has a left-wing stance on American political issues. For instance, the blog features several articles on how Mitt Romney, the republican nominee, is either bad for the country or is not as accomplished as Barack Obama. When combined with the left leaning views of followers, this left leaning stance gives the blog a stable reputation. Followers know that when they are visiting the Huffington Post blog, they will receive news that they will agree with.

Finally, this blog also has a large amount of new and relevant information. In the fast world of politics and the economy, it is integral for the Huffington Post to cover information as quickly as possible so it remains interesting to the public. When given either old or a small supply of information, viewers may be prone to finding another source for their news. These factors make the Huffington Post very popular.

The second blog examined is the TMZ Celebrity Gossip blog. The followers of TMZ appear to be individuals who like gossiping about celebrities and the lives of famous individuals. The appearance of the TMZ blog suites this audience very well and helps promote the TMZ brand. Upon entering the blog, viewers are immediately bombarded with images of their favourite celebrities. This immediately encourages TMZ’s target audience to stay and examine the blog content. The content on the blog also builds a stable reputation, as there is a wide variety of information on celebrity behaviour. Every aspect of celebrity life is coined with disturbing detail. For instance, there is even a post revealing that celebrity Sheryl Crow has a brain tumour that is fortunately not cancerous.

Further importance is given to the quantity of posts. Viewers who want celebrity news want a fast paced information blitz where as many celebrities get ‘slammed’ as possible. TMZ delivers this to its audience by writing short articles on as many different celebrities as possible. These petite posts allow readers to consume the content within a few minutes and move to the next post keeping the blog fast-paced and interesting.

The three keys to popularity taken from these two posts revolve around how one identifies and caters to their target audience. Every detail from appearance to the quality and quantity of the content can determine whether your blog will receive adequate web-traffic. Crafting a blog that satisfies audience cravings helps build popularity.