No one is 100% sure how many blogs there are online, but estimates range from 100 million to 200 million, with more being added every single day. In fairness, there are many blogs that are old, outdated, and pretty much abandoned. However this doesn’t change the fact that even on the low side, 100 million is a massive number and one that can’t be ignored if you’re trying to establish an online presence. Blogging is a way to get the attention of like-minded thinkers and basic visitors alike, but what is the best way to blog? Some people say a blog should be respectful and well organized, while others argue that emotion and natural writing should rule the roost. If this is the case then that brings up a valid question: should your blog angry?
The con arguments
The con arguments, or arguments against blogging angry, are simple and pretty obvious to most people. If you say something really inflammatory, inappropriate, or out of line, that can come back to haunt you in some really serious ways. In addition, many people in the heat of the moment will feel more insulted than they really were, and realize with a step back that things really aren’t so bad as they first seemed. You don’t want to say something that you can’t take back or that damages future potential working relationships.
There’s also the issue of audience. Will your audience really appreciate an angry blog post, or is your target audience a group that shies away from anger or conflict? These are important points to consider before just lashing out at will.
The pro arguments
Despite the many good reasons for never blogging angry, there are actually several benefits that can happen from doing just that. The first is obvious: passion. Anger is a very passionate emotion and that can lead to a post that is emotional, strikes a chord with many others who have been (or currently are) in the same situation, and gets the attention of readers who usually would just skim or even pass over what you have to say.
Another potential benefit revolves around if you’ve struggled to find your voice. That angry post might be the breakthrough where you learn to balance emotions and your natural voice with your online writing voice to learn to finally write comfortably in a way that really connects with your audience. Emotional and passionate responses are more likely to resonate with readers and gain your blog fans and followers.
The third reason you might want to consider writing angry is because it’s a change of pace. This gets serious attention from your regular readers because they’re not used to seeing this from you. If you have a few things you’ve wanted to say for a while but couldn’t fit into your normal blog post or writing style, now might be the time to do that. Finally, it’s an interesting way you can potentially reset what readers expect. If you have a tendency to fall into repetitive habits, an angry post can help to reset expectations and keep your long term readers more engaged. This can also help to you adopt a more sarcastic or confrontational voice if that’s the direction you want to go.
While blogging angry has its advantages, you want to make very sure that you never write anything that is libel or could snap back on you legally. There’s a fine line between blogging angry and blogging recklessly. That’s a line you never want to cross.
What should you do?
One of the great pieces of advice that works for many bloggers is this: If your blog angry, edit calm. This allows you to keep a lot of the fire and passion, but also step away long enough to take out any specific lines, accusations, or passages you could see yourself regretting down the line.
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