I had a lot of “requests” before I shut down my WoW-Blog: another shirt-sale, another movie, one last gnaked gnome race, etc. While I can’t answer everything, I can try to answer the question of what it takes to be a successful WoW-blogger.
Do Be One Of These Things:
- Be clever.
- Be funny.
- Be original.
- Be informative.
You don’t have to be more than one, but you’ve got to be at least one. If you can write a funny WoW-blog about your forty-five level-two alts, you’ll be successful. If you write about nothing but loot-drops for your level eighty Gladiator rogue, you won’t be. Toon-accomplishments mean nothing if the blog isn’t clever, funny, original, or informative.
Do Steal, But Don’t Steal
There’s a difference between stealing an idea and stealing content. If you want to make a hunter-blog that focuses on movies for the hunter-novice, go for it. Just because I did something doesn’t mean you can’t too. But don’t write a post about “this really cool hunter-blog and here’s an embed of his latest movie”. See the difference?
Do Stay Focused
Pick your niche and stay there. You can have a BIG NICHE if you want, but you’d better keep it clean and pay your taxes on it.
Greedy Goblin talks about nothing but gold, but does a d@mn fine job. Out of Mana talks about warlocks and PvP and composing rap songs into WoW-lyrics and the proper way to purchase hair-extensions and life as a person who cannot ride a roller-coaster without an adult companion. OOM is a bigger niche than GG, but because she can fill up her niche, her blog works beautifully.
There are some WoW-Bloggers – you know who you are – who will write posts about their alts, their guild-chats, their quest-loot, someone else’s cute pictures, etc., and meander from day to day. They lose their readers by not focusing.
Don’t Be BRK
Steal from BRK’s ideas, cover the topics he covered, make movies, do loot-analysis, abuse your guildies in chat and then post the screenshots. But don’t make your goal to be “the next BRK”. Explore being You; you’ll have a lot more fun.
Do Get a TJ
You can’t have mine; she’s taken. But having an objective and intelligent person help you develop ideas and provide technical expertise is worth more than you can imagine. Finding a “yes-man” or “yes-woman” is worthless; make sure your editor is capable — if not focused — on criticizing your work.
Do Develop Your Shtick
You don’t have to stick with your original shtick, but once you find your voice, allow your audience to get comfortable with it. Ratshag has his shtick down better than any other WoW-blogger out there. Can you read something from Galertruby without doubling over with laughter?
Don’t Steal Shtick
At one time, a plethora of BigRed____ blogs erupted. They died quickly, not because the authors gave up on them, but because people understood that a stolen shtick stinks.
BigRedSpiritBeast? No.
Ferociously Inspired? Yes.
OutOfRage? No.
RedMeansGo? Yes.
The Egotistical Shaman? No.
Four Totems is Your Funeral? Yes.
Balance4Life? No.
BadBirdie? Yes.
Blessing of Might? No.
FourPaladinsInTheRaidAndNobodySpec’dKings? Long, but Yes.
Don’t Be MMO-Champion or WoWHead
Nobody does beta and patch data-mining better than these guys. Unless you can consistently do a better job then they do, don’t bother posting patch notes or blue posts without providing your own commentary at the same time. There are already seventeen WoW-blogs that post the same things that MMO-C and WH do, why would you want to be the eighteenth?
Don’t Let Blogging Become Work
As soon as you dread sitting down to the keyboard, your blog is in jeopardy. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that, unless you post every day, readers are going to mutiny. Blogging should be fun, regardless of the topic or your writing style.
Don’t Listen to WoW-Bloggers
WoW-Bloggers are generally cruel, smelly, malnourished muffin-heads, and notorious for giving bad advice. Do what you want; it’s your stinkin’ blog for cryin’ out loud.
Thanks for the info
will come in handy
This is great, but it no longer applies to me and it’s all your fault.
Thanks!
I mean it. Thank you so much!
As soon as I started thinking about life without WoW after you announced that you were moving on, wouldn’t you know it, stuff started happening.
It started with a completely unexpected email on Wednesday morning which led to a brand new blog yesterday about something I write about really well — Gardening. And sometime today my new blog is going to be moved to the Community blog list for our local newspaper. For years I wrote a monthly gardening column for the dead tree edition, but this is going to be so much better.
And it’s all your fault.
So thanks, Daniel!
I guess you can take the BigRedKitty out of the WoW Blog, but you can’t take the WoW Blog out of the BigRedKitty.
Fantastic useful information Daniel.
Thanks Daniel. I think this is the boost I need to finally start my own blog. Procrastination be damned!
Did the four paladins thing and no kings thing happen one time too many? Lol.
Great to have you back for my morning pick-me-up!
Now accepting applications from bloggers who wish to add a TJ to their blogging arsenal. Must pay better than current gig.
As a WoW blogger who’s just getting started and still looking for his voice, I appreciate your advice and will take it to heart.
Yes yes yes!!! This is true of any blog, article, book, publication, song, radio show whatever! If you are going to do it love it, make it your own, and it helps if others enjoy it too. I blog about my life its mostly a “mommy blog” because I am a S@HM, but I blog about food, and WoW and Eve. I am to an extent still finding my voice but I am just one a thousands of Mommy bloggers and food bloggers and MMO bloggers, but I have a few consistent readers and I love it.
Since I will no longer be reading BRK with my morning coffee, I guess I will be reading dphowell. I think I will participate in this one more than the other, as I am a much better human that wow player.
By the way, I set my gravatar up *years* ago, and still love the picture.
BRK, oh Daniel, sorry I regress.
I love your writing, I will miss your other blog but after reading this blog I realize that it is your writing not your wow adventures that I liked so much. let us know when ever that book is published and we will buy a copy for sure.
Thanks for being you
Are you going to be shutting down bigredkitty.net, then? As in, taking the site down, not just ending updates to it?
Cryin’ shame, if so. I don’t play a Hunter, but I loved reading the site just because of your inimitable writing style, and every time I ran across a Hunter who needed advice I’d refer them to bigredkitty.net. Even if it never gets updated again, it’s an invaluable resource for Hunters.
Agreed with Sherp. I spent tons of night digging back into BRK archives to find out what I could about hunter history/tactics/theory. It’s probably the best resource for hunter knowledge and, IMO, should be kept up; though (apparently
)not updated.
“Ratshag has his shtick down better than any other WoW-blogger out there. Can you read something from Galertruby without doubling over with laughter?”
I love Ratshag’s writing and it’s one of several blogs that I check on a regular basis…
However, I don’t even pay attention to the Galertruby posts. They might as well be big, blank posts, as far as I’m concerned.
“I guess you can take the BigRedKitty out of the WoW Blog, but you can’t take the WoW Blog out of the BigRedKitty.
Fantastic useful information Daniel.”
Couldn’t say it better myself!
Nice one Daniel, I think you will help some people out with this =]
(If I would say you help alot of people out, I would lie, because not “alot” people create a blog =])
…
I might be malnourished, but I’m certainly not a muffin head!
/huff
“Don’t Listen to WoW-Bloggers”
“WoW-Bloggers are generally cruel, smelly, malnourished muffin-heads, and notorious for giving bad advice. Do what you want; it’s your stinkin’ blog for cryin’ out loud.”
Does nobody else get the (purposefully) ironic nature of this last comment?
That being said, I’m often inspired by many of you, particulary those with the consistent voice that Daniel suggests. I often think about some type of blog, but I don’t have time really. And finding a confluence point between, WoW, family, science, cooking and constitutional law boggles the mind!
I LOVE IT i thought of making an Alt based podcast/blog with my idea because i then to change alot on what i like… i love my mage and my hunter but lately i’ve developed love for my pally!
Unlike BRK i never found the big thrill of raiding sure i love the quick 2 boss raid but not big raids like black temple or Naxx.
Anyways i thought of starting a new adventure with a friend or a co host to ping ideas so they don’t go all over the place
best luck to you BRK!
Yay! I was sure missing your blog, BRK, even if it will contain less WoW now. That’s ok. Good writing is good writing!
Kiya and Ghost the spirit beast.
Bwahar. Too bad you wrote this a few days after I wrote my own, or I coulda just pointed everyone here and saved myself the trouble! ;P Heehee. Very good guide as usual. I look forward to more Daniel guides on various non-WoW stuff, oh, and DanielGuideMovies of course. C’mon, we all know that would be awesome. You need an intro with the snazzy thunder’n'lightning too.
Everytime I’m about to write an article like this, someone else does it before me! First Pike, now you!
/QQ
I like the idea but can we bring back the logo and the colors to give it that old time feel this format looks veryyy messy
Nice man this is just the kinda advice I was looking for. I wanted to start a blog similar to your wow blog, but kinda balances my real life and wow life along with other things. For my wow aspects of what I want to go for this is a great start. I got ideas of my own but have a lot of questions. Blah I think a e-mail is in order. >.<
Hey, Daniel, have you ever played D&D or other roleplaying games perchance?
I’ll have you know some of us wow bloggers are quite fragrant!
Great advice. Your point at the end of not listening to WoW Bloggers only fits since technically you are no longer a WoW Blogger, amirite?
I think finding the balance between large niche and unfocused can be difficult to figure out. That being said, if people enjoy your style and your “normal niche” they seem more forgiving when you deviate.
Personally, I go for the entertainment value first and foremost.
“There are some WoW-Bloggers – you know who you are – who will write posts about their alts, their guild-chats, their quest-loot, someone else’s cute pictures, etc., and meander from day to day.”
Ouch.
Though in my defense I am not so much a WoW-blogger as someone whose blog has been taken over by WoW.
No cute pictures, I get the message. xD
[...] random thoughts as well that’s why i build a second blog on stuff.zekta.com (As mentioned by BRK on his post on bloggers (Oops it’s Daniel [...]
I think it’s fine to meander. I learned about WoW from a friend whose blog meandered in and out of the game. It made me think it was a very silly game, but it also eventually made me want to give it a try.
Blogging isn’t like raiding. Or, rather, it is – you can do it just for fun. Or you can give up your real life compulsively trying to be the best. I’m sure there’s a happy medium in there somewhere.
But if the last posts in the BRK blog were about putting real life before raiding, maybe that applies to blogs as well. Where there shouldn’t be too much pressure to be clever and original and focused all the time. Just like it’s OK to play casually and use green quest gear rather than the latest greatest Shoulderpads of Doom from the latest greatest raid instance.
Tehee,
awesometastic work Daniel!
Anybody remember the spam plugin BRK used on the old site?
Trying to find a good one and im not having much luck thus far.
Thanks!
WTB Shtick…
I just recently started loot/my weekend posts…. which I truly expected ppl would just delete from their feedreaders. To be honest they are really just for me to look back at occasionally.
When I get the energy I turn them into more useful.. I did this, you can too… or I don’t this, don’t be a stupid Gnome.
PS: Glad you retired… you are just a prolific, but we get to see it is the man and not the subject that is pure genius
[...] bloggers” cast shadows. BRK’s was big, very big, unnaturally big, and he knew it, and tried to mitigate it as much as possible. I don’t think any hunter blogger went untouched by the shade, the [...]