Blogging is like baseball…

Aug 28th, 2007 by David Murphy-Colonna | Scroll down for comments

As the summer winds down and it gets closer and closer to October, I find myself watching more and more baseball these days. As the top teams battle for position in the playoffs, it becomes clear which teams are focused, motivated and have not only the talent to succeed, but good management as well.

I watch baseball, not only because I am a fan of the sport, but also because I admire the athletes who play the sport despite some of the allegations against certain players. Maybe I’ll talk about that another time(when I want to compare cheating to get an advantage in the business world and baseball :-X

Most athletes are highly skilled though, have great drive and motivation, and know and perform the fundamentals to a T.

Thinking about all the great characteristics ballplayers embody, I got to thinking that all of these characteristics could translate very easily into the business world. I even dared to think that the baseball, America’s past time, is comparable to blogging. There are some things about baseball that we should keep in mind when blogging.

Bloggers should hit for average, not for home runs

Everyone wants to hit a “home run” with their money making idea, but lets face it, there are only a hand full of ideas out there that actually are “home runs.” As bloggers we need to be focusing “putting the ball in play” and getting base hits on a consistent basis, rather than swinging for the fences. Most blogs are not going to be home runs right away, it may take years of hitting for average with great content and good marketing to get big.

I am not saying not to try and make it big, but be realistic about your blog. Sure all of the great home run hitters like Bonds, Aaron, and Ruth will always be remembered but so will Pete Rose, the all time leader in base hits.

He focused on the fundamentals, just hitting the ball,time and time again, putting it in play and seeing what happens.

We as bloggers also need to be consistent, and realize that hits here and there, equal “runs” or money in the long run. We can keep the ball in play and hit for average by producing great content day in day out, seeing how people will respond.

Get the easy out

Think logically, if there are two outs and grounder is hit in the infield and a man is running home, why throw it home when you can get the out at first base for sure to end the inning. You risk throwing it away if you try to get the runner out at home.

Do not make things complicated with your blog, if there is a sure fire way to get things accomplished, do it. Do not sit there and maul over an idea that’s simple, that’s how errors are made. Just go with he flow and do not doubt yourself or your abilities. Put out content and do it the best way you know how, it will get better over time.

Playing small ball and mastering the fundamentals goes a long way

Its all about the fundamentals when it comes to great teams, they can do the little things right and know how to win when their are having an off day.

Try to make your blog that way too. Master all of the small things such as design, layout, and readability of your content.

Then play small ball by marketing your site, remember the “if you build it they will come” strategy doesn’t work with blogging. So commenting on other’s peoples blogs and posting intelligent posts on forums are all ways to play small ball and get your blog noticed. Mastering small ball will also allow you to make money when you aren’t creating that much content. People will still visit your site because you have marketed well and offered them a unique site to visit.

It’s A Long Season

Baseball’s Regular season consists of 162 games. Thats almost half a year. Compared to the NFL’s 16 games and the NBA’s 82 games there is alot of time to play with strategies and get your act together.

Blogging is the same way. Most likely you aren’t going to have a mega hit blog that is going to make you millions right away, it takes time and persistence. Do not rush. You have time to play with your strategies and design to see what works, kind of how a baseball manager manipulates his roster.

So pace yourself, because your most likely in it for the long haul. Take a look at other blog’s earlier posts, look at how they struggled and changes there strategies. There is no sense of urgency in the blogging world, this separates it from baseball.

Remember It’s Just A Game(For most of us)

With big contracts, endorsements, and cheating taking the spotlight away from the pure competition and the fun of baseball, we sometimes forget the real reaons sports are played. Money becomes the focus not, the game itself, which makes the game suffer.

I think we sometimes forget the real reasons we blog at times, which makes not only our blog suffer but our audience as well.

Yes there are people who blog for a living, and I sure wish I could, but it is just a hobby of mine as well as a learning experience. Sometimes I think I need to remember that.

There have been times when I stress myself out about the blog and creating content and articles as well as the success and monetization of the blog. But I need to remember the reasons I started this blog with Leon which were to spread my knowledge, and gain some in return while making some side cash. This will help me keep my focus on learning and producing quality content rather than putting out garbage just for the sake of money and traffic.

So whether wathcing baseball or blogging, if you take a closer look there is probably something you can learn each and everytime you watch a game, or write/read an article!

David Murphy-Colonna posted this article under Blog Improvement on Tuesday, August 28th, 2007 at 11:38 am You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment or trackback from your own site. View Technorati Linkbacks.