Eight Inner-Qualities of Great Bloggers

Posted September 28th, 2009 / By Brandon Cox in Foundations, Tips & Tricks

There are millions of blogs, written by millions of bloggers. Some are great, others are mediocre, and knowing what makes the difference is one of the keys to becoming a successful blogger.

There are, of course, controllable external factors such as the design, layout, and structure of a blog. There are various approaches and plans for blogging. But it’s the inner qualities that really make the lasting difference in great, successful bloggers. I’d like to share what I believe are eight of the most important inner qualities of great bloggers.

A Healthy Sense of Initiative

If you want to maximize traffic, you need to publish at peak times – times like Monday mornings. Therefore, you either need to feel up to the challenge on Monday morning, or plan and write ahead, but on schedule. There are very few bosses in the world of blogging, so you have to be a disciplined self-starter if you’re going to be great.

A Love for What Blogging Is All About

Blogging isn’t really about making money, and those who approach blogging purely for the financial profit rarely last. Blogging is, instead, about expressing thoughts and ideas in order to connect with people so that the crowd-at-large becomes a community. One has to love self-expression and enjoy forging relationships, even if only in an online medium, in order to really like blogging.

The Ability to Stick With Something Long Term

One of the common characteristics of successful blogs is that they’ve been around a while. You’ve heard of them because they’ve had ample time for word to spread and for their respective community to enlarge.

Great bloggers start a blog and keep growing it over time. Even in the field of social media, in which there are plenty of claims to overnight success, nobody really becomes a respected authority until they’ve proven themselves over the long haul.

A Knack for Articulating Thoughts on Paper

Some great speakers are terrible writers, and some great writers can’t connect with a crowd. Writing requires an ability to articulate to readers, and blogging requires us to communicate well with impatient readers at times who are flying through feeds at break-neck speed. Great bloggers aren’t always wordy, but they’re usually wise.

Creativity to the Core

How many ways can one idea be articulated? But when a news story breaks, we hear about it from a myriad of sources. Great bloggers are creative enough to find a new way to say the same old thing, even when the “same old thing” just broke this morning.

Our creativity will force us to search for new words, images, and methods of reaching our audience and touching all of their senses.

A Good Sense of Judgment

My wife continually reminds me to write with a filter. This certainly does not mean one should always avoid controversial subjects or statements. It simply means that we have to have a good sense of what’s appropriate and what isn’t. We have to remind ourselves at all times that when we hit the “publish” button, our words will have an impact, so we have to weigh them carefully. Our words can build up or tear down people, reputations, and relationships.

A Desire to Engage Others

Blogging, by nature, connects us with other bloggers, which provides opportunities for mutual encouragement and sharpening of skills. I’ve learned that it’s a great privilege to get to know others. Yes, competition is inevitable and even a positive factor, but there is also a common interest for communication between us, and great bloggers embrace this and encourage those who are trying to get started. Be a helper as you ascend to greatness.

Thick Skin

If you blog, someone is going to criticize you. If you’re successful with blogging, a lot of people are going to criticize you. They’ll criticize your design, your approach, your monetization tactics, your opinions, and they will sometimes argue just because they’re argumentative. Brace yourself. Blogging your way to greatness invites critique. My advice is to learn what you can from criticism and then toss it away. Develop thick skin, especially if you’re going to blog on anything controversial.

These inner qualities are not necessarily common, but they can be cultivated. We can grow in each area by expanding our exposure, by being listeners, learners, and observers of the success of others, and by our outright determination. Don’t settle for mediocrity – go for the gold. What qualities do you think are necessary in a blogger? We’d love to hear your opinion in the comments below.

Brandon has been doing web and logo design and this blogging thing for about six years. He’s also a Pastor at Saddleback Church in southern California, where he lives with his wife and kids. You can catch him on Twitter or Facebook.