Comments on: The Power of Being Specific

By: Super Affiliate

Super Affiliate — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:11:51 +0000

When reading other blogs I like if the author of the blog gives specific instructions and not general. Then anyhow I will adapt those figures to my own liking and situation.

So I feel that even if we give specific instructions to our blog readers, still they will make some minor adaptations here and there according to their requirements and situation.

By the way I remember having enjoyed more success whenever I was specific in my blog posts or articles.

Being very specific in our article has other advantages too – we can come up with a good title for the article which might not be possible if the article is too general in nature.

And we can create multiple posts from our original article if its specific and caters to a particular audience only. Just keep the basic instructions same but now focus on an entirely different audience and viola you have another article!

For example – weight loss for teens, weight loss for people over 50, weight loss for women, weight loss for pregnant women etc. can all have basically the same advice which is a little fine-tuned to their circumstances and you have created multiple articles from the same weight loss points.

By: Ginger

Ginger — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 02:49:46 +0000

My sisters always told me I was bossy as a child growing up. I had a conversation today with my friend about how I don’t boss my readers around. I don’t tell them what to do or even ask them what to do especially in regards to clicking a link, doing an offer etc. most of the time.

I am working on being a leader. I want everyone who visits my blog to enjoy themselves and find value added there

By: Lisa Marie Mary

Lisa Marie Mary — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:32:18 +0000

Yep! When you’re freaking out, or even just nervous, about a new venture – specific instructions are wonderful. So often in life, as adults, we crave those specific instructions we got all the time as kids. So sometimes actually getting them is a blessing! True, sometimes general instructions can set the wheels in your brain rolling, with some good brainstorming. But specific makes everything clean and nice when you’re needing some good direction!

By: Courtney

Courtney — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:55:27 +0000

I definitely agree, and really liked the advice you gave in that article. As a new blogger, I like to know exactly, specifically what successful bloggers are doing that might give me hints as to what makes them successful. Specifics like that are very helpful for me.

Thanks for all your great work!

By: RevTKS69

RevTKS69 — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:40:32 +0000

You’re right about specifics, they are very important. But, it’s not just about telling someone what to do, it’s sharing your knowledge about the subject in question. Generalities always lead to more questions. “some posts” = “how many is some?” As a new blogger, I’ve asked and received answers to quite a few questions. The answers that are specific have been the most helpful.

To top it off, you have also created the ‘5-5-20′ rule for new bloggers. So, now you have a shorthand way to refer back to that original concept.

By: Anna

Anna — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:08:49 +0000

I agree and I think it applies to other things as well. eBooks, for example. I recently purchased an eBook which was a basic how-to guide, $15 and not very long. I was able to read the whole thing quickly and it laid out the basic steps and successful actions that I wanted to know about. Nothing complicated. It was great.

I could have found the information myself but not so condensed and clearcut. And not with such specific instructions on the best way to go about this or that. That was what was great about it.

Looks like the same goes for blog posts!

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:38:32 +0000

I think an obvious balance between geekyness and simplicity is essential. The main idea behind a post should be clarified.

By: Pierre trudel

Pierre trudel — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:48:57 +0000

Hi Darren,this is Pierre from THEE QUEST.Here are the two statements that you made:I quote from you:
1. I could have written a post with fairly general advice filled with good principles. The main headings would have gone something like
2. I could have written a post with specific instructions – telling readers what to do. In fact this is what I did – the main headings were
What you are teaching is what people want.You could of said:I could have written a post with specific instructions”FILLED WITH GOOD PRINCIPLES”,because this is what you do and in, my humble opinion,why we follow you.Keep up the great work or “help” as I call it.Pierre

By: basketball_blog

basketball_blog — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:59:16 +0000

i have been trying to do that… but it’s a bit hard for me -.-

By: Scott Williams

Scott Williams — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:14:34 +0000

Thoughts+Specific Thoughts=Good Thoughts!

By: J.D. Meier

J.D. Meier — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 09:21:46 +0000

I agree – enjoyed the specifics.

I’m a fan of AND though.

I like to have both the generalized principles, patterns, and practices AND the specific examples.

By: Dev

Dev — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 08:02:14 +0000

nice post Darren. Thank you for the good tip.

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:58:31 +0000

There is power in being specific but sometimes, more-so in not being… case in point… it gave you a material to write another blog post ;-)

Jon
http://Buzvia.com – Where’s Your Traffic Going?

By: BLOGBOOZE

BLOGBOOZE — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:03:43 +0000

When it comes to begin something people are bit hesitant how to kick off. I think this must have applied even to your self when you were a beginner.

Even many people don’t like straight forward answers, when it comes to this straight forward one’s are what people are looking for..

By: Brad

Brad — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:31:51 +0000

This is great advice! Being specific shows that you know your stuff and also gives the readers specific actions to take, which adds value to what they are reading.

I’m gonna take your advice, Darren, and try to be more specific in my posts – especially when I give writing advice.

Keep up the good work!

By: theoddbod

theoddbod — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:13:42 +0000

it’s so hard to be specific when there is so much to talk about!

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:12:31 +0000

Also, it shows your confidence in the subject. Even if others disagree, they usually respect you for it.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:11:07 +0000

I have found as well that when I am specific, I get a better return. Now, I don’t have a blog like yours, mine is based around theology and the Bible. However, when I make assertions specific to what I “Think” should be done, I get more feedback. This, I think, is also due to when I do this it can some times be controversy, and for some reason people are drawn to controversy.

Thanks for the tips.

By: Shirley

Shirley — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:34:30 +0000

Being specific is very important. It will help one article stand out among others. After all, it seems like most articles on the web today are pretty general, and thus don’t really offer any new helpful advice.

Besides, being specific gives you more to talk about. When you are general, you can gloss over a whole lot of information. But when you are specific, you can break that information down into several posts. So it helps save information for later and you don’t run out of ideas.

By: Spencer

Spencer — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:33:36 +0000

Thanks for the post. Honestly is thought provoking