Why it pays to be a contrarian in the blogosphere
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Going against the status quo gets you noticed more than blending in.
Think back to your high school days. Try to remember everyone who was considered normal. Do you remember all their names, faces or any details about them? No, you probably remember just a few select people.
Now, think back again to high school, but try to remember the weird people, the outcasts, and the rebels. Try to remember the nicknames for the unpopular kids. Think about that one guy who always smelled funny (every school has one). I bet this was a little easier. It’s those people that break away from the homogeneous high school culture that everyone gossips about.
Let’s apply this concept to blogging. In this business, you want people to gossip about you. Gossip means they’re blogging about you. It means attention, backlinks, and traffic. One way to get that gossip is to go against the status quo.
It gets attention
Let’s say every other article on Digg is about the iPhone. What’s one more blog post going to add to the discussion that hasn’t already been said? It’s nearly futile to have your voice heard when everyone else is screaming the same thing.
But, let’s say you write a blog post about how the iPhone is evil and will destroy society and enslave your children (well, maybe not that extreme). People will pay attention to you because you are saying something different.
For the most part, the old saying that any publicity is good publicity holds true when it comes to blogging. So, don’t be afraid to be weird.
“I hate a Roman named Status Quo!” — Ray Bradbury, Farenheit 451