monkey Dare to be different!

I was lucky to have the computer time available today (and man, does this computer suck) in order to read more than just a couple of other blogs. One recurring theme I've noticed, and it's been alluded to by Grizzly with his "The Scourge of Web 2.0" article and Harry with his "Bloggers That Fake It" article. Bloggers are a bunch of copycats, spouting duplicated information as well as duplicated misinformation.

I won't go into detail and name names because it just isn't my style. I've been guilty on a few occasions of writing about what everyone else is writing about, but I refuse to call myself a hypocrite. I do my best to write about things that no one else is interested in at the moment; popularity has never been a personal goal of mine. If I'm wrong about something, I'll usually correct myself without waiting for someone else to point it out.

Writing about whatever someone else is writing about because it seems to be a popular topic at the moment is what I like to call the "monkey see, monkey do" mentality.

The Critical Burn-Out Phase

Nothing irritates me more than seeing the same topics covered on several blogs at the same time (or within days of each other). I even irritate myself when I fall into the same trap.

Have you ever noticed that when newbie bloggers who blog about blogging (say that real fast to make your head spin) and bloggers who blog about making money run out of things to write about that their blogs seem to hit a slump. They stop writing — either for a long period or permanently. This is the typical blogger burn-out that I see happening over and over again.

What can be done about it? First: Slow the heck down. No one needs to post every single day of the year. Okay, don't go wagging your finger at me. I generally write a lot because I'm bored with the retired life. I don't have a real world job anymore and frankly, writing keeps me sane.

Second: Write about something that someone else isn't writing about. Really. It may not be the most popular thing to write about, but it removes the self-inflicted punishment aspect of blogging.

Third: Dare to be different and break out of the monkey see, monkey do mentality. Please, don't follow my lead. Find the best way that works for you and be the leader yourself.