Expert: Manolo, shoeblogs.com
#5 of 30
About the Expert
The Manolo, is publisher of Manolo’s Shoe Blog as well as a host of other blogs focused on topics ranging from Prada to designer shoes to wedding dresses to food. In addition, you can catch the Manolo’s weekly shoe advice column in ReadExpress, a publication of The Washington Post. While the Manolo’s identity remains a mystery to the world, the unconventional humor, style and personality conveyed in this master blogger’s posts attracts and engages readers worldwide. It is Chitika’s pleasure to host this unique blogger’s perspectives in the guest blog post, Dare to Be Eccentric.
Manolo says, over the past two-and-the-half years, since the Manolo started his humble shoe blog, many other professional bloggers have asked the Manolo, “Manolo, how can we be more like you, the God of BlogMarketing, the Six Figure Blogger, who has been mentioned in the publications as diverse as the Vogue, the Times of London, and the Sydney Morning Herald, and who has his own weekly newspaper column, and will soon have the very amusing pamphlet and the autobiographical book coming out?” To which the blushing Manolo replies, you cannot be more like the Manolo. You can only be you, just as the Manolo can only be the Manolo. The good news, however, is that in being you there is opportunity, and the secret to this opportunity is in being extremely you. You must be you to the point of perhaps being eccentric, indeed you must dare to be eccentric. You may think, Mr. Arturo G. Bloggerman, that your grand mission is to enlighten the unwashed masses, to whom you declaim the unpleasant truth from your exalted perch at declaimingloudly.blogspot.com. But in the point of fact, if the unwashed masses do not find your loud declamations entertaining they will quickly move down the street to the Cuteoverload to look at the pictures of the squirrel babies. So, what must you do to compete with the squirrel babies? First learn to write the good, lively, entertaining prose, and then, second, do not be afraid of giving your readers the odd combination of the topics, or the peculiar view of the world, or the different way of approaching your subject.
Do not be afraid to be seen as different, or even eccentric. Indeed, to be eccentric in this crowded market is the strength. For the example, there are five hundred thousand gadget blogs, but how many these write from the point of view of the technology shunning Amish? Eh? Think about it. Well, perhaps that’s not the best example, but you understand what the Manolo means. And if this hypothetical Amishman wrote in the lively and entertaining manner you would read him everyday. Next, do not take yourself too seriously. You are blogging, you are not carving the wisdom of the ages into the stone tablets. Of the course, this does not mean that everything is the big joke, but only that you should lighten up sometimes. No one wishes to be pummeled with the unrelenting seriousness of the world. It is boring. To be alive is to wish to experience joy, to wish to experience happiness. Provide some. Finally, the Manolo would tell you do all these things and to post faithfully everyday, and then to be generous with your readers, and with your links, and even with those you believe are your competitors. Be kind and do good, be funny and entertain. If you do all of these things, your audience will find you soon enough and you will be successful.