Joi Ito has this to say about his personal style of blogging. Make sure that you understand this is written from the standpoint of “you” referring back to himself. He’s calling himself stupid and telling himself to take a point of view. Don’t misread this and think he’s calling the reader stupid. In any case, it’s well summarized and something worth considering as we write our own blogs.
One of the things I’ve been thinking about while not blogging is… blogging. A number of people have asked me to help new bloggers by giving them advice. In retrospect, I was giving people very specific advice based on my personal style. I thought I’d share some of the tips.
1 – You’re probably stupid – Well, maybe not stupid, but at least ignorant. Often you are the last one to figure out that you’re not as smart as you think. Assume that someone will think you’re stupid and will kindly point this out in the comments. Preempt that by assuming you’re stupid and uninformed. In other words, be humble and don’t try to write something conclusively smart-sounding. Start a discussion where someone smarter than you can step in easily.
2 – You need help thinking – Focus on the parts that you can’t figure out. Ask people to help you think. Most of the people who comment on my blog are helping me think. In other words, don’t say, "Blah blah blah. I’m an authority. Now talk amongst yourselves while I go pat myself on the back." Say, "Gee, I’m not that smart, but here’s something interesting I’m noodling on. I’ve gotten this far on these pieces. Help me out here… someone?"
[..snip..]
pleased