What You Don’t Publish, Defines Your Site

I didn’t write any articles in the last few days on Dosh Dosh because I didn’t feel that I had anything interesting to say. It’s not entirely self-censorship: I just don’t like to write when there’s no way to inject a new perspective on any topic.
Many will publish content regularly because they feel a necessity to generate pageviews and maintain site freshness. Some fear that their subscribers will go away if they don’t update their site.
They don’t mind repeating the ideas of others and writing variations of the same topic again and again. Some will tirelessly create resource lists every week for links.
I’m sure some readers will find such sites to be useful. I’m not disputing their value. After all content quality is relative and ultimately influenced by the audience’s specific needs or interests. Know one thing for sure: what you put on your site allows visitors to form judgments about your personal and business brand.
And conversely so, this leads to an important point often neglected: What you do not publish will define your site. The absence of specific content positions your site against another competitor and allows it to develop an identity among others.
I’ve decided a few months ago that Dosh Dosh isn’t a news blog. I’m not concerned with pumping out posts on the latest blogging widget or ad network, posts filled with affiliate links. I don’t care if there’s a new version of Wordpress. I don’t bother with the latest blog spats/gossip. And I have never done any paid reviews at all.

Image Credit: CNV00003
I am not going to spin you an incarnation of ways to get more blog comments nor am I going to give you 100 tips to get more traffic. These generic articles are generally boring, because they only re-circulate or promote ideas that are already firmly established. Status quo meta-blogging is banal and insipid to me.
You’ve read these type of content many times on other sites. What value do you have if you read it on Dosh Dosh? Not much. And so I’ve decided to focus on theoretical articles which make you think. It’s all about giving you new ideas to use as catalysts towards action. Theory is incredibly important but so often overlooked.
Conscientious publishing is not about being unique. It is impossible to be extremely original in every article; every good blogger repeats himself or herself. It’s a natural extension of how minds remember and work with ideas. But by controlling what is published, you can influence how you want to be perceived.
If you are an online publisher, take a look at your site today.

1. What information are you sharing? What does that say about your site?
2. What content topics or types do you not publish on your site?
3. How does your content currently define your personal or blog brand?
4. What are your peers and competitors publishing (and not publishing)?

Examine your reputation goals and learn to refrain from publishing specific content. This goes a long way when you want to carve out a distinct identity in your niche.