Ten things to do when you run out of topics to blog about

There are all kinds of articles about how to come up with topics to blog about, especially when you you have blogger’s block. My advice for when you run out of topics is simple, don’t blog. Two reasons:

First, there is already quite a bit of content on the Internet. Rumor has it this year alone we will create enough online content to fill 518,000 Libraries of Congress. That’s a lot of content and as any economist will tell you the value of anything is dictated by supply and demand. I would argue there is so much supply content has become virtually worthless so you going out of your way to add more content really doesn’t add any value. This little nugget of information could also be used as reason to not blog even when you have a topic in mind. I bet if you did a quick search you would find tons of articles which have already been written about your topic of choice. Sure, you have your “Tribe” which needs to be fed – just post a link to your search – they will get the idea.

Second, if you have run out of topics it most likely means you have run out of topics which you are knowledgeable about. From this point forward anything you blog about is simply conjecture or worse, an uneducated post for which you did some quick online research and regurgitated in your own words. In the words of Notorious B.I.G Mo Content, Mo Problems or something like that.

So here are my ten things to do when you run out of topics to blog about:

1. Take a walk or exercise. (Search obesity to see why)
2. Volunteer to be a tutor at one of your local public (okay Jamie, or private) schools.
3. Play with a dog. (what, you don’t have one? Adopt one or volunteer at an Animal Shelter.)
4. Do some research. Stretch yourself beyond what you already know – research quantum physics.
5. If you really want to learn something new go back to school!
6. Call all your friends. Your real ones, not the folks you know online but have never met. Nurture these relationships just as much as you nurture your online friends.
7. Pick someone you are friends with online and ask to meet them for lunch. This is where “social” really gets fun.
8. Call me and have lunch with me. I’m fun, I promise.
9. Get a hobby. It will make you more interesting and perhaps give you a whole new field in which to blog… er wait, never-mind.
10. Still have the burning desire to blog? Read another blog and post your thoughts there but put as much effort into these comments as you would your own blog post. Even better, find a blog post you disagree with and state your opinion – there is greater value in this effort, participating in a conversation, than trying to start a new conversation altogether.

Thoughts? Post them below.