Today's task is all about opinions and I'm asking you to write a post on your blog that includes what you think and feel about a topic.
I've always found that when used well Opinion posts can bring a lot of life and interaction to blogs. I'd love to hear your previous experience of opinion posts that have gone well (and those that didn't) but also see the posts that you come up with out of today's task. Share your links to the posts that you write below.
ProBlogger, DPS & TwiTip
I am not publishing an opinion post today, but I do have one planned on "Why College Students Should Not Use Twitter" and then another explaining "Why College Students Should Use Twitter". I hope to explain both sides well.
Debt-free Scholar - A growing college finances blog
I'm sorry to do it again but it seems that I'm always right here at my computer when the new blogpost gets put up.
Opinionated posts are my favorite posts of all. It's a window into the mind of the one who writes them. I like to see the one who wrote a post through what has been written and that's something I really miss in all the "news" blogs. I have the feeling that in the "personal development" niche in particular the opinion post is the key to success.
There are so many people out there who write on teh same things, so with an opinion post you can put something personal into it. In the age of abundance of information you can select who you want that information from, and that info will most likely come from the writer you like most for his style.
My latest opinion post was on plugged vs unplugged living and as far as the statistics go this was my best post thus far and certainly one of the pillars of my blog.
This weekend will see me do a report on the results so far concerning my blogchallenge (remember? 500 views a day within 3 months) and that sneeze page from yesterday. Beginning the new week I'll try and be less on my computer around the time probloggers new assignment hits the net... Sorry everyone.
Mind the beginner A blog on beginning, it sounds so simple but it’s quite complex
Opinion posts are best when they're focused on controversial topics (not polite, dinner-table chit-chat) and take a strong stand for or against something. You have to be a little brave, though, to pull that off - if you want everyone in the world to like you, don't try it. When I was a college sophomore taking a Speech class, we were asked to give a persuasive speech and it was suggested that the more difficult the argument, the better our grades would be. In other words, don't try to persuade women that chocolate's good when they're suffering PMS symptoms. I chose "pro-nuclear energy" stance, knowing that my professor and most of my classmates were opposed. What I didn't know is that I'd be giving the speech on a day when they were holding anti-nuke rallies on campus. That was fun. I got a grudging A. ;) I firmly believe that you cannot effectively support your opinion or argument, though, if you don't understand the other side's objections. If you can argue in support of their points as effectively as you can your own, you've got it made.
Almost all my (Latvian) blog content is my opinion :) Most of topics are about current situation or some happening. There are just few posts about some event promotions which I'm organising or taking part.
Look for Web/WordPress developer? umbrovskis.com + Internet content specialist.
Wow. How ironic that today's task is write an Opinion Piece. Most of my posts are my opinion but the one I wrote yesterday is even more so. And I wrote it yesterday but it completes today's task. There's a Part 2 that I wrote today so I'll link to it too. Thoughts?
Gay Marriage
Gay Marriage: Part 2
-Harold Martin
The Daily Harold
Hey, what luck - just like @dailyharold I just did this yesterday! My blog is about getting English language teachers to teach speaking and I combined it with a rant about the price of water - hope coca cola read it, ha! ha!
http://kalinago.blogspot.com/2009/04/anger-in-efl-and-scandalous-price-of.html
Darren, thank you for specifically mentioning a food blog. I am always trying to be somewhat politically correct because I have very diverse readers and don't want to scare them off. I never know how to handle the vegans and raw foodies that throw themselves into pseudoscience with wild abandon. That's not how I roll, but I am disinclined to directly attack anyone's beliefs.
But I realize it is true that people considered "authorities" have strong opinions and that is why people read them. One catch is that if you express a strong opinion it is pretty important to be right, or at least sound right.
Summer Tomato - Upgrade Your Healthstyle
Blimey, I'm ahead of the game here. I posted an opinion piece/rant on the fact that Apple has a hidden killswitch in the iPhone that can delete content Apple doesn't approve of.
It's at http://kevincumbria.wordpress.com/2009/04/18/why-i-wont-be-buying-an-iphone/
Regards, Kevin
Web2 and More - Bringing Technology and New Ways of Working Together
http://web2andmore.net/blog
this one is good for me, I need to step out of my box and do this. I have always been afriad to really voice my opinion - worried about what people might think I guess, but I will never get anywhere if I dont take a stance right? Now to come up with an opinion on something! LOL
summertomato, it's important to have some basis in a logical reality, but you don't have to be "right." That's what makes it an "opinion." Okay, if your opinion is that the world is flat, then you're an idiot (my opinion!) But if it's your opinion that kids would be better off limiting their TV diet to two hours rather than four, or no TV at all, then it's an opinion that probably has an arguable - but not necessarily proven - basis in logic or fact.
What really scared me, though, was the time I asked on QnA.live.com: Which is more important: fact or opinion? And the majority pretty much asserted that their opinion, right or wrong, was the most important thing. Okay...what if it's your opinion that kids should eat dog poop on a regular basis in order to strengthen their immune systems? (If you pretend to be an expert on child health and safety, you'd darned well BETTER be right. If you're anyone else, people are likely to simply dismiss you as a crackpot and a nutjob.)
More interesting to me, in an opinion piece, is WHY the author holds a particular view on the topic. What has led to the formation of this opinion? The more specific, the better. That's what makes it interesting. That's what distinguishes it from the sixteen billion other opinions on any really discussion-worthy topic.
crazzycool, are people STILL arguing PC vs. Mac? I thought they got tired of flogging that poor horse back in the 1980s or early 1990s. (Okay, never mind - the ads are fun. But the ads where Linux steps in and makes them both look uncool are the best. And I don't even use Linux.)
Hi everyone out there
Im just wondering if bloggers start by being opinionated! I can see my family already putting their heads in their hands...
Do we have a psychologist out there doing the psychology of bloggers because I think it would make for an interesting bit of research. What do I mean bit? There is probably several years of research in it. :)
Ha! I actually did up a post on Tuesday begging people to throw away their smartphones. Even though it was a post I had fun with, I was still worried that people would take it too seriously and hate me, or start calling me a luddite. I suppose that's why don't do more of them. The majority of my posts on Freelancedom are how-tos. I'll definitely start pushing myself to do more of these, though.
Oh, and thus far, all of the commenters on my smartphones post took it with a grain of salt and a smile. I worry for nothing. :)
Steph Auteri, Freelancedom
Well this ws a great challenge for today. I saw and answered a question in this form about whether outbound links have any value, especially to PageRank.
Well I thought, there are lots of articles out there that try to explain it in a technical sense, but let me jost down my opinion.
So why don't you guys have a look, I would appreciate it very much. It is called: Is outbound linking worthwhile? Does it add to pageRank?
Hope you enjoy it. Leave some comments, even if you dissagree with my Opinion
I'm full of opinions, on just about any topic I'm passionate about!
I just posted yesterday's link hub so it'll take a bit before I post again.
....
ok finished, I posted an opinion of a recent book I received (only the first two chapters but Jonathan Mean did a fantastic job)
I'll dig up a stronger sided topic next entry.
Man o man. I gotta start writing more Opinion posts like I did yesterday and today. It's gotten me a lot more traffic than ever before. No MAJOR spikes but to me it's a big increase. I even wrote a 3rd post on the topic today if anyone is interested. I'm just full of opinions today HAHA!
kitandcaboodle
Member
Wow, this one took me awhile to write, and then I had a hard time pushing that post button. A little scary expressing my opinion. It was fun writing, but I never want to offend anyone with my opinions. I wrote on whether home school is better than public school. Some of my best friends are public school teachers.
http://kitandcaboodleblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/is-home-school-better-than-public.html
My experience with opinion posts have gone well on some topics and not so well on others. I did a review of the movie I Am a Sex Addict and a comparison to aspects of Kissing on the Mouth that I did not like. Here is the Opinion post for the 31DBBB task: I Am a Sex Addict - Getting Dirty with Caveh Zahedi
Madlab Post Discover indie films and entertaining facts!
I just happened to publish one an hour or so before this task came out, great timing!
Twitter Releases Second Album, Fans Disappointed
And if anyone is stuck for an opinion post to write, just review a product!
Haha! This assignment is the easiest for me so far. My whole blog is centered around me giving my opinion on anything and everything. I'm a big fan of loud, unpopular, scary opinions, too. For example, I've written about why people who give safety advice should be ridiculed and why I don't care about female circumcision.
When it comes to giving unpopular opinions, I've found that the results often aren't as scary as they are in our own minds. I can post the most blatant, crazy opinion, and my readers often don't blink an eye. On the other hand, something completely innocuous, like what to have for dinner, might bring the debaters out! If I have an opinion about something, someone else probably shares it, and someone else probably disagrees. The internet makes room for all of us, it makes it easier for those of like minds to find one another, and it gives us the opportunity to learn from opinions diffferent from our own.
Right to Bleed - Permission to be and fail and love it, loudly, accurately, publicly, and on purpose.
Darren, in my opinion, posting an opinion is a great idea. It won't be the first time :D Two aside comments: I love your new pic. It's like Seth Godin's bald head, only its all glasses! And...I've found some of the greatest blogs ever through your 31DBB challenge.
So, thank you!
Karen
Okay, so I was ahead of the game on today's assignment. Here is an opinion piece I wrote on Tuesday, and got more hits than on any previous post. I am not sure how to keep the momentum going, though.
http://www.thisoldbrain.net/2009/04/chris-brogan-please-dont-praise-this-post/
I read blogs because I want to know what people think and feel. That's how relate to others. I enjoy a fresh perspective on an issue. It makes me feel that anything is possible.
My most popular post was about Malcolm Gladwell's the Outliers. I agreed with some of his points, but when I got to the end, I realized that he had not named one woman as an outlier. Here's the post:
http://akamamma.blogspot.com/2009/03/new-category-super-outlier.html
Holly, agree with you completely. Facts are what make good opinion stand out from bad opinion, and what build authority. The key is figuring out a powerful stance and writing it strongly and clearly. Pissing off some people is fine, so long as a few more people subscribe and login another day.
Phew - I found this hard. I've had the post in mind for some time, but the task pushed me to do it. I'm a little nervous as it's controversial, but let's see what happens.
"Why sales pages don't work"
I, too, was most nervous about writing a controversial piece, an opinion post. But once I posted, it generated the most responses from my readers. The piece - Dark Child - posted a week ago. In fact, I am finding that I enjoy writing more analytical, opinion pieces more than the average " how to be the perfect mother" articles. As a dual German - American citizen with American tendencies living in Germany - I find my everyday experiences living in a different culture provide ample food for thought , personal growth, and writing. My blog is only three months old - but I see it evolving already.
But let's face it - even the typical mommy topics can generate a lot of debate. More thought, more fun. A general consensus would be boring. If we all thought the same things, there would be no need to share thoughts through writing.
My blog contains nothing but opinion posts from myself about how I feel and why I do what I do. I think it is for this reason it gets a few followers.
Darren thank you for spurring me on to continue blogging. I have two blogs they are the flip side of the coin of life.
http://fee-mypositivelife.blogspot.com/
http://notsopositivelife.blogspot.com/
Many people can relate to how I feel and I don't want pity before anyone thinks that. I cope as best I can with what life has thrown at me and my view is that this has happened to me for a reason and that reason is solely to help others and change things for a better future.
I love doing the charity work I am doing I thrive on it. I know what it is like to be down and low and can understand how life knocks you back when you want to be positive with everything you do in life. Unfortunately as we all know life is not like that.
My blogs prove that.
Best wishes to everyone.
Fee
Okay here's mine or at least my latest.
http://suevista.blogspot.com/2009/04/agave-americana-three-days.html
Harold, good stuff there. Baz
BlogAsReligion.com - Blogging sucess without a gazillion readers
You must log in to post.
