Posting Blog Entries That Stimulate Discussions

Blog entries do not always have to always 'dispense' useful content in order to be a service to the blog reader. What if it serves a useful 'purpose' instead? When posting to your site your intentions should be to produce content that benefits readers. All people really want is to be able to better themselves or their situation in some way by viewing your post. What if the intent of your blog posting was not to 'dispense information' but instead merely pose questions readers themselves have to answer? In this way the entry readers are viewing can serve as a stimulus to 'unlock' and share their own pool of knowledge when they post comments. Would or could this be beneficial to the blog reader viewing the content? Absolutely and here are 3 ways how… Engages Readers By merely posing a question you are actively 'engaging' any blog reader who views the post. Immediately this gets them thinking. As they ponder your query they may recall either any relevant past experience or perhaps any knowledge they may already possess. In either case you have captured their attention which will likely lead to … Stimulates Responses Gets them involved and this involvement likely will result in getting them to post comments in response. Have you ever known anybody who is not happy to answer a question or voice their opinion when asked? Essentially what you are doing is offering readers the 'stage' by asking them a question. At this point you simply 'step back' and watch the comments fly! Open Door to New Perspectives As they post comments others tend to become more involved in the discussion. Get them offering their own opinions/suggestions and this will encourage others to respond in kind and now the brainstorming really begins! Your question is the fuse that ignites their creative thinking from which EVERYBODY benefits yourself included. Blog entries are normally expected to provide some type of benefit to readers in the form of useful content. Blog posting that stimulates thought by posing questions however can be just as helpful as simply serving up information to people. Allowing the blog reader to explore the recesses of their own minds and share it with others when they post comments benefits everybody. The 3 ways people benefit from a post that requires their involvement by answering a query are discussed above. This type entry not only better engages people but also promotes the exchange of different ideas, opinions and perspectives. In this way the thinking and knowledge of everyone involved in the resulting discussion can not help but be increased and expanded.