Keen and Graev’s Gaming Blog has been around for six and a half years. In that period of time I have accumulated a wealth of knowledge on the subjects of what I like and dislike about games, how to talk about games, and blogging in general. Our blogging peers have commented recently about the MMO blogging decline. In the past six years I have watched a lot of blogs officially close or fizzle out — many of them MMO blogs, and a lot of them under some of the blogging initiatives intended to help bloggers. I’d like to help those looking for a resource.
I want to provide my insights openly to anyone who might be want to learn about starting a blog, strengthening what they already have going, or simply interested in the subject. A new blogging tip or insight will be posted every Sunday, so be sure to check back weekly.
Let’s get started with Tip #1!
Tip #1: Have a Purpose
This tip applies to everyone wanting to start a blog, not just gamers. You absolutely must have a purpose for starting a blog, and it can’t be “I want to give it a try.” Even if right now you’re thinking to yourself, “But I really do want to give it a try,” stop and think up a second reason. When I first decided to start writing a blog I didn’t even know gaming blogs existed. I was a moderator and writer for IGN at the time, and I was getting tired of having so many things to say about games but nowhere to put them. Posting them on message boards wasn’t going to preserve them. I couldn’t write my honest opinions in articles because the editors would throw a fit about pissing off sponsors. I knew it was time to figure out a solution. That’s when I decided to start a website, and the rest is history.
Graev and I have strong opinions about games, and our purpose is to share those opinions. Six and a half years later I’m still standing on a soapbox preaching to anyone who will listen.  Even if we never became known to anyone in the industry, I would still be writing and putting my thoughts onto virtual paper. I quickly learned that a second purpose exists: I love to write. My grammar is horrible, and my spelling is worse, but I love to put my thoughts into a place where I can store them and reference them later. Writing is therapeutic for me. Yet another purpose developed over time, and that’s my crusade to ‘save’ the MMO industry from itself by using my voice to help keep the memory of what worked alive.
Work your purpose into a tagline for your blog. Here’s ours: “Two Brothers, One Gaming Blog. Keen and Graev bring you their latest PC/Console views, MMO Adventures, and more from a unique and refreshing perspective.” We bring you our views, our adventures, and we do it from our unique and (to us) refreshing perspective.
Your purpose will dictate the direction of your blog, your writing, and your success. Have everything you do revolve around that purpose. So whether you want to blog about MMOs, cars, or knitting, you need to have a purpose that will stand the test of time, and hopefully it will evolve like mine. A personal, meaningful purpose will keep your blog going when it seems like nothing else will.
I really appreciate the time and effort that people like yourself put into helping the community. Thank you for the tips and I am sure to come back to read more tips when they are available.
[…] you read Keen and Graev’s blog they’ve decided to write Sunday tips for game bloggers. Since they’ve been at it for six years, they always have plenty to say. One of their […]
Thank you so much for posting this! I absolutely suck at blogging right now but I’m getting exponentially better at it. My purpose was to entertain people with my unique and quirky perspective on games- with my admittedly crappy PC gaming rig and 200+ game library driving me foreward. However, it is a new venture for me. I have new ideas on how to go forward from here, but for now, can you look at my blog and give me some tips?