Spiritual Drifts from The River of Karma

It's the perennial questions isn't it? The elusive one that many writers of any medium want to grasp and understand.

So long as you place words in strings of sentences on anything to convey a message, the whole concept of "Value in content" is the Holiest of Grail. Get it, and you’re sure to get anyone's attention.

What more if you have a blog? The same rules still apply – You’re a writer. You write. It’s an electronic medium. People read.

But ask anyone, and no one really can tell you what it is. Everyone has an idea "of it", but no one can quite come to stand on it. And so we find ourselves in the same circle we started with; only no answer.

I know, I've been there.

So this topic has been a lot of hard work thinking, OBSERVING, putting pieces together in and out. I think I may have finally figured it out and as it turns out, its actually quite simple.

Value in Content
Now for the most part, we know that "Value in content" stand to mean that the content of what is written has some value in it. Good, because this post as such isn’t to define what the words mean in English.

So the question is not what is Value in content, but how does one – Writer or Blogger - approach it so their writing always has "Value" in it? So that my readers always feel they're benefiting from it?

In other words, how do I create value in what I write for my readers?

The Answer to this my fellow writer friends, I have found at last, can be summarized in just one line:

"Tell me something I don't know!"

Stop. Go back and re-read that line.

It's going to take a bit before it sinks in, but believe me when it hits, its going to open you up to a whole new paradigm.

How it works
Quite simple.
Since this is a brief guide, I'll keep it just that, brief.

Tell me something I don't know -> Teaches me something new -> Value there because now I've gained from it.

It sounds so unbelievably simply; I sometimes wonder why it was apparent in the first place.

And this concept applies to anything you can talk about from mineral water right up to Quark Particles of Quantum Physiques.

Why?

Because it is “Concept oriented” and not necessarily “Subject Dependant”, you can talk on any subject anytime and still come off a genius. All you have to do is to just tell me something I don't know.

The Caveat here being of course that you, as the Writer, must know what you’re talking about. You can’t blab about something you don’t know because while that’s lying, more importantly, the readers will see right through it and just never come back.

The readers will know value when they see it. That’s what they’re looking for.

(For my Malaysian readers) This is why we're so dependant on sites like Raja Petra's Malaysia Today. He knows the rumblings of the country’s political underbelly that we don't and he tells it to us. Hence the value.

(For my International readers) This is also the reason why SEO sites, How to make Money Blogs and even for that matter, Gossip Blogs are so popular.

Rules Exception
Now, there is a slight exception to this concept I've come to notice. If you're paying attention to what was said above, you'll get the impression that one can only write/blog of new perspectives and not stuff like "What I had for breakfast this morning!".

It iss your blog and if you want to list your breakfast palate, go ahead. Just don't expect me to read it.

But what if you want to write on a hot topic, say Britneys latest adventure that's already been covered by every other writer/blogger out there while…….having some value in it?

Simple. The difference is – "Tell it to me in a way I didn't think of!"

Meaning, cover the same topic from an entirely different angle. Make the reader go "You know what, I didn't think of it that way! Good point!"

This is why newpaper Columns are interesting. They, the writer, give an interpretation of a point differently painted with facts, figures and life long experience.

The whole Point
This is going to sound unique. I'm didn't rush this straight to post; I've gone on test drives on other blogs and the pattern(s) are all similar. (Which in a way counts for why I haven't updated for while)
The whole point is, as it appears, Is to teach people. Writing on any medium be it paper, books or internet is supposed to convey knowledge and wisdom. Which is exactly what we aim to do everytime we write. We teach.

By blogging about something people don't know, you as the writer is essentially playing the role of teacher. You're educating people on a topic they didn't know about. And that's key because 1) To teach, you first have to learn it and 2) If everybody thinks this way, then every blog on the internet can become a tool for learning. For Education and for Wisdom.

Which is also what this article is doing – Teaching you. And now that you know, you go on teach other people while you write about what you like.
I don’t know if you get it, but it just seems like in order to get value in content, you must want to be willing to give knowledge away. To all and sundry. It’s a little funny I know.

Figuring out the Reader
This is the part now many might be wondering.
The challenge here is, how do you know what the readers want to read about? Well, all honesty here, until I can figure it out, its another Grail search quest.
All I can say is this – Stay true to what you write and let that find the readers. My blog is about spirituality so therefore, I’m catering to all who are spiritual. I know it’s futile to reach everyone. So I’m being good at what I do instead.

You might ask – Why does Raja Petra get so many readers? Well, its because we’re all interested in finding out about our Country! So we read. For those who don’t care about politics at all, they probably won’t read it. They don’t care.

You’re better focusing on a certain topic than wiping yourself dry to thinly trying to figure out how to please everyone.

My Last request..
…..is that you choose to use this knowledge to help your fellow man.

Don't lie, cheat, steal or plagiarise in anyway. Help yourself by helping others learn and better themselves. Consider it Good Karma points if you want.

For all else, certainly there's value in that.




PS to Deb and Patricia : Thanks for the shoutout