I wrote the post below back in July, 2008. I'm reposting it now because someone encouraged me recently to revisit some of the foundational elements to understanding social media. Since it seems there are quite a few new people reading the blog now I thought the person's point was a good one. I talk about creating valuable content all the time and the Old McDonald approach continues to keep my own blog focused and is helping a lot of people I know too.
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If you know me or have been reading this blog long you know I’m a firm believer in the idea of compelling content being the best way to use social media tools. That’s what the whole “Old McDonald” approach to good content is all about. If, however, it’s still not coming together for you, think about this: content MUST have value to the people you’re trying to reach. If it doesn’t, it’s not good content. It’s probably boring information that lacks something interesting or it’s marketing copy that’s just you talking about you.
So…let’s go back to the old McDonald idea. If good content that has value to someone contains at least one of the EIEIO elements (Entertain, Inspire, Educate, Inform, or Outrage) then you are creating content with value. If you’re still stuck though, add “me” to the end of the words. It would look like this:
- Entertain Me.
- Inspire Me.
- Educate Me.
- Inform Me.
- Outrage Me.
See what’s missing here? You. It’s not about you. It’s about me…the person you’re trying to reach. Now go write a blog post for the “me” you want to read your blog.