Blog Writing – Finding the Right Person
Copyright (c) 2011 Enzo F. Cesario
Every blogger has a different approach to things. Some talk about
politics, others about their personal fiction projects. Some
adopt a more serious tone, while others go for satire or outright
comedy. Certain blogs might be more confrontational than others,
and the topics covered can range from niche to popular appeal,
often within the same blog.
There are a host of articles and sites covering advice on how to
address various topics, but one area that doesn’t get a lot of
attention is what “person” to write the blog in. Each
linguistic person has its own strengths and weaknesses, depending
on the message that needs to be covered. Ultimately, most will
simply write in whatever person is most natural to them, but
there is some merit in taking a bit of time to think about the
implications, advantages and disadvantages of each.
First Person
I think, I want, I feel, I know… the first person is generally
the default for blogging purposes. It’s an instinctive way to
think: We view the world from our own frame of reference and
it’s entirely natural to carry that perspective into the realm
of blogging. After all, they’re our own thoughts, so we’re
going to frame them from our perspective.
First person is an excellent choice for writing a personal blog.
As said, it’s a natural voice to write in, so extending that to
speaking about highly personal topics is a good way to capitalize
on the effect. People like the inside look at things, and want to
feel they have a special understanding of a subject. When people
they care about — be they authors, politicians, theorists or
actors — talk about their personal feelings, it offers a glimpse
into their window of thought. This effect can be lost in a
third-person blog.
On the other hand, the first person can portray a degree of
self-involvement that might put readers off. Not everyone cares
what any particular individual thinks about a particular topic.
If you say, “I believe the following…” then some readers have
a natural tendency to ask, “Well, who are you?” This effect can
be countered with the citation of facts and figures or
quotations, but it’s still a phenomenon the first-person blogger
has to overcome. The reaction may not even be a conscious one on
the part of readers, further complicating this choice.
Third Person
Third person is the perspective of choice for blogs about
business or broad-reaching topics that aren’t specifically
focused on the personality of the blogger. The third person
displays a degree of detachment and professionalism that allows
for cool and apparently impartial assessments of any given
matter. However, third person writing can also be emotionally
powerful. Telling the story of a third party without the overt
interjection of the writer’s opinion is an excellent use of the
third person device. It allows readers to get past the idea of
someone writing the blog and get right to the emotional impact of
the story itself, to get drawn in and engage with the subject
matter.
Comparatively, few blogs about personality are written
exclusively in the third person. After all, the point of such a
blog is to get into the mind of the writer, so what value would a
more divorced approach like third person have? In such cases, the
use of third person should be employed selectively rather than as
the default. The personal “I” is too important to a blog
centered on the personality for the third person to make any
impact.
Second Person
Very few perspectives are as controversial as second person. Less
than one half of one percent of any written works is published in
the second, or “you,” person. It’s just not something that
people instinctively work at. Folks don’t know how others think
— it’s a defining trait of individuality. Assumptions can be
made, but without the ability to actually get into someone’s
head, the ability to understand and interpret their thoughts is
limited to context, past experiences and a healthy degree of
intuition, so most people avoid writing in second person because
it’s too unpredictable. The weakness hinges on, “You know
that…” often being answered, “No, I don’t.”
For these reasons and others, the second person is often ignored.
It makes people too uncomfortable when used on its own, and it’s
often dismissed as nothing more than a literary attention getting
stunt rather than a serious writing effort.
However, once again, there is a value to the second person,
particularly when mixed with first person. An instructional blog
talking about something of interest to reader and writer is a
great example of this. “I find that you’ll want to spoon the
mustard before the honey, so the honey doesn’t stick to the
spoon.” This blending of persons makes the entire discussion
more personal, drawing the reader in to a cooperative element
with the writer.
Furthermore, the second person is an excellent choice for
confrontational blogs. Sometimes a blog is written for an angle
of activism and education, and presenting uncomfortable facts and
figures with the association of “you” can do a lot to bring the
message home to the audience.
So whatever choice I/you/one uses, spend a little time thinking
about the others, and if they might find a place in a particular
piece.
About The Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is an online branding specialist
and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content
agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos
and social media in the “voice” of our client’s
brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more
recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to
http://www.BrandSplat.com/ or visit our blog at
http://www.iBrandCasting.com/
Read More Articles From Enzo F. Cesario:
http://thephantomwriters.com/recent/author/enzo-f_-cesario.html
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