Theme is common in social events. Sometimes, it comes in a statement of purpose that defines the focus of said event. Popular world events like the Academy Awards in Hollywood or the Cannes Film Festival in France focus on honoring films and filmmakers who have made excellent contributions to the film industry. Political rallies focus on social issues the candidate is passionate about. But those are extremely large events you may be lead to think themes only apply to large audiences.
Think weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and small, intimate family get-togethers. If you are, or have spoken with events organizers, you’ll realize their events are centered on a concept or what we now call a theme. Okay, so you agree themes are relevant to social events. How does it apply to blogging? Answer: practically in the same way!
Themes as Focal Points
Like a beacon of light, themes give your blogging, that is, your articles direction. Take BlogicallyDotCom for example. Everything you read in this blog is about blogging – tricks, tips, how-to, etc. You won’t, and I say that again, you won’t find dating tips on this blog. You may, however, find plenty of money-making tips (hopefully in future posts), as making money online is the heart of professional blogging.
If you like thinking in scientific terms, think of themes as the first step in scientific methodology – the problem you are looking to solve. In terms of writing in general, themes work like your topic sentence in a paragraph – everything that follows revolves around this sentence. Does that clarify further the role of themes in your blogging career? In SEO-speak, themes work like a microniche, or a niche within a niche.
Functions of a Blog Theme
To fully appreciate the relevance of themes in the success of your blog, let’s examine what a theme does for your blog at large and for each article in particular.
First, themes define your scope. As I mentioned earlier, it defines relevance to your readers. Although as I mentioned in previous posts, there’s nothing preventing you from writing about totally off-tangent topics in your themed blog, a theme helps you decide your categories list. It also helps you categorize each entry you write. Review the first part of my two-part article titled Tips to Organize your Blog Posts to learn more about blog categories.
Second, themes target readers’ interest. Anyone looking to get started with professional blogging are going to look for a blogging tips blog – practically any site with useful content, which means relevant content. A person looking for ways to get over a broken heart won’t knock on BlogicallyDotCom’s doors looking for breakup advice. So what if your blog matches a readers’ interest? They’re more likely to return for a second or third visit. And who knows? Your entries and presentation might convince them to sign up for your newsletter or subscribe to your RSS Feeds. To read further in what RSS Subscriptions can do for your blog, check Mulani’s Why You Should Care About Your RSS Subscribers
Lastly, themes help define your overall blog tone. When you walk into an office, what feeling does it evoke from you? Goldman Sachs’ corporate offices with it’s posh interiors and richly furnished spaces might be intimidating to a regular guy; it no doubt exudes money, wealth and power. In contrast, if you walk into your therapist’s offices, chances are, you’d feel a welcoming, almost relaxed atmosphere. Perhaps, you’d even feel like you’re walking into your friend’s den, where you can plop comfortably on the sofa for a marathon of your favorite films. The same goes with your blog. Readers would label your blog trash, reliable source, or propaganda-esque based on the overall tone you create. And tone is largely a factor of your theme and style of writing.
In the next article, we’ll talk about how to go about choosing a theme for your blog.
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