»Don't write like a technician. Write like a person!« As a blogger you gotta love the advice from Kathy Sierra who explains why the conversational writing style of bloggers works so well in most communicative settings.
I applaud her for saying it, but to be perfectly honest there's nothing new in Kathy's conclusions. Most people with a background in communication know that writing conversationally beats the heck out of writing formally when you want to leave a lasting impression with your readers (most writers do, I guesss ;-)
But I would like to add this to Kathy's advice: Good writing/blogging needs to be more than conversational. If communicators really want their point to come across they have to invest themselves in the communication. Readers should be able to see that there's something at stake for the blogger and that there's a real person of flesh and blood behind the words.
I'm not implying that you have to reveal every detail from your private life online -- the Blogosphere is too full of private diaries as it is -- but I am saying that establishing a connection with your readers by way of both ethos and pathos is a great way to communicate.
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