Hi everyone, my name is Dan Newman and I am not a Social Media expert. I do not have a certificate from the Social Media University, and I work full time (not doing Social Media). However, I like to write, share, blog, chat, engage, and create meaningful relationships using Social Platforms. I really enjoy writing about Social Media through the eyes of someone that doesn’t do it for a living. It brings a fresh perspective (I hope and think), and it allows me to perhaps say what others think but will not say (At my own risk). I also like to join various chats to learn from others and to engage in conversations about leadership, business, technology, and of course blogging. And so the story begins…

This past Sunday evening I joined Blogchat a highly attended and fantastic weekly Twitter chat led by the well respected Mack Collier. The topic for the evening was fantastic; A discussion around how to drive more meaningful conversation and interaction on your Blog. An important topic for bloggers looking to measure the success of their content and community.

On this night you could find many generic responses (typical of all Twitter Chats). Things like reply quickly, ask a question at the end of your post, and be sure to share your content within the right communities. All of these canned answers are good, but nothing that even most novice bloggers wouldn’t know. Being one that seeks to enrich the communities in which I join and of course benefit with new knowledge and relationships from the time I spend on a chat, I wanted to challenge the “Status Quo.” Therefore, (knowing it would be risky)I shot out the idea of “Being Provocative.”

While a few people seemingly agreed with this idea, I was more immediately blasted down by a few members of the ranking class within this particular chat. The very idea of doing such a thing is just gamification and it trivializes our character. (This is a summation/paraphrase of the responses I received) Dejected and disappointed in the response I shot back that I think it is important that we bring something different to the equation. Whether writing about business, parenting, social media, or any other subject, there are an immense amount of “Me Too” blogs and frankly I am sick of reading them.

To be provocative means to “Entice” or “Excite” a response. Now the type of enticement generally has a more negative connotation as in enticing anger. So I’m willing to concede that maybe provocation needs to be done with a touch of delicacy, but I refuse to agree that writing just factual information and/or 100% politically correct is your answer.

With thousands of blogs to choose from in any given subject area, you better do something to make your blog stand out. Moreover, everyone is a self proclaimed expert because they are authors, bloggers, entrepreneurs, ninjas, and an assortment of other potentially meaningful things albeit slightly deranged.

The end game is this…

We all SPIN TO SURVIVE, and people have built great careers on being provocative. Look at Michael Moore and Rush Limbaugh. On opposite sides of the spectrum but people like to listen to them. Why? Perhaps because they are willing to say what many others won’t.

I’m by no means suggesting that bloggers go crazy and start writing with the intention to purely enrage their audience. I’ll be the first to say, that isn’t a good strategy. However, I will also be the first to say that you better bring something new to the conversation; especially if you aren’t a renowned expert in your field (According to yourself doesn’t count).

Hear, Hear… If what you are creating can be defined as “More of the Same” content, then your comments will be pretty much limited to your friends and family. If you want to see your content shared and you seek to inspire the conversation then you must bring passion, be profound, and put your own touch on it. BE ORIGINAL! Now that is advice to blog by…

What makes your content worth discussing? Should we provoke comments? Is that selling out or gamifying? And How do you inspire the conversation?