What

It's all about the subject, says the word "what." This is the core of any blog, the central thread that ties everything together and gives the collection of writings a focus and purpose. It is definitely worthwhile to perform any form of prewriting exercise, like clustering, a list of keywords, an outline of subject matter, etc. In the process of prewriting, you will begin to sew the seeds that grow into the fountain of material from which you can draw. If the prewriting does not get your creative juices flowing, refine your subject and try again.
　
I will admit that I did not perform this step on paper when I conceived of my daily blog. I had been considering starting a blog, on any number of subjects. Some of these subjects are still suitable for blogging, but they are far more personal. When I began to consider the audience and the potency of the work required, I decided that like other blogs, I too would rebel in some way.
　
Personally, I find that while writing, I have to back things down a notch, and aim for one or more of several distinct audiences. One audience is highly intelligent and technical, but has limits to understanding and comprehension of the English language. The basic structure for this group is simple sentences with a splattering of understandable high-technology terms. Lucky for me that I can use mathematics and computational languages to supplement my writing for this group, or there would be no joy. This is not a standard audience, by any means. The other groups are fairly standard, and should be considered when aiming your writing at an audience.
　
The most basic level of writing is Newspaper class. Read any story on CNN, or in any newspaper or teen magazine, and you will quickly understand this level of communication. Semi-redundant, catchy, flashy, with a bit of spark and spiff, but the total vocabulary and structure is easily followable by pre-teens and sixth-graders. Yes, this is the level that most city-beat reporters and journalists aim for. It is a very wide audience, and when in doubt, aim for it, since all other audiences are a subset of this one.
　
As educational level increases, the starting vocabulary may expand appropriately. There is quite a difference in vocabulary between High School and College, and it is the graduates of these two educational phases that define the next strata of writing. A College graduate is not easily confused by the construction of a rhetorical question, whereas a newspaper would never print one due to the ensuing confusion. College graduates who have studied English as their focus, learn that the language can be re-defined in-context, and as a result, can lob words as weapons to unsettling effect and torment of others.
　
While it may seem that your target audience would really fall under the category of who, and you may be correct (I put the who tag on this entry just to please you), it so heavily influences what you are writing, that it can not be left behind. Unlike the sadistic English major, your job is to lob words into the mind of the reader that communicate what you want to say, in a manner that generates interest in the subject and furthers the growth of readership. You don't publish something to put it on the shelf and look at the pretty leather wrapper.
　
What you are writing about may be keyed to where you are writing from. Laptop and ultra-mobile computers allow up-close and personal styles of blogging, since you can immerse yourself in the environment and write. A travel blog, updated on-the-road, might be a good immersive experience blog, if you are a frequent traveller and have access to the source material. In this case, you are also bringing your experience, that snapshot of time, to the rest of the world that may happen upon your writings today or tomorrow's tomorrow.
　
The subject of your blog is the ultimate key to what you will be writing. It is suggested that this subject be distilled into a one, two or perhaps a three sentence description, which you will need for the description segment of your blog header. While you want the description to be broad enough to cover a range of material, it is just as helpful to have limits and boundaries that help maintain focus. If you find yourself with material that does not fit your theme, then perhaps you have the seed for another blog.
　
While I am impressed with some of twitteresque blogs that answer the question "What are you doing?" it quickly becomes yet another example of the human experience. Yes, it is interesting to see what parts of people's lives and experiences they are willing to put out for the world to see, but it is still premeditated. Note the embedding of the word 'edit' smack in the middle of premeditated. Only your brain has the complete record, and anything you post is therefore, an edited recollection. Believe it or not, this is a very good thing.
　
Perhaps you have a great idea for a blog subject, and you're ready for the challenge. What does the Internet have to say about that idea already? Pull up to a search engine or three, and pound on the input box. Type in the core of your blog idea, several different ways like you might do if you were a potential reader. Did relevant things come up on the first page? If so, this is your competition. This is what you will be compared to. This is the crowd to which you will become the leader or just another me-too.
　
If you are writing just to write, or to have a place to point people to, then your competition does not matter. You are doing your thing in your little wisp of the cloud, and you can send anyone in the world there who wants to go there. You also have a non-zero probability of discovery, and unless you say otherwise, the automated web-bots will read your writing, perform analysis on the HTML code and links to and from the pages of your blog to the rest of the web.
　
However, there are certain advantages to filling a niche. If your search session does not pull up compelling references to your subject, and there is little or no competition, you are lucky indeed and should seize upon the opportunity. Do double check your work. As a final search test, enclose all or part of your keywords in quotes to provide a tighter match, looking for word pairs or triples, in order.
　
Uniqueness is often the key to great reward, provided that you can maintain and enhance your position. You must work to establish and enhance your position, and while Copyright law protects your rights, you need to have something worth copying before those rights need to be enforced. If you can fill the search niche you discover with a blog that you will enjoy creating, you've got a fantastic opportunity.