If you’re staring at the blinking cursor in your blog’s new post screen, wondering, “What, oh what, should I blog about?” then cheer up! Here are 20 resources to help get those blog brainstorming juices flowing. Grab a notebook and pen and jot down ideas as you research these resources.

1. Visit the Neighbors. Read blogs with topics similar to yours and jot down idea-starters. If you’re not sure where to find such blogs, do a search on Google Blog Search or hop over to Technorati.com and see what’s out there.
2. Snoop through Article Directories. Type a keyword into sites such as EzineArticles, eHow, ArticlesBase, and others will give you a plethora of ideas to choose from.
3. Pick through some PLR Content. Private Label Rights (PLR) content is created for content creators (a.k.a. bloggers) to use as a springboard when developing posts, podcasts, etc. Some of it is bad, some is pretty good. You should never post PLR content as is, but it’s great for generating ideas. Plus, it’s cheap!
4. Traditional Media. The mainstream media has its faults, but when you’re searching for blog content ideas, relating your topic to a breaking news story can be fun and effective.
5. Social Media. Along that same line, browse through some social media sites and see what’s popular or trending. Check out sites like Digg, Twitter, and Technorati to name a few.
6. Ask Your Readers. Invite your readers to submit questions and create a Q&A series for your blog.
7. Use Other People’s Readers. Asking your own readers and waiting for their replies can take a bit of time. If you’re in a rush to get your post published, see what readers from other sites are asking. Yahoo Answers is a goldmine for generating Q&A ideas.
8. Keyword Research Tools. Go over to Google’s keyword research tool and type in a topic. Within seconds you’ll get a list of terms people are actually looking for information about. You can use the filters there to refine your search and really drill down into the topic you want to write about.
9. Check Your Inbox. Chances are you already subscribe to a few email newsletters. While some can be annoying, most provide useful information. There’s likely something in there that will spur your muse into action.
10. Mull over a Magazine. If you subscribe to any magazines relating to your blog’s topic, flip through them and read some headlines. Read what others are writing and either answer questions they may have left unanswered or blog about the topic from a different angle.
11. Find a Facebook Group. Join a group or two of like-minded people on Facebook and scroll through the group’s wall posts.
12. Mingle on a Message Board. To find a forum about your blog’s topic, do a search for “[my blog topic] message board” or “[my blog topic] forum.” See what questions the forum members are asking and blog about the answers. For quick traffic, join the forum and post links to the topics you’ve written about.
13. Look at Your Own Blog. Use a WordPress plugin, such as RankTracker, and you’ll get an email with search terms your blog is ranking for. That means this is the type of content people who come to your blog enjoy reading. You can also see which posts are getting the most comments, Tweets, and Facebook Likes, etc., to determine what topics to write more about. Once you’ve identified popular posts, ask yourself what you could have added or what else have you learned about the topic since you first wrote the posts people liked. Then blog on that.
14. Go Virtual Window Shopping. What is selling on information product sites, such as Clickbank? Go to the marketplace area and type your blog’s topic into the search form. Check for products with the highest “gravity” and visit their sales pages. What solutions are they promising to provide? Create some content about that. (Monetization Tip: You may even want to get a free Clickbank account and include affiliate links to those products you found.) What information products have your purchased that are related to your topic? Review them and jot down blog post ideas as you go through the product.
15. Think. Think. Think. Yep, just like Winnie the Pooh. Using your own brain when brainstorming is always a great idea!
16. Recycle Old Notes. If you’ve ever taken notes from books you’ve read on your topic or conferences you’ve attended, dust off your notebooks and browse through them. You may have a great untapped brainstorming resource right under your nose!
17. Outsource It. Even after going through all the above brainstorming tips, if you’re still struggling to come up with blog content, you can always hire a writer. Check out sites such as Fiverr, Warrior Forum, Odesk, or others.

I want to wish all my readers a happy and prosperous new year!

What are your blogging goals for this year? My main goal is to blog consistently at On Blogging Well and to finish the free video course I started. I only made the first two modules of this four-part course, and for that I apologize. I hope to complete the other modules soon.

“Christmas With the Kranks” is a comedy based on John Grisham’s book Skipping Christmas. The upshot is that Luther and Nora Krank (played by Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis) want to “skip” Christmas because their daughter is spending Christmas overseas in the Peace Corps. The Kranks plan to take all the money they save by skipping Christmas and go on a cruise. It’s a great plan.

So they think.

Their friends and neighbors object to their lack of Christmas spirit and heckle and bully them, attempting to force them to get back in line and get their jolly on. They successfully resist… until they learn that their daughter is unexpectedly returning home for Christmas.

The Kranks have to scurry around in order to create a last-minute Christmas, borrowing Christmas trees, pulling together an eleventh-hour party, and attempting to woo back the neighbors they’ve alienated. Of course, all ends well once the Kranks respond to the external pressures and get back in line.

So, what do the Kranks teach bloggers? The main lesson is that you can make all the plans in the world, but sometimes you just need to respond to what your audience wants.

Poor Luther and Nora don’t think they’re doing anything wrong. So they want to head in a different direction this year. What’s the big deal?

Well, the big deal is that the Kranks’ “audience” (neighbors and friends) like things just the way they are. They don’t want the Kranks to change. They want things to stay the way they always have been – even if the Kranks have different ideas.

Think about trying to change something about your blog? The design, schedule, or content topic? Even if you’re positive the changes are for the better, you can hit serious backlash because your readers like things a certain way. They like knowing what subjects you write about when, or that your podcast comes out every Wednesday – not Tuesday, and certainly not Thursday. If you mess with their routines, you may have to pay the price – just like the Kranks.

Now, this isn’t to say that you can’t ever make changes to your blog. It’s just a caution to make sure the risk is worth the reward, and that you’re not changing just for change’s sake.

I’ve gotten out of my original blogging routine, and I plan to do better in 2012.

I hope all my readers have a wonderful holiday season!