The inspiration wheels always need to keep turning, and after some extensive use, we always need to grease those wheels to ensure that they are steadily moving free of hindrance. And, plus without these refreshers we risk the pains of inspirational chaffage, and believe me, that is no one’s friend! So we figured we would take another dive into the print side of the design sea to get a little inspiration cooking, and naturally we wanted to share with our readers, all the inspired treasures we found.

During our cyberspace travels we found an amazing illustrator Grzegorz Domaradzki aka Gabz and after a sleepless night or two in which I would gravitate to his gallery just to browse, we decided that our next print design showcase would go to him. From posters to books to album covers, his breathtaking talent spans across many avenues of print design. Crafting intricate, emotive pieces, Gabz has a stylistic voice that we felt more people should be exposed to.

Showcase

These are just a few of the amazing pieces that fill Gabz’s vivid and inspirational portfolio. We hope that you enjoyed them as much as we do, and we highly recommend that you stop by his site or his gallery on Behance to see more of his fantastic designs.

Related posts:

1. Inspired by Print (01/06/10)
2. Inspired Minds in Print Design!
3. Print Design — That Was Then, This Is Now!

There is a lot of buzz circulating around the blogosphere about sites that many have sourced for information, be they design blogs or world news providers or any other niche from the far corners of the internet’s reach, beginning to charge for their content. And they are certainly within their right to do so. However, this does raise some interesting questions and does contradict one of the main bases that always made the internet such a popular place to turn. That information is free. Online, it is often much more than free, it is alive.

Now we don’t mean alive in the classic, strictest, most Webster proper sense of the word ‘alive’, but it is most certainly somewhat of an electronic elemental. Otherwise, how could the information shared within the cloud go viral? It is almost as if it has a mind of its own. Once an idea is proposed online and put out in to the internet aether it becomes discussed, shared, re-expressed, and even evolves as an idea through this process. And it undergoes this process beyond the control of the original person who first proposed this idea. So information has been granted a semblance of mobility and viral like qualities via the interwebs which is more than likely what made this global network take off the way it has (well, that and the mass access to p0rn it provided the public, but we are focusing more on the information).

LifeHacker recently reported on The New York Times intent to charge their frequent readers for content, and there have been others who are attempting to follow suit. Taking the online information age in a potentially costly new direction. Now this idea of monetizing content is not remotely new, and in the blog realm, it has been around for a bit, but this growing into more of a trend does raise a minor flag. A flag of mission deviation.

A Slight Change in Course?

As we mentioned, this idea is nothing new, in fact, in the design community especially has seen subscription fees for full access to site content, especially with regards to tutorials. This is an accepted practice, and many subscribe to this idea. Tutorials are seen as a worthy content charge concept, and that may be due to the fact that we are taught that higher education should carry a price tag, and we accept this as the norm. But what about sites that are just providing information and sharing ideas? Even with a high level of quality, is there a need to charge for the content? And does it go against the idea of the internet being an accessible source of free information?

So to fully examine this, we will take a look at the answers to both of those questions trying to reason out the costs this will have if it continues to catch on with other content creators, and if this shift in cost for content would foster an air of intention that steers the web away from the way it was sold to so many of its users. Now this is more a look at the potentially problematic path this can lead us down, and what it might actually mean for your content. This is not a post condemning anyone out there for attempting to generate revenue from the content they create, but more an examination of the questions that this possible new direction raises for us as more blogs climb aboard this bandwagon, and just where the answers to these queries lead us in this discussion.

Is this a Necessary Evil?

Let’s face it, the economy is in a pretty crap state and several people who were at one time freelancing in the content creation blogosphere as a part-time project, now find themselves relying on this avenue to help with the revenue stream. So for some people populating the sphere, finding ways to create a little cash flow from their content is a necessity. For others, the time and energy spent on generating the awesome content they put into the community leaves them time for little else. Without a means of finding financial reward for these efforts, the community may find itself lacking that original voice as they have to turn their time and energies elsewhere. So there is no doubt, that there are those content creators who only have this route to explore, and for them, it is vital to their continued online existence and contributions.

But that is not always the case. In the instance of The New York Times we see a one time exclusive print publication accustomed to a financial front end for their work, moving into the online aether and now looking for that same payout for their content. It is certainly within their right to do so, but is it necessary? Naturally the expenses that come from operating a site and staff that size is going to come with its expenses, but it also comes with valuable online real estate prime for advertisers. But what happens when a high volume of users surf through the cyberseas with ad block actively affixed to their browsers, leaving the ad space not only unfollowed, but often unseen? Advertisers are becoming less likely to spend the money to set up in these waters. Which could effectively leave larger sites with higher expenses not generating enough revenue in standard means to cover them.

So these sites, too, are left wondering how else to keep the content coming and still cover the costs that making said content available en mass comes with. But how to do this effectively still is an issue that many are struggling with. Some have opted to charge for partial content access, while still maintaining a free reach into their stream, which may even act to entice users to delve deeper into the site. This may be the most effective method, but we still may have a variety of tactics that others will employ, we just haven’t seen them yet. However the content creators decide to approach this issue, will ultimately be up to them, just as it will fall to the community to determine their perceived value and worth of the contributions offered and whether or not they will foot the bill. It can be a bit of a gamble, and with only around 25% of the online populous creating the content that makes up, and defines the online experience for the other 75%, it is hard to say whether or not this gamble will pay off…

What It Means to Users

As we mentioned, it will now become up to users to determine if they value your content enough to pay for it, or for all of it as it is in some cases. This doesn’t mean that they set the price, just whether they think it is worth what you are charging based on their perception of your work. So this is not an automatic recipe for success, as some users may in fact be turned away from your content as a result, if they deem it not as valuable as you do. Also, given the fiscal discombobulation that many are experiencing, they may have no choice but to do without your content if they cannot work this new cost into their budget. To some, a monthly five dollars or more may not be anything that would need be budgeted, but not all the online populous live within the same bubble of stability.

So this can not only effectively limit some people’s reach to your content, but it can also in turn, limit the impact and effectiveness of your work given that its reach will also be limited. It does flow both ways, and that needs to be considered. Another impact this could have on the 75% whose online interactions are more about seeking out and sharing content than creating it, is that there will be less content available to share. Not because it is not being created, but because less people are accessing it to then spread the word and circulate it. So users may become overall, less enthusiastic about their online ventures, and once again, the content is less impacted and impactful.

What It Means to You

As we said, this reach limitation needs to be weighed by you, the content creator, as well. How much more valuable is your content if its reach is unlimited? Even though this is not an improved value that leads to you charging your users more for the content itself, but it does place more of a premium on your available ad real estate. Then you may have to weigh the cost you charge for your content, versus any possible interference to your ad revenue that this could create. Through a stunted impact on your site’s traffic as a lull in sharing may occur. That is if you are in fact doing both, charging for access, and selling ads, though one would hope that both would not be necessary.

What else this means to you as the content creator is that once you start charging, you are effectively setting the bar and a level of expectation among your readers for that content, that you now have to deliver on…preferably with regularity. Suddenly your timetable for content delivery has expectations on it, rather than anticipation as it once did. Not to mention that your posts may also tend to be critiqued a bit harsher, because of the expectation that the cost of the content has attached to it. There is a big difference between having appealing content that users will check in on from time to time or even freely subscribe to your RSS for, and having content that they will be willing to shell out a few sheckles for.

Where does this lead?

So what does the future hold if more sites start to follow suit and charge for their content? Do we lose full access to the information behind the pricetag if we cannot afford to foot the bill? Will we see less enthusiasm for the internet communities as some of the major content producers’ content moves to a less accessible place? Or will this actually provide the community with more content creators as more move into the this role to fill a newly emptied niche as some lose the means to get the information from their usual haunts? Will users be turned off by the capitalistic turn of the information age to the point that they will turn elsewhere for information sharing? And will this lead to those sites losing their financial viability and eventually fading from the cyberspace landscape?

There are lots of questions that we are left with, that we cannot necessarily answer. But in our own minds, this could lead to a less than stellar web experience, if content connection becomes more limited and the internet we were sold on due to its limitless informational possibilities will be relegated to the role a cherished memory from our past. A memory of times when content sold itself, and brought in revenue from advertisers anxious to be associated with the site putting out the content we craved. We wish nothing but the best of prosperous futures for all those creating the content that drives our online lives, but we hope that this trend of monetizing the messages doesn’t have consequences overall to the communities the content is created for.

Other ways to monetize your site

Now as we mentioned this trend has arisen for a reason, and many need to rely on their ability to monetize their message and generate revenue for the time and amazing effort that they put into their content. And we thought that we would offer some advice about ways to do this that could perhaps be explored before turning to this avenue of charging.

Ads

Though we mentioned it before, we wanted to mention it again. Selling ad space is not only beneficial to you for generating money, but unlike charging for your content, it also helps those in the community who place ads on your site by possibly exposing them and their service to others. So making ad space available can be a great way to assist you and others, and if you think that this is no longer a financially viable check out this post on Guerilla Freelancing to see that there is still money to be made through ad space. Simply find new and creative ways to include and work the ads in to your site in order to draw in potential advertisers.

Donations

Setting up a donation system can also prove beneficial to bringing in a little bit of income from your site, and unlike charging for your content, people are obliged to leave what they can, rather than be obligated to give more than they comfortably can. This may also encourage some to give more frequently to you for your content than they would be asked to if you just accept donations over charging for access. And since the unprovoked compliment is always sweeter, a donation for your content seems like it would feel better than a provoked payment. Because it means that the person was so inspired by your content that they were moved to leave you what they could for your communal contribution, and it is left with no expectations placed on you for future recurring greatness.

Create Passive Income

Another powerful generator of income, that can compliment the other monetization methods we mentioned extremely well, is creating passive income through your site. Wherever your design talents lie, wield them fearlessly to create content that will have a lasting impact on both your site and the community you release it into. Be it through eBooks, themes, templates, vectors, anything that you can create one time and repeatedly leave open for the community to enjoy and make use of, can do wonders for bringing in income without you having to deliver more and more content with any regularity. Use your strengths and create content that will last and linger in a timeless fashion and you can passively provide a bit more for yourself through your content.

That is that

That does it for now, but feel free to leave your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below, we would love to hear what you have to say on this topic. As always, we appreciate you taking the time to read the post.

Related posts:

1. What Drives Your Content?
2. Combatting Content Saturation
3. Dead Wings Dialogs : Designers Weigh In on 2010!

So as the new year began, a challenge emerged from within the design community via Design Informer that has inspired so many! Including the dynamic duo behind the Dead. The challenge was simple enough, yet that did not mean it was not without its perceived pitfalls and difficulties. The challenge was also open to not only everyone in the design community, but it could easily be adapted to any creative outlet so that gives it life beyond the web where it was born. The participants are simply asked to design something every day.

Nothing grandiose or involved, just something. Whatever it is that is created, is completely up to the participant. This may seem time consuming, but it really is up to you to devote however much time into the project as you want, because really the overall idea, is to keep your inspiration churning. And as someone involved in this endeavor, I can attest to this challenge fully fanning the flames of creativity and really keeping them raging brightly.

The Odyssey Begins

This first month of design dailies has been not only a fun challenge, but a valuable learning experience. After the first thirty days has run free from the calendar, creative ideas have been flowing freely from our heads and proving to us first hand, the value of this design experiment.

We wanted to share our month of dailies and the idea of the inspiration that we have garnered from it. So each month we will be collecting our daily designs and putting them together in a post and discussing what we have found with regards to inspiration.

This consistent mental muscle flexing has helped us access a more fluid side of our inspiration, and the month has wrought so many days filled with creative downpours.

Angie’s First Month

For my daily design challenge I decided to choose a different theme each month to keep from getting burned out on a single technique.

For January I chose to do a photo retouch every day. I thought it would be helpful to spend a month learning new and better ways to touch up and improve photos for my designs.

To see links to the original images, see my January Behance Gallery

 

Rob’s First Month

This month I went the clothing route and dabbled in some Dead Wings original t-shirt designs. From slogans to the same style you have come to expect from the Dead, the month went all over the place, as did my inspiration.

Side projects that had slipped to a more backburner status were revitalized this month as well, as I found my imaginative exploits bursting at every seam. We will see if this continues as the challenge rolls on.

Enjoy the tees, if you haven’t seen them yet, and if you have, well here’s hoping that you will enjoy them again. See them on Behance.

 

Related posts:

1. Inspired by Print (02/10)
2. Dead Wings Dialogues — Is There Creativity in Design?
3. Inspired Minds in Print Design!

One of the first freebies we offered on the Dead Wings site was a small pack of abstract circle vectors that always held a special place in Rob’s heart. With the redesign and new direction for the site, we felt it was appropriate to revisit some of the our initial work and expand on those ideas. Having already created another couple of sets of vector swirls, it was time to come full circle. Which brings us to the circles.

Round 2 of the abstract circle vectors is a completely black and white set to help with the noir feel we wanted them to impart. Not only because we have been on a noir kind of kick lately, but mostly because we have been on a noir kick lately. Also, we are fans of black and white work, so naturally whenever we get a chance to work sans color, we jump at it. As always, with our freebies, you can use them in your commercial and personal projects, with no attribution necessary.

Do not repackage, redistribute or direct link to the download.
If you would like to share this vector pack please link back to this page.

Preview

Related posts:

1. Freebies : Abstract Circle Vectors
2. Freebies : Kaleidoscope Vector Pack
3. Freebies : Barcodes Vector Pack

As bloggers we are constantly re-examining the way we approach our audience through our content, and if you aren’t, you should be. Because just like the various fields we are working in, our audience is dynamic and changing. So we want to make sure that we keep our content evolving as well. With only 24% of online users actually creating content, we are a powerful minority.

We always want to keep our ideas fresh and exciting, and keeping an ear to the ground to find out what it is our audience is looking for. But overall, we have to remember to focus on and play to our strengths. We are the blogger. So effectively, we are the blog, in this case we must always be aware of what part of ourselves drive our content!

Play To Our Strengths

You are the blog, where do your skills lie?

So What Drives Your Content?

Related posts:

1. Charging for Content : A Look at the Costs

To kick off the week freebie-style we are presenting two new sets of vectors in various artistic color palettes for our readers both here and over on our sister site Arbenting Blog. For Dead Wings we wanted to leave an impression with this new swirl pack, so I went with the Illustrator Impressionism color set when putting them together. I also apparently packed in a pun with the pack, but I assure you, it was only that one and we are passed it now. As always, this new freebie pack of 10 all new vectors is free for personal and commercial use, so download and enjoy. And if you like them, make sure you swing over to our lighter side, aka Arbent, and pick up the other new vector set.

Do not repackage, redistribute or direct link to the download.
If you would like to share this vector pack please link back to this page.

Preview

Related posts:

1. 10 Free Grunge Swirl Vectors for Your Commercial Projects
2. Freebies : Abstract Circle Vectors Pack 2 B&W
3. Freebies : Kaleidoscope Vector Pack

As you probably already know we here at Dead Wings are fans of both print design and the written word, so if you put those two things together, then naturally we are going to be excessively excited. And recently while browsing through Behance, we happened upon a print design studio doing some brilliant work in crafting book covers that left us feeling inspired. With our series running throughout the week about branding over on Arbenting, we wanted to throw a little inspiration out among the online masses.

This little dose of print inspiration comes courtesy of FaceOut Studio, an amazing design company that crafts some fantastic work to cover books going to print. Their work sets a tone for the tome they adorn, especially since so many people judge a book by its cover, even though we have been told not to do so for so many years. So sit back and enjoy this showcase of powerful works that prove print isn’t dead quite yet.

Quote from the Studio: Beyond just reading, we love the feel, the smell, the enduring quality of books. We consider it a unique privilege to work alongside authors and publishers in packaging written content that entertains, educates, and inspires.

Flight From the Reich

Marx’s General

Baseball Americana

Corked

CS Lewis Signature Series

The Resurrectionist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

A Separate Country

The Chicago of Europe

As you can see, the brilliant and bold typography and illustration choices these dynamic designers use do so much to bring these stories to the forefront of the reader’s imagination through their covers that we had to shine a spotlight on their work. We highly recommend that you follow the links to their portfolio’s on Behance and show them a little love.

Related posts:

1. Inspired by Print (02/10)
2. Inspired Minds in Print Design!
3. Hand-Drawn Illustration Inspiration

These seven deadly sins have been prevalent for far too long, invading a networking landscape that is supposed to be about coming together and sharing. Committers of any of these wicked deeds have polluted the waters we inhabit that we got into with hopefully the best of intentions.

So as 2010 comes into being we have our fingers crossed that these hated habits fall by the wayside. For these sinners are deteriorating these valuable communal assests, and turning people away from these often times helpful resources. Perhaps the beginning of this new decade will see a dedicated effort among social mediaites to repurpose their social media interactions into meaningful and less aggravating practices. Below are the sins we hope to see no more in 2010…even though we realize just how wishful this thinking is…

7 — Automated Tweets & DM’s

What is that, Lassie? Social media networking takes time? Someone call The Times, this is the scoop of the decade! In case you could not pick up on the sarcasm, let me help, this is not a major realization that only you have discovered. All of us in the Twitterverse know that it is an extremely time consuming process, and using it effectively means near daily participation. But setting up these automated messages goes against the interaction principle that these communication channels have been established for. Be accessible, not absent. Be social, not sinful.

The myth, is that this makes you seem omnipresent and always on top of things, but actually, it seems quite the opposite. You seem more disconnected from the idea of networking with others, and more tuned into the egocentric idea of self-promotion. If you really cared that I followed you, you would not send me the exact same, word-for-word message that you have sent everyone else. You would send me a personalized greeting, not an automatic come-see-what-I’ve-done note.

6 — Monetized Messages

Once again, social media is about the value of the interactions garnered in their various networks, and monetizing those interactions take the personal attachment that is the key element we look for in these path-crossings, right out of them. When we follow someone via the various networks they inhabit, it is because we are interested in their opinions, the information they like and want to share, or simply to be able to connect with them. It is not to see be advertised to via their streams, as the ad companies try to underhandedly sneak their content in as innocuously and inconspicuously as possible.

Why the sneaky? Because they know that is the only way to trick people into thinking that the content they are going to see was offered because someone they know liked it or responded it in some way. They do not want us to know that these are ads, because they know two things. One, we more than likely don’t care about their products/services. And two, that without the subterfuge, we would never click on their ad for whatever craptastic offer they have awaiting us. Why? Because that is not why we are populating the networks! We are there to be social, not to be sold to!

5 — Games

Okay, please do not misunderstand this section because we are in fact gamers. However, like most things, we believe that everything has its proper place, and social media networks are not the places for these extracurricular activities. There are entire networks dedicated to nothing but online gaming, so lets just keep them confined to those places and not have them pouring into these places that are supposed to be about communication.

From spies to mafia families to simple farmers, etc. ad nauseam the social media gaming trend has gotten ridiculously out of hand, and given that so many of us use it as a tool, and as a valuable resource, these games devalue our experience. As they unnecessarily clog an already saturated stream of information, from users that we desperately want to follow, but not to get updates about their gaming exploits. We follow them, because, once upon a time, they used this tool like we did, and we valued their contributions, as we now cling to the hope that they will return to their former glory before the fell to the gaming usurpation these networks have suffered.

4 — Useless Facebook Apps

Much like the aforementioned games, Facebook’s tendency towards the institution of useless application after aggravating useless application has got to stop! We understand their desire to be fresh and new, constantly ‘re-inventing’ themselves, but could they please not go the way of Myspace and ruin a mild and unobtrusive UI and user experience with a plethora of garish, useless crap? Pretty please? Seriously, it’s like they’re too busy asking what can be done, and not bothering to consider whether or not it should be done.

They were self aware enough to recently release the lite version of Facebook so you could cut out all of this useless clutter, but do we really need the clutter if others can just ignore it? Doesn’t that just render it potentially more useless than it already was to begin with? So what it the point, Facebook? OMG! The best blackjack app on Facebook! OMG! I don’t care! Do we really need a special app to tell us how awesome we are, or to explain to us why we are the man? If people really want that badly to tell us that we rock, wouldn’t they just write it on our wall? Or maybe send us a private message? So maybe in 2010, Facebook will ditch this sinful way and clean house on the useless app front.

3 — Social Media Experts

We have posted on this in the past over at My Ink Blog, in the post Social Media Expertise – Designing the Myth, but still we have those proudly donning these titles as if some self-applied Burger King crown of expertise has granted them some sort of social media rockstar status. Those who claim to be masters of a medium that has yet to fully define itself, as it is still in its infancy. These Twitter titans and pharaohs of Facebook think that they have enough of a knowledge base on these evolving markets to claim an expertise, but alas, that is just not the case.

Sorry to burst any bubbles with that…well, actually, that is not completely true, but we’ll go with it…, but social media is too expansive and dynamic a market, if not too new a market, for anyone to have developed a level of understanding and knowledge on to make those claims reasonably. Which also has to make you wonder about their advice, overall. How much of that which they espouse as fact is just as exaggerated as their title? So here’s hoping that social media sin sees its final days soon.

2 — Password Phishing

For this sin, there really is no appeal to be made, and valiantly pleaded for there is no one of substance to reason with. Password Phishers are the worst kind of online trolls, so it is not like the collective of these black-hatters have a conscience about this kind of thing, so there really is not much to say on this one. Other than it sucks, and it is pretty sad that someone dedicates their time to nothing more than abusing others online. We just hope it dies out somehow in 2010, so that Phishers can take up their post alongside spammers in some kind of virtual purgatory far from the reach of the rest of us.

1 — The Fecal Freaks

Not really sure how this crap all started, pardon the pun, but we are really tired of seeing defecation details being shared among the social media networks. The only person that interested in the regularity or descriptions of your bowel movements is your freaking doctor…and I am guessing that even their enthusiasm for this aspect of their job wanes, if it is not overall forced or faked. This is a place for sharing, but their is a line…please stop crossing it. Yes, like the book title states, Everybody Poops, but that doesn’t mean that anybody wants to hear about that sh-okay, so no more puns, but you get the point.

There are even secondary services set up to filter just for these kinds of social media shares, so once again, this sad, sick sin has gotten way out of hand. Perhaps this is too much to ask, but in 2010 it would be a miraculous win if the poo posts were relegated to a mere distant memory in our past, and we could network without the fear of swimming through our stream and bumping into a bit of poop floating through our feed. Maybe we are dreamers, but we think this is a dream worth having.

That’s all folks!

That is a wrap on the seven deadly social media sins that we hope die in 2010! Feel free to offer up your two cents or the sins you hope to see buried in the new year.

Related posts:

1. Dead Wings Dialogs : Designers Weigh In on 2010!

So this is a Dead Wings look at some extremely talented illustrators to help cap off 09 in a celebratory fashion. By shining a spotlight on some fabulous creatives and a few pieces from their portfolio, we are ringing in the new year in appreciation of some of the work that has kept us inspired. Hopefully this will be enough inspiration to carry you through this last week of the year.

L Filipe dos Santos

L Filipe dos Santos’s extraordinary illustrations from the See . Saw collection are such inspiring works, both in their creation and final execution. Beginning with paint pressed between pages and from there filling them in with some amazing hand drawn illustrations, the works from this collection were an easy addition for this showcase.

Berni Valenta

Berni Valenta’s work on cardboard for his collection, My 100 Cardboards is so whimsical and fantastically amusing that I cannot help but lose myself scanning caricature after caricature. The layers in each one creating a marvelous depth that feeds into each creation uniquely, further aiding each illustration in coming alive from their cardboard canvases.

Michael Murdock

Michael Murdock’s exceptional illustrations from his Moleskine 2 collection are such in-depth and imaginative drawings that once again I find myself studying the images as the hours fall unnoticed from the face of the clock. The tight confines of each of the journal’s pages brimming and bursting with so much creativity and talent, that I had to include it in the showcase.

Irina Vinnik

Irina Vinnik’s wonderfully intricate drawings from her Calendar collection are breathtakingly beautiful to an almost intoxicating degree. With subtle hints of color lightly highlighting each installment in the series, every one of these brilliant illustrations gracefully stir my flame of inspiration and I am fairly certain that they will do the same for some of you.

That’s that!

Well that is a wrap on this final dose of inspiration from Dead Wings for 09. Feel free to leave your comments and recommendations below on where you turn to get your hand-drawn illustration inspiration.

No related posts.

Shortly after the first of the year, Angie and I noticed an issue with content saturation. So many beacons of information populating the blogosphere, and all attempting to capture their share of the online readership. Unfortunately, so many are doing it the wrong way. By regurgitating the same content as so many others. There are too many sites that are no longer trying to create their own content, as much as they are trying to copy others. Herein, lies the issue. So we thought we would offer some advice in this area for the new year.

We are not saying that there is no place for topic revisitation and the like, but as content creators we need to be crafting our subject matter in a way so that it matters. Also, we need to be mindful of the competing content that is out there in our various markets to make sure that we are not stepping on any recently placed toes. Not just for communal courtesy’s sake, but for the sake of the information you are trying to share. Take a step back and ask yourself, am I filling a need and serving a purpose with my post, or am I simply serving myself. Hopefully, your answer is never the latter.

Another area that causes this saturation to become rampantly pandemic, is site purpose expansions. We have to be careful as we extend the reach and scope of our sites, or worse yet, start a new site when it is completely unnecessary to do so, that we do not overreach or overlap. Overreaching occurs when you try to open up the focus of your site to cover more areas without the staff to do so, and thereby stretch your own capabilities thin, and possibly work from a less solid foundation of knowledge. Overlapping occurs when you start up a new site to cover an area that you could easily incorporate into one of your other sites when there is no threat of overreaching. If either occurs, then both the readers and the subject matter will suffer as a result, relegating your site to a second thought, rather than an instinctual go-to location.

Once again, we are not saying that there is no place for this kind of expansion, however, you must remember that it should all be about the content and the community, not about ego and self aggrandizing goals. If there is a niche that needs to be filled given a communal neglect on that area or perspective, then by all means, if you have the time and know-how, throw everything you can at it! But if you have neither of those commodities in spades, and generally they go hand-in-hand (having time but no know-how, or vice versa tends to not work out well), chances are you are not going to be helping anything or anyone by trying to take it on.

Bottom line, we want our contributions to the community to have a positive impact, rather than a negative one, so we need to be aware of content saturation on both a personal and blogosphere-wide level. We do not want to put too much of the same thing out there only to end up diluting the content and overall pool that we pull from. Fresh perspectives and ideas are always welcome, and always have better chances at a positive influence on the community, so that is where we should always try to keep our focus fixed.

Breakdown of tips on fighting content saturation.

1. Make a consolidated effort to over-saturate the market all at once…wait, I think I got that wrong. Actually, it is quite the opposite, only post when you have good cause and something worthwhile to say. Creating filler content, just to have content, can often lessen the impact of your contributions. The more you make sure you have a point for your readers, the more readers will point your direction. (little bit of ‘The Sphinx’ for ya…no? No Mystery Men fans in the house? Okay, moving on.)
2. Repetition, repetition, repetition!…is not really where you want to steer in this case. You want the info to stick, but not because you posted on the same subject for a straight month. You want to keep things fresh as often as possible. Fight the flood by staying informed as to what content is out there, and where the community is missing out. Focus there and put thought into your postings.
3. Distance yourself from your content…wait, that’s not right either. In fact, you are a key ingredient in the content pie. It is all a matter of perspective, yours. This is the time to let your light shine as bright as you can, for you are the part of the puzzle no one else can place into the whole. If it actually comes from you, then it will always be more unique, and less of the same old thing.
4. Go overboard on the ‘Overs’ for over-the-top success! Would be really bad advice in this case, since the ‘Overs’ here are overreaching and overlapping which lead to overloading and over-saturation which will often keep you in the ‘Unders’. Under-delivering and undervalued! Going beyond your niche or knowledge base does not serve the content or produce viable, valuable contributions either, so keep your focus.
5. Timing is meaningless when you have something to say! Hold on, that seems a bit off, as well. I think it goes more like, Timing is everything! If you have put time and effort into a post that you thought would be timely, only to have someone else put up a very similar post, then put it off a bit. Save it for a rainy day. Chances are what made the post timely will still keep it relevant beyond the initial window you had opened for it.

That is all for now

That is until you have something you would like to share or add in the comment section. In that case, have at it, let us continue coverage on these thoughts or more.

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1. Charging for Content : A Look at the Costs
2. What Drives Your Content?