http://www.mynewhitmanwrites.com/2011/05/what-makes-good-blog_19.html

Some of the 42 comments on my blog to the post on What Makes a Good Blog, talked about the focus of a blog, or the topic/theme by which the blog can be defined. You can also define this as the niche into which your blog falls. Can people think of your blog and match it with a particular area? This could be personal life, poetry, travel, gossip, films, parenting, food etc.

With that said, you don’t have to lock yourself in a box, most of us are quite versatile in our day to day lives, and your blog can be a showcase of this. This is where what I talked about in what makes a good blog comes in again, you must have a defined voice so that whatever you decide to talk about, it still fits into your reader’s perception of you and your blog. With this, there are several ways to define your niche for your blog users.

So you’ve chosen your URL, your title and your description. What next? How do you go about choosing the topics to blog about? How do you know which ones not to? These questions might help.

What is your URL address, blog title or description?

You cannot have a URL or title that says Women’s Lingerie and then you blog about Auto spare parts and mechanics. See, when I navigate to a page called Jewelries..com, I should know what to expect. According to those who know, a good blog title should be short, unique and catchy. I didn’t know all these when I set up my blog, so my title is a bit long though by luck I made it into unique and catchy(yeah!).

So, Mynewhitmanwrites.com is my URL and is the same as my blog title. Some people have different URL and title and that is OK too, maybe you want something short for your address, and then you can expand on that in your title.

Don’t despair that you’ve already set up your URL and title, they can both be changed. However, I won’t advice you to change your URL, (too much drama), or your name (me being selfish cos I don’t want to have to lol…). What is easier to change is your description. This is the bit that comes under the title. The description thus tells us what to expect, and leads me into the next question.

What is your purpose for blogging?

On my blog, I tell you in the description that I will be sharing thoughts on life, love, books and Nigeria. Someone once wrote to ask me how they can become a successful blogger like me. Before I shared a few tips, I reminded them that if your blog is like your diary, you might not want 600 followers.

Here, my purpose is to write, and to share my stories, online or as books, and I want to share them along with my Nigerian self. Since I don’t want there to be any limitations, I promote the blog as much as I can, in several places, and for various audiences. So knowing my purpose makes it easier for me to chose the topics I blog about, the people I network with, the kind of guest posts you’ll see here, among other things. My niche may thus be wide, but there are still things you won't see in this blog, like Auto Spare Parts? LOL,

OK, I'll stop here today. Let me know your thoughts in the comments and please share on Facebook and Twitter if you liked or found the post useful. Thanks!

Its true, blogging pays alot. i have been SERIOUSLY blogging for only a few weeks, but mhen, i cant shout oh, money dey enter, im loving it, buh to be honest i had help, after trying for a long time and getting nufn, i had to get some softwares, some books and a few pointers here and there. Now lets just say i dey flex. i might be able to help out, if you need help, mail moi. bamtiwa@yahoo.com subject should be "nairaland blogging help" so i wont think its spam and just delete. takia.

myle thanks for sharing.looks like u were advising me directly. I blog too,but somehow,defining my blog hasn't been easy ços I write about lots of things. Now I think I know what to do

teewahh,abeg yarn me small how u take do am o. Been hearing about making money with my blog but haven't experienced it. Just gimme a few tips.Help a sista in need . tnx alot.

Yeah same here,  kept hearing,
anyways i bought the software.
I have two.
1. For blogs  (blogger, wordpress, clickbank, and amazon.)
2. For traffic.

Both are easy to use.

mail me for details.

bamtiwa@yahoo.com

NOTE: [size=8pt]ABEG ITS NOT FREE OHHH!!!![/size],  Me sef buy am. i have limited licenses. the fewer my license, the higher the price.

You're welcome, all the best.

I have two blogs & sure would love to make a bit of change off 'em!

Well taken Myne.
I was lucky to figure this out early in my blogging career (2008). It's all about knowing who you are blogging for and the best method to monetize your blog with such audience (that is if you intend to make money of your blog). I've been doing pretty fine with adsense on my main blog which is clearly focused, and out of demand will be introducing a service for my audience soon.
So to answer your question,"What is your Purpose for Blogging?" I'm blogging to add some value to a defined audience and make "Full Time Income" doing it.

Thanks for adding your comment on my blog.

I love to write and my major niche is relationships and the blog which covers this niche is www.maritalsuccessresource.com
I have other blogs too on other topics
I blog to express my views and to add value to other people's lives.
I am not really interested in the money making aspect of it.
Blogging is good,real good to blog to put your views across to the world.