Controversy 101

Controversy can really be your best friend if used correctly. It can get you more inbound links, more readers, and more traffic. The key is knowing how to use it, and when you should use it.

Can a blog live off of it?

One major problem with controversy is that it can put a big ugly mark on someone’s record, which brings me to this question. Do you think a blog can thrive from nothing but controversy?

I would have to say yeah. Look at controversial figures and look at how popular they were/are. They were able to utilize it to get their name out there, and because everything these days is so viral their comments spread like wildfire.

So to answer it once again, yes, I do believe if a bloggers utilizes controversy correctly they can become quite popular for a long period of time.

To become controversial, don’t try to be controversial

One of the biggest problems is people make statements that they want to be controversial. When you make any post, article, etc, you should try to write what you truly believe, don’t write something that is not from your heart. Every piece of writing you have should say “Hey, I wrote this from my heart” and not “Hey, I only wrote this to become famous!”

Writing should always come from your heart - what you truly believe in. Not everyone will agree with you, which is where controversy stems from. When writing do not worry about hurting other people’s feelings (within certain limits, no ridiculous death threats and racism and such), do not worry about controversy, concentrate on the topic at hand.

Make sure you are not making them controversial

If your post is about someone else, for cripes sake make sure you are not the one making them controversial (unless that is your goal). If you make someone else controversial then you better know that 70% of the time it will backfire and make you look foolish.

The point is to make your post controversial, not the thing that the post is about. Unless that is your goal…

Don’t be too extreme, but don’t be too normal either

There is a point between “soft-spoken intelligent conversation” and “loud-mouthed idiotic speech”, make sure you choose that point correctly. As I said above, you should write from your heart, but you should write in a way that will get your point across without making you sound radical. Write independently, but be biased in your opinion. There really isn’t any better way to describe it.

Instead of writing “THE DEATH SENTENCE IS STUPID!!!!” why not write “I think the death sentence is stupid because…” and give your reasoning. Logical argument makes the best argument.

Controversy is a tool, it can hit you when you least except it. Just remember to feed the flame when it does hit .

Alright my post is controversial, now what?

Let people know “this is what I believe in, take it or leave it.” Don’t bend over backwards just because a couple people don’t like you. Those couple people could be the spark that makes you more popular that you can possibly imagine.

If some other blog is talking about your post, stop by and drop a comment. Little by little you will gain loyal readers who like your opinion and like what you have to say. Heck, why not write a followup post?

And remember, on our small planet of 6.5 billion, no matter what you say, someone somewhere will agree with you, and someone will disagree with you.

Update: I rearranged the paragraphs in a more chronological order.

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