5 Things Superbad Taught Me About Blogging

If you haven’t seen 2007’s funny yet thoughtful teen sex comedy movie Superbad, this might not mean anything to you, but here’s what I picked up from it that could be applied to blogging:

1. Pursue your dream. [Seth is interested in Nicola, and he keeps believing she’s interested in him, which she is.] If you’re blogging for fun, you can blog about whatever you want. If you’re blogging for a living, pick topics you’re actually going to enjoy. Don’t be afraid. Passion makes you stand out, and your writing will show that, and that’s what readers will appreciate.
2. Don’t worry about the badass. [The guy with the mullet intimidates everyone, but eventually Seth, Evan and Fogell/ McLovin are the hit of the party.] There might be a blogger in your niche that you think is doing better than you and it’s bugging you. Don’t worry about it. There’s always room online, provided you’re offering something unique. Your unique perspective is what you should focus on.
3. Popularity is relative. [Seth keeps thinking that the girls, especially Nicola, are using him to get alcohol, and expects any minute that they’ll spring the joke on him. But they don’t. Everyone appreciates his efforts.] You might be more popular than you realize. Unless you’re actually checking your metrics (such as with PMetrics), you might not realize that you have regular readers.
4. No need for gimmicks, be yourself. [Okay, unless you’re Fogell/ McLovin, in which case you are the gimmick.] Now this advice might contradict the title of this post, but if you enjoy doing this sort of thing, that’s fine. If you’re doing it just to do it, then it’ll feel awkward. Whatever you blog about, enjoy it.
5. Don’t forget your friends. [Seth gets to a point, after he’s drunk, where he professes his (platonic) love for Evan and wants to shout it from the rooftops.] Make friends online. The blogosphere is a very social place, but it’s human nature to be cliqueish (or solitary). You have to go out and make friends, invite them to comment, then return the favor. In fact, do it first, and don’t forget the friends that helped you.

Now in case you didn’t get it, this is kind of tongue-in-cheek but it’s all applicable advice. If blogging ceases to be fun, then you’re doing it wrong.