What the . . . Pho? I bet you thought I was going to say something else, right? Well maybe not considering this is my blog and you don’t see me using language of that sort. One reason you don’t see me using it is because I don’t use that language in life. First of all, I’m not going to be getting preachy here. That’s not what this is about. I want to help you get more traffic through your blog’s doors.
The ‘What the . . . Pho?’ is actually a noodle restaurant that some friends and I just love the name of because here in America we have naughty minds at times. We can say this and people around us just look at us funny. One of the friends played the organ/keyboard in church and he would look over at me and I would mouth the phrase and he would suddenly bend over in convulsions doing all he could to focus on his music. The other friend was the choir director. He had learned long ago not to look at me. Yes, I tended to be a little mischievous if the time was okay to do so.
“So ‘What the . . . Pho?’ do you know about this and ‘What the . . . Pho?’ does this have to do with blogging?”
I’m glad you asked.
How to turn your Readers OFF
One of the first decisions you need to make when you create a blog or even when you begin writing an article for publishing is . . . “Am I doing this to get more people to read my writing?”
“I write for me. I don’t write to satisfy others!”
We like to say that but that isn’t always true. If you have a blog and want to bring people to it, then . . . yes you are writing for them in a manner of speaking. Here are tips to turn your readers off, depending on the type of blog you have. I am going with a blog type that has the average person who wants a nice, safe place to go for entertainment.
#1
Put Profanity in the Title of Your Article
You probably have never even really thought of doing that, but I’ve seen it and it instantly turns me away. It doesn’t even make me curious about the article. It could be by the Pope and I still wouldn’t read it to see what medications he’s on.
If it happens enough, I stop bothering with that blog at all.
“Ronovan, you’re a prude!”
Far from it my Friend. I enjoy all types of blogs, I just respect intelligently put together content.
#2
Articles Laced with Profanity
Notice I said ‘laced’, meaning filled with it. I’m not a fan of proFANity. Yes I made a pun. I am chuckling on the inside. Seriously. Can’t you tell? You’re screens should be shaking now. Okay, maybe not. I do however understand while reading something real life that words happen. Sometimes a word may fit a situation. I may choose another word while another person chooses a different word. No big deal.
I have a problem with the articles that are laced with it as shock factor. It doesn’t match what I know of the writer. It doesn’t match the piece being presented. It was placed there in an attempt to either shock, evoke humor, or just for no reason at all.
“We can say what we want, stretch our wings, and experiment, you dork!”
Very true, and I experiment as well. I just know myself and what my Friends have come to expect and I will stretch my wings within that boundary and at times it’s more challenging to do so. Write a sensual poem that conveys a lot without saying much in sexually. It’s a fun challenge.
#3
Being Derogatory
I write poetry where I slam bullies and the like. I don’t spend an entire article running down a people, a country, or a system or a mental of physical illness in generalities. Yes, there are times when certain articles need to be written. However, they need to be written in an intelligent and rational manner or the reader tunes out, turns away, and turns the channel.
If you are going to do it, pick your battles so people hear you. Run things into the ground and your words become a blur. That is unless you are targeting that audience who only wants to read about that issue.
“Ronovan, there are certain things that are just clear cut!”
The issue may be clear cut but the entire story never is.
#4
Back to Profanity
If you are going to use a word then wait for it. Build up your reader, hook them in, get their support, and then when you throw the word in, it isn’t AS MUCH of as a turn off. It might still happen, but less likely.
“If I use the words I want at the beginning it grabs their attention!”
Do you want respect as a writer or attention as a shock hack?
I would go for a 5th one just to make it a Top 5 list but that’s pushing it and pushing you to read something weak. So I’m not going to do it. I’ll stop with 4.
Keep your articles clean and professional and only use certain words when you honestly believe they need to be used. I’ve stopped following several blogs of late for multiple headlines using certain words. And if you know me you know I follow lots of people of all types and language use. And there are even a few articles that are laced with profanity that make a point, but it’s rare, and I slowly begin to shy away.
I hope this article proved useful to you. If so, leave me a comment, so I know I’m helping you out. Sure a ‘like’ works as well, but I like to hear from my Friends at times.
If you found this helpful you can also find other tips by clicking here.
Much Respect
Ronovan
ronovanwrites 
Do you think my content is “profane”? I just want to be myself on my blog. So while I don’t really swear in real life unless i’m angry, some words just belong to my everyday vocab. I don’t consider these words to be swear words.
The F… word that is a swar word – I may use it from time to time – sparingly.
and then those words that depict female genetalia those are swear words.
And I hate racistic swear words.
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You can tell in an article when people are using words for shock or for real. You’re good, good to the point I don’t even notice them if you do use them. 🙂 Don’t become self conscious about it. Just write. Then read it out loud and see how it sounds to you.
Much Love
Ronovan
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I think all of the numbers were addressing profanity? Okay well I guess 3 doesn’t. But derogatory is close if not related. Hum I think we have found a pet peeve here.
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🙂 Just one that I have seen a recent increase in.
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Like Serins, some profanities have become a part of my everyday vocab! It’s annoying, really. I do try and avoid using any kind of swear word in my posts – I don’t know if any have slipped through or not – but sometimes a word just fits because it sounds the most like what *I* would say. I’d never lace my posts with them, though. Like you I am massively turned off by anything that has multiple swear words in it. Ironically, I’m never shy of saying multiple swear words out loud in sentence.
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Thank you. Using words in a moment in a post is one thing. I understand. It’s the lacing that can make it bad. Most people can get the occasional unloading and venting.
Much Respect to you
Ronovan
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Interesting comments so far :-)… once we label a bunch of words as profanity…then there is little space for meaningful discussion? And I guess it creates defensive stance, huh? Yet when we look at each word on its merits AND in context… perhaps we can then decide and allow individual choice and judgment… The article does refer to, I think, excessive use. “Excessive’ is subjective! 🙂 Have fun, people!
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Right. I understand the occasional need to vent, and I imagine most people understand. But excessive use is definitely a way to turn off a reader. I think the article has become more than what it was meant to be. 🙂
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I believe so 🙂
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I’m with you all the way on this one, Ronovan. In fact, I’m pretty sure that when I first created my blog, I was asked to rate it in terms of who it was suitable for, in terms of reading. I may be wrong, but I’m pretty certain it was on here.
OK, I can say the occasional swear word in real life, but as yet (and I intend to keep it that way), I have not used any profanity words in any of my posts. The closest I got was an opening line in one of my short stories, but I never actually included the word because, in the back of my mind, I remembered that I had rated my blog as ‘family friendly’ (G rated I think).
Like you, if I read a post that is full of profanity, then I turn off and go elsewhere.
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Thank you for getting it. 😉 I think the article may be headed in places it really wasn’t meant to go. 🙂
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I swear in front of my kids. Sometimes, like when I get hurt. As a rule I think swear words lack intelligence and creativity. As a writer that is the precise challenge we face-sometimes the need is appropriate for a four letter word-usually we can think of something better.
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Very true. I thank you for getting the meaning of the article in that yes, I understand that sometimes a word may be used to express a certain emotion or feeling but the excessive use also turns people away and off not only from the blog but from the message you are trying to convey. Not you as in you but you as in the general you and I hope you understand the you that I am meaning. 😛
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Get it. Got it. Good.
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We need another personal pronoun that means “people in general you.” And “plural you,” for that matter. Sigh. English. XP
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I think if I ever swear it’s pretty old fashioned stuff oh drat did I say that!!!
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Reblogged this on theowlladyblog.
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Like I tell my students, there is a time and a place for everything. I also tell them, remember the audience you’re writing for! They generally don’t use profanity, just textspeak every once in a while…and to be honest that bothers me just as much! I get your point though. A sprinkling of profanity is okay for me, but every other word is unimaginative.
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Right. I don’t like profanity, but I can see that if you use a word at a certain point that it can give a statement an impact. Or if you are writing a piece and the character is a certain type that would have grown up with that word usage.
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I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve used swear words on my blog, and 60-70+ posts adds up to a TON of words. I almost never swear aloud except when quoting other people, so that usually extends to my writing as well. I agree, it’s just not professional. I remember the moment when I decided to use a swear word in a blog post — it felt like a huge decision, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. It felt like the only thing that fit (I believe the term was s***storm), but maybe I should have been more creative, I don’t know. The occasional swear word is okay by me, but I still don’t like doing it myself.
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Hi Ron, I think I get it.Good wordsmiths use words as tools to evoke reactions in their readers and words lose their power to do this if overused, so perhaps we should save these words for those occasions when we mean to shock our readers. To be effective, communication has to be appropriate for the intended audience.
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