Frank Rose wrote a book called The Art of Immersion discussing storytelling and difference in the
medium used to get the story across. He wrote in Chapter Three of the book,
“Some people have stories that are too big for the Internet to handle.” Heather
Armstrong of Dooce.com uses her site to disprove Rose. If I could put words in
anyone’s mouth, I would say that Armstrong would tell Rose that the Internet
can watch out, because her story is grand and she’s coming to tell it.
I also came across an excerpt in Rohit Bhargava’s Personality Not Included that
discussed how brands could use specific characteristics to make themselves a
success. Any brand, that does their work right, pulls a magic trick before a
consumer’s eyes enticing people without them ever realizing the tremendous
amount of work that goes into making everything look seamless and easy. The
most successful of these brands, have the right people who have innate
characteristics to make this happen too. Armstrong is just that person for
Dooce.com.
Bhargava mentions an interesting concept that is key to a
successful brand. The UAT Filter has three features that work together to make
a brand stand above its competition -Uniqueness, Authenticity and Talkability. Uniqueness,
as we know, is what sets us apart from others. Dooce.com is not just any blog.
While many think that their blog is the most interesting place on the web, they
take to the Internet to talk about the food they eat, the manicure they got and
funny animals they watch on YouTube. Dooce takes her everyday life and attempts
to make it fascinating (Personally, she can talk about a sandwich, mix it with
her quippy sarcasm and anecdotes about her previously Mormon life, and somehow
make a picture of a sandwich the most delicious thing I have ever consumed
without ever actually tasting anything). Armstrong has a personality that she
brings alive online which is why she is leaps and bounds above so many other
bloggers in terms of success and business. She started her blog during a time
when this was a relatively new way to communicate. She also started the blog as
a way for her family to keep in touch with her and the events of her life. She
did not initially start the blog with the intention of it being her full-time
job, but because of the way her life unfolded, everything fell into place in a
very unique way. She positioned herself because of the twists and turns of her
life and found international friendships with readers from all over the globe.
Armstrong wants her readers to see her life from the outside in. It keeps her
blog entries and overall site the authentic location it has become.
She is a woman all her own and stays authentic to her
original message. She never shies away from being herself and remaining an open
book about her life and business as a full-time blogger. Readers come to her
site to be entertained and get a feel for a woman and family they would
otherwise never have known. She creates a credible brand for her life by
writing about relatable content. Many mom-readers understand the hardships of
raising energetic daughters with opposite personalities. Many former Mormons
understand her life raised in a religious setting; and many find humor in her feelings
toward her upbringing today. A lot of readers love to hear about the people in
her life as well. Her assistant, her kids, niece and nephew, and the friends
who share in the process that make Dooce.com happen help all readers see beyond
the humor and the emotions behind her blog posts and create an environment that
promotes a relationship of connection, friendship and conversation.
dooce.com
One of the top things about Dooce.com that is different from
all other blogs is the Dooce Community. The message board is one of the most
interesting places on the Internet. No question is ever off-limits and no
answer is ever too ridiculous. Many who post on the site have commented on how
they ever came across the site in the first place. Before Search Engine
Optimization was the monster it has become, finding Dooce.com came from others
talking about it. Blogs would link to Dooce; articles would discuss Dooce;
Heather was seen in video forums like Momversation or working with TV channels
like HGTV. She took her brand and site and made it more than just prose. She
made Dooce a roundtable conversation.
Knowing how to use the UAT filter without any cognizant
knowledge of it, Dooce has become more than just what it once was. Dooce could
take a hard look at itself and make an onliness statement along the lines of Dooce.com is the only site that brings a
myriad of everyday experiences and mixes it with open conversation, fun
products to buy and the ability to maintain a sense of humor in all situations.
On top of the site content, one of the most fun aesthetic
parts of Dooce is her recently updated website look. Instead of entering
Dooce.com and seeing mostly text (as you would in most any blog), she condensed
her blogs into large-scale thumbnails including pictures and captions to entice
readers to read more or allow them to skip over the entry and skim through
material they may find more scintillating. She also changes the site’s look monthly
with new webpage banners. Every month, she creates a new look at the top of her
site to signify a new part of the year. She keeps an archive on her site of
past months to see all the fun designs throughout the year. In each banner she
includes the Dooce logo which is a funky font with each letter a different size
and the logo is large and all over the place. This is very symbolic of Heather
Armstrong. She is always open about her life, but never attempts to suggest
that she herself has it all together. She seems to credit her success in
admitting to being imperfect. She unifies the good and the bad by aligning
herself with her writing and showing us her brand is as human as she is as well
as her readers. On top of the UAT filter, there are other personality traits
that make for a successful brand including soul people and passion. Dooce is
most definitely not lacking in any of these areas.
dooce.com/category/mastheads
Heather Armstrong and Dooce.com are sometimes mutually
exclusive and often times one in the same. This really encapsulates the site a
reader enters upon coming across the blog. You would be leaving a lot on the
table by not checking out her site. Her story is her life and it is one to
worth getting to know.
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