This is the second day of my journey to build a better blog. Actually, this post has slip out of my schedule because I have an offline agenda on Saturday and Sunday and I have no chance to post any blog post.

Second advice to build a better blog is trying to write a list post. So, what a list post is talking about?

List post is a set of summary, tips, technique, how-to, etc that written on a group of bullet or numbering. List post is a nice tips and  convenient way to attract your visitor about the content summarize. You may found so many list post all around blogosphere, with or without explicitly pick a number in post title as below :

1. 20 Linux Server Hardening Security Tips
2. Improving Zimbra Anti Spam on openSUSE
3. 20 More Free First-Class WordPress Themes
4. 10 Essential Tricks for Admin, How to be a more productive Linux systems administrator
5. Popular Digital Camera & Gear

You may found similar post type as above on a list of popular site like Digg, Delicious, Technorati, etc. People may like it because it looks neat, easy to understand, easy to share and simple. Beware that list post may attract your visitor attention but it may becoming unusable if you bombing them with so many list post. Write list post as a variation of our regular post.

Second advice of 31 days to build a better blog give me an insight how to make a proper title to get visitor attention and then refer them to our list post. I’ve published the #2 homework for the project : an article about 7 Lightweight Linux Browsers You may want to Consider for Fast Browsing Experience

Day #1 of 31 days to build a better blog started with an unknown phrase (for me ), Write an Elevator Pitch !

What is Elevator Pitch?

“An elevator pitch is an overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The name reflects the fact that an elevator pitch can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (for example, thirty seconds or 100–150 words).

The term is typically used in the context of an entrepreneur pitching an idea to a venture capitalist or angel investor to receive funding. Venture capitalists often judge the quality of an idea and team on the basis of the quality of its elevator pitch, and will ask entrepreneurs for the elevator pitches to quickly weed out bad ideas and weak teams.

A variety of other people, including entrepreneurs, project managers, salespeople, evangelists, policy-makers, job seekers, and speed daters commonly use elevator pitches to get their point across quickly.” — Wikipedia

In other words, elevator pitch is a statement is what your blog about, describing your blog in a few words, something like your blog’s tag line. Actually, elevator pitch may also written in your about page, your business card, your conversation with your friend or to answer the question of new visitor.

If someone else ask you, “OK, I have URL of your website and will try to browse it, but could you please tell me what is your blog, uhmm, maybe in a simple word”, you may answer him with your elevator pitch and then describe the overall website in details.

Below are an example of elevator pitch, taken from 31dbbb forum :

• ProBlogger helps Bloggers Build Exceptional Blogs
• Designer Daily helps designers with design resources and inspiration. Get inspired!
• Rough Review is a blog based website dedicated to reviewing, commenting on and picking apart the world around us
• Helping guys interact with web and world

Darren provide some insight how to write an elevator pitch as below :

• Elevator pitch may contain your passion to help others or fulfill real needs. Something like “Helping others simplify their difficult work”
• Elevator pitch defines for your target audience. Elevator pitch is a conversation between you and your reader
• Elevator pitch should be clear. Simple word but clear. If you have familiar with Twitter or SMS , you may experience with simplify your word to describing your idea
• Elevator pitch should be written in a few words to attract your visitor. If you need to describe your idea or mission in your elevator pitch, make your elevator pitch as part of your about page
• Elevator pitch should be intriguing, doesn’t cover at all but visitor remember what is your blog about
• Elevator pitch should be energetic but don’t try to make it too hyped
• Elevator pitch may also written in a question term to increase visitor attention
• Elevator pitch is not a mantra or bible or qur’an (koran). You may change the elevator pitch to suitable with your blog content and condition

So, what is my elevator pitch? Haha, it seems that I could not find a simple words to define what is my blog about but finally I write it as my tag line and meta tags :  Spirit of Change : Resources for Tips & Tutorial about Blog, Linux and Open Source