Now I've not noticed too much discussion within the Thanet blogging community of the finer mechanics of blogging. I had, until recently, given this no thought at all. But it occurs to me that there are some words that I am going to want to use that might be alien to some Thanet bloggers.

One of these words is "niche". The wikipedia says: "In ecology, a niche (pronounced nich, neesh or nish) is a term describing the relational position of a species or population in its ecosystem." and of economics wikipedia says "A niche market also known as a target market is a focused, targetable portion (subset) of a market sector.".

In blogging too there can be considered niches in which blogs thrive. For example in the subject of Thanet (a crowded environment) the topic of business blogging in Thanet is a more focused topic. This could be said to be this blogs niche. A subject at which it can excel.

Every blog has a niche. When that niche is crowded the blog must do better than the others blogs as it competes for the same limited readership. While potential readers might subscribe to one or two good blogs on a subject (more if they are of a high standard) there is a limit. By shifting even a little to a new niche (a small change of focus) a blog can go from unknown to representing the topic.

By spending time identifying your blogging niche you can keep your blog focus within the subject mater of that niche and maximize profitability and traffic. Traffic (as I mentioned previously) is a vital part of you blog's life.

What is your niche?