Challenge your readers

One of the most common sins committed by online publishers is that they think their readers are stupid. They keep rehashing the same basic issues again and again and again. The truth is, if somebody read the same exact information from another website what incentive do they have to read the same exact stuff from your website? If they can find the same stuff from millions of other places, they really have no reasons to read the same stuff at your site. See what's wrong with this picture?

You have to challenge your readers. You can not assume that they are idiots. You can not assume that they're dumb. In other words, don't spoon feed your website's readers. Instead, challenge them. Focus on key problems within your niche that other blogs or other websites failed to address. This is the meat and potatoes of real blogging. This is the meat and potatoes of real profitable online publishing. Unfortunately, most online publishers keep rehashing the same stuff over and over again. As a result, it's not a surprise that many of these website's visitors feel that they are being talked down to. They feel like they are seeing the same movie played again and again with the same bad actors and the same bad script.

Eventually they reach a point where they throw their hands up in the air and give up.

The websites that truly stand out are websites that challenge their readers. We're not just talking about emotionally challenging content, we're also talking about intellectually challenging content. The key is to create an experience where the users' overall perception of the value of your website is as much a product of their own interaction as your contents own intrinsic value. This is the key. Too many cookie cutter and "me too" websites keep screwing the same dribble. That's the good news because if you don't do that and you stand out and you challenge your readers, you stand out head and shoulders above the rest.

Do you agree?