Leveraging Your Status as a Popular Blogger to Advance Social Issues
Once you have established your blog and have a large audience, there are a lot of ways you can use your platform to accomplish any number of desirable outcomes. For most bloggers, the primary goal of founding a popular blog is to earn a living while writing about something they enjoy, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that being the case. However, popular bloggers should at least consider using their platform to advance important social issues deserving of more attention.
Most bloggers recognize that their platform can be used to achieve some social good in this way, yet they still shy away from addressing these kinds of topics out of a fear of alienating their audience. This is a somewhat valid concern given the many divisive issues that exist, but it is simply not enough to warrant avoiding this practice altogether. Instead of tackling the kinds of issues that could divide an audience into factions, Sebastian Hirsch recommends addressing issues that are more likely to unite an audience in achieving a common good.
As an example, Hirsch pointed to a recent article discussing the need to enhance the safety of cyclists who face dangerous road conditions due to a lack of action by the city government. While there is sure to be some disagreement over the level of intervention the city should pursue or the manner in which cyclists and drivers should operate while sharing the road, it is very unlikely that there will be disagreement over the fact that reducing injuries and deaths to bikers is a cause worth supporting. Bloggers can therefore unite their readers in a common cause while also using their platform to achieve a positive social outcome.
This is not a practice that has to be frequent or has to change the way you approach blogging, as it is important to stay true to the style that helped you build a strong readership in the first place. When you come across an issue you feel is important and is deserving of greater attention, make sure you at least consider addressing it through the platform you have created. Your readers will appreciate that you are trying to raise awareness of meaningful social issues through your platform, but just remember that they will still expect to mostly see the kinds of posts that drew them to your blog in the first place.
