I like to look at a niche as being beneficial in that it sets an expectation for your audience about what you write about…generally. I think this is good, especially if it is a niche that people are interested in–or you’re creating your own niche and attracting people. I also think owning/creating a niche is good for newer bloggers–since your audience may not know a lot about you yet and may be more attracted to you based on your niche than based on the fact they have a relationship with you.

But I don’t think a niche has to limit you, if you’ve positioned yourself/your blog properly.

Bottom line though – it’s more important to be liked/trusted as a person than for your niche. You’ll build better relationships and be able to transfer your audience’s loyalty over to new projects or niches.
.-= Jason Peck´s last blog ..Speaking at York College =-.

Under Sydney Owen on: New Media, I had two motives: personal branding and establishing myself as someone who is about to graduate that “gets” social media. Mission accomplished.

I got tired of writing only about new media, and under that title, that’s all I could write about. When I posted password-protected posts to my family before I moved to Chicago – I got several emails about how that “wasn’t appropriate”. Well excuuuuuse me, but it’s my blog, I’ll do with it what I will. Then I got to thinking, if I’m promising content only about new media – then I need to deliver.

Fact of the matter is, I don’t have enough to say about new media to blog about it exclusively. That’s why I opened it up to Sydney: Unfiltered. I still write about the new media stuff, but I can open it up to what matters to me at the time. If it has something to do with new media – super – and if not, fine.

If you want to switch it up – go for it. The only thing I suggest – don’t change your URL unless you have to. In your case especially, you don’t want to lose any link love or SEO juice you may have already established.

Niche, no niche, write about what matter to you. Passionate writing always wins out over forced content. Know what I mean?

The more I read the more I realize that a great writers with fun insights can be just important to me as a topic I’m interested in. I’d try virtually anything Neil Strauss writes.

I liken it to your favorite actor/actress perhaps. Until they disappoint you you’ll keep trying their films even if they try to do something a bit different or outside the realm of what they’d normally do. Right?

Blogging isn’t different. For every Dan Schawbel who is completely immersed in Personal Branding there are those of us who just want to write about all the things we’re passionate about. Can passion be a niche?

I’ve been thinking of getting a Tumbler or Posterous where I could post ALL my various rants.

Good question, again!

The blogs I enjoy the most are authored by individuals who write about various things, and share their own personal perspective.

I think the niche business is an easy/ viable approach that draws on your real life work profile & becomes a reflection of ‘what do you do?’

But what we do at work isn’t necessarily a complete reflection of who we are. A blog is a great way to expand your ‘limited’ profile.

My personal take is that a blog should be:
a laboratory to test your ideas
a library that shares thought-through personal narratives
an amusement park where you play and thrill your heart!

Make sense?

Cheers,
Anita
.-= Anita Lobo´s last blog ..[new] Have sport-led triggers harmed Australia’s business interests in India? =-.

Like the bloggers you pointed out, some niches can actually cover a very wide gamut and allow you to explore cool new areas and ideas you may have missed out on by being in a more focused niche.

Then again, if you find a niche that has a potentially huge audience and no-one is really doing anything in that space, it’d be crazy to pass it up.

So… I didn’t really offer a good answer here, huh?

Great topic and conversation starter, though!
.-= Danny Brown´s last blog ..Have Your Say =-.