June is busting out all over – and so are the yard sales.
I have never been much of a yard/garage sale aficionado.
- I have enough of my own trash
- I hate haggling over price
- It’s not a bargain if you don’t need it
Every time I walk by a yard sale in my neighborhood, I am reminded of the saying –
One man’s treasure is another man’s trash.
It has gotten so bad we separate the recyclables from the trash. A practice I firmly believe in and support.
But, when you hear recycle, what do you think of?
- If you answered blog posts, your mind runs like mine
- Be afraid – be very, very afraid
A Good Idea Gone Bad
Recycling is a good idea. But, even a good idea can go bad.
- Recycling last night’s pizza box with congealed cheese – not a good idea
- Mixing trash with recycled goods – another good idea gone bad
So, when you read the suggestion to recycle content, sounds good, right?
It could be. Or it could end up as a good idea gone bad and move from recycling to trash. How do you tell the difference?
Here are a few suggestions.
Taking Out the Trash
#1 – If your content is weighed down by the old, trash it
Sure the idea behind recycling is being able to re-use something, but that means breaking it down and creating something new. It may have some of the same parts, but it’s not the same.
If all you are doing is slapping a new date on it, it’s yesterday’s leftovers.
- A few people might like it
- Others have had it before
- Some will just trash it
#2 – Recycle the content in a new form
A popular topic these days is content syndication. It’s about getting your content widely distributed.
Instead of putting that article all over the internet, recycle the content in a new form.
- Create a video with the content
- Plug into an audio file
- Make a slidehare presentation
People like their content in different forms. Instead of the same old format, recycle something different.
#3 – Too much of a good thing becomes trash
You can write the best post in the world, but when you continually drop it on us, it soon becomes trash.
Links to a post across multiple platforms makes sense. After all, not everyone is on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn®. But, after the first time, let someone else share your genius.
Don’t continually link to that post –
- On other blogs’ comments
- In LinkedIn discussions; or
- Some other group platform
Your good post now resembles spam – who recycles spam?
#4 – Make something old new again
Parts become outdated. Recycling old parts help update and create new parts.
If you have a popular post that is dated, recycle it by updating the parts.
- Check for new data or follow-up surveys
- If you reviewed a new product or service, what’s changed since your review?
- Has your position changed on an issue? If so, why?
Outdated posts get ripe with age like old trash.
#5 – Recycle What’s Yours
And the trashiest moment of all occurs when you recycle other’s work as your own.
We are all inspired by other’s work.
- A lot of blog posts spring from such inspiration
- Credit the source
- Put your own spin on it
- Make it your own
If you recycle your content the right way, you may have the best yard sale ever.
How do you recycle?
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And here we are back at the idea of doing audio and video again, Cathy. 🙂 I’m getting closer, but still haven’t made the plunge. Good tips here, thanks.
LOL, Sharon. 🙂 I took the video plunge-or maybe I should say audio since the video was of the LinkedIn screen and not my face. I figured one baby step at a time. Not the best, but hey, it’s a start.
Can’t wait for your debut, Sharon. 🙂 Thanks for your comments.
That’s some interesting way to make old things new again. Bloggers aren’t so fond of recycling, but it’s a nice way to revise old ideas and be mindful of how much we’ve grown or not..Thanks for the tips Cathy..
Thank you, Ikenna, for the kind words and taking the time to drop by. Hope to see you here again. 🙂
I’ve been experimenting a little just lately. I’ve just done a couple of re-posts on twitter etc. It’s not something I’ll make a habit of, but it fills a little gap whilst I wait for inspiration for more new content to write. I agree with your comment on this issue and will add that I believe it is more about balance than strict rule.
Thanks for stopping by, Marty. I think it’s perfectly fine to recycle our posts. After all, there’s so many out there before they discovered we were so brilliant. 😀
I try to add even a little something like this is a post I wrote earlier and then I add a few comments about the topic. That way if the one person who read it sees it again, at least there is something new. 🙂
Thanks again for commenting, Marty.
I sometimes recycle a paragraph or a sentence that I liked in particularly, try to re word it but I have to say, I haven’t done much recycling although I know I have some posts that I could expand on some more. Thank you for the post, very entertaining to read too 🙂
Hi Diana. Glad if I could inspire and thanks for stopping by. I’ll look forward to your recycling. 🙂
Hi Cathy,
Recycling content is an art form.
Keep the same basic idea in mind when editing but put twists on your content. Introduce new concepts which you’ve picked up since the piece was last published.
We are dynamic creatures, changing from moment to moment. This means recycling the same ole’ content over and over won’t resonate with others. We seek a fresh perspective and news ways to do things.
Thanks for sharing!
Ryan
Hi Cathy!
Thanks for inviting me back to your Blog…from The Blogging Mastermind Comment Tribe’s page. 🙂
It’s always a nice challenge to take a piece of content
that was at the top of its game, say maybe 6 months
ago, revise it & make it even better.
Like I always say…our Blogs are dynamic, steadily
moving forward & evolving.
Have a highly inspired day…your tribal friend Steven Suchar
Hi Ryan: Thanks for stopping by. Very well said, but then you’re the master of RB Keys. 🙂
Hi Steven: Thanks for sharing your perspective. Love the idea what was old is new again-maybe because I’m a baby boomer! 😀
Thanks for stopping by, Steven!
Cathy, this is exactly why I love you. 🙂
It’s as you say – recycling doesn’t mean reusing trash. It’s more of a reinvention using the same themes, ideas, or even topics. I think of recycling writing as making a quilt. This piece I start with is the original article – an old shirt – but there are so many other pieces that can join it to make that shirt look like a work of art.
I’ve recycled articles. But the recycling is taking the original article, revisiting the topic and asking “What’s new? How have things changed?”
That, to me, is effective recycling.
Aww, shucks, thanks, Lori. 🙂 I ♥ your idea of making a quilt-I may have to steal that-with full credit, of course. 🙂
I once wrote a post asking if there are no new ideas. I remember when I first started blogging how frustrated I’d get when I wrote something I thought so original only to find it had been done before. But, what makes it unique is your spin. The same is true of recycling.
Thanks for stopping by, Lori, and giving me great content for recycling. LOL! 😀