At first glance this might sound like an obscure title for a blog post, and I suppose it probably is, but bear with me since the knowledge that became ingrained in my subconscious as a child has been incredibly useful throughout my blogging career.

1970’s science fiction, on television at least, was usually serial based. Each episode was shown at the same time, same day, and on the same channel. And each episode often ended with a cliffhanger, or, as I used to refer to them as a 7 year old, a dangerous ending.

It goes without saying that the more dangerous the ending the more likely I was to tune in next week.

So, what does this have to do with blogging and what did I learn watching the lasers beams fly in recently acquired technicolor?

A science fiction serial only gains a regular and reliable audience if new episodes are made available at regular and reliable intervals. If the time slot is changed, especially back in the 70’s before home video was invented, then the show is missed. The viewer might then stray onto something else. Something else that stays in the same time slot. The same is true for a blog. If you update your blog regularly your audience will come to depend on and enjoy this regularity. Lesson number one, update your blog at regular intervals, on a reliable schedule and your audience will grow.

The cliffhanger device works because the viewer has invested time and emotion in the main character of the show. Leaving the hero dangling at the end of an episode, or at the wrong end of a death ray, will ensure the return of the viewer next week to find out what happened to their beloved character. Lesson number two, make your audience care about your blog and feel part of the action as it goes through the inevitable highs and lows and they will be more inclined to become regular viewers, or in blogging terms, subscribers.

In closing here’s a quick quiz. Correctly identify the name of the character in the photograph above, the show he appeared in and the story title to receive a blog review here at Upstart Blogger. Leave your entry as a comment, the first correct answer wins.