I love this “How to tell if a web page sucks” diagram. While poking fun at the web, it also reminded me how we often get stuck in trends and patterns, such as the web2.o penchant for gradients and flickr-style miss-spellings.

We tend to go with what is “normal” rather than risk standing out, or because we follow the herd, but standing out is precisely what we need most. Forging your own path can be a route to massive failure but it can also be the path to greatest success.

There are many ways we can do something different. It could be in design, content, personality, or a combination.

Design is probably where most bloggers change things up. We see so many examples in the blogosphere of stand out design. Some just look cool, clever, lovely, others are just so cute. Unfortunately we are not all blessed with design skills, but perhaps the personality and content are where we need to stand out most?

Think carefully

• What you want to be known for?
• What makes you different?
• Why would someone visit you and read your content over someone else?

Answering this could be the best thing you can do for your blog and your audience.