If you need a creative idea for a blog, try a poem. A Poememe is the internet phone version of the game. The name is a portmanteau of the words poetry and meme. It was inspired by a scene from the movie The Princess Bride. The objective is to write the first few lines of a poem and then send it to be completed by your friends on the Internet. Of all the blog ideas out there, this is the funniest.
There are two types of poems; complete and perpetual. A completed poem is when you send the poem to another blogger (or group of bloggers) to finish it. Then post the results so all participants can see each other’s creativity.
The Princess Bride, Inigo and Fezik are on the ship preparing to set sail. Vizinni, their captain, has finished yelling at Fezik. To calm Fezik down and stop thinking about the tongue, Iñigo begins a poem for Fezik to finish.
inigo: That Vizinni, he can… stir up.
Fezik: I think he likes to yell at us.
inigo: Probably doesn’t mean to hurt.
Fezik: It’s very, very short on charm.
In this poem, Iñigo sends a line to Fezik, who completes the rhyme. Although they continue back and forth, the entire poem ends when Fezik answers and begins again when Íñigo says another line.
A perpetual poem is more like the telephone game. You send the first few lines of a poem to another blogger who adds a line and you send them to another blogger who adds a line and so on. This idea of blogs can reach far and wide on the Internet. You will be amazed at the interesting twists and turns the poem will take with each person putting their own spin on it.
For example, you start the poem:
Once upon a time there was a priest from Nantucket.
You send it to Maria who adds:
He walked past a petunia and plucked it up.
Mary sends it to Tom, who adds:
Inside was a bee,
Tom sends it to Roger, who adds:
that stung him in the knee
And so on and so on.
Both types of poems can be used for groups of any size. However, keep in mind that the larger the group, the more difficult it can be to manage this creative blogging idea.
Here are some tips for starting and managing a poem:
Pick a topic
Like poems, poems can cut across the gamut of human emotions and poetry formats; from funny limericks to thoughtful Haiku. In the poem instructions, write the theme you are looking for (funny, romantic, festive) and the format (rhyme, limerick, Haiku).
choose a length
Decide how long you want the poem to be and how many lines you want the blogger to contribute. For example, if you want a four-line poem that rhymes about shoes, you can start by writing two lines and then have the receiver finish the last two lines. You don’t want to overload the blogger. Therefore, it is best to keep these types of poems short and sweet.
It is also recommended that you set a limit on the perpetual poem, otherwise it could fill up out of control and you could easily end up with 300 (or more!) lines. Write something like ‘When this poem reaches 10 lines, send it back to the creator’ and then include your email or blog address for the last contributor to send it to you.
Contribution Tracking
Perhaps the most fun part of this creative blog idea is knowing who said what. Instruct participants to link their lines to your blog address so readers can click on the line to visit. If you are looking to generate links to your blog, this is a great way to do it.
send it
When you’re ready to submit the poem, choose blog friends who are most likely to engage with this blog idea. Tag them and have fun.
Bringing the creative idea of blogging home
When the poem is complete, dedicate a blog post to showcasing it.
There are a million ways you can have fun with poems. You can pick a circle of friends and make it a weekly blog, rotating responsibilities each week or you can just create a random poem, send it out into the wild to see how it goes. Either way, this is a fun blogging idea that any blogger of any age and writing ability can take part in. Have fun!