Thursday, March 22, 2012

Small Blogs Are Okay

Just over a week ago, I saw an article where some media expert offered advice to bloggers to drive traffic, comments, followers. You know the things we all live for. Most of it was stuff people who blog regularly already know. It's fair to say no one knows when they start out, or at least I didn't. But I asked other bloggers, and they told me. No experts needed.

But one thing really bothered me. This person thinks that if you're planning just to blog some here and there, you should give it up all together. Because you need frequent posts (at least daily, but really multiple times a day is best). This is what you have to do to get traffic, and if you're not going to have traffic don't wast your time. Wow! 


This is probably good advice if you're hoping for a Julie to Julia style book deal, but in that case  you need more than just multiple posts. You need luck. And even if that is what you're hoping for, your blog has to have some kind of aim. No one is going to read trash three times a day just because it's updated. It's true bigger blogs with lots of followers have a larger number of comments than some of their smaller counter parts, but if you look at the number of comments as a percent of the followers, it's often less than 1. I'd rather have a few followers that read and value what I say, than a lot of "LOL" gibberish, just because my URL shows up everywhere.

People blog for lots of reasons. I started my first blog, because I needed to write every day and I wasn't ready to start a new manuscript. I have no real hobbies, so the only thing that seemed natural to me was book reviews. Besides, Stephen King said writers need to read. Project 52 made me read and gave me something to write about. It was six months before I got one comment. Lots of days, I thought about quitting, but wanted to finish my project. Then I decided I'd just suffer through this project unread and when it was over just stop. But when I got my first comment, I learned people had been reading me. They couldn't follow me or comment due to some technical problem with my template. And in the six months I blogged with no comments and no followers I'd taught myself basic html, how to write a decent review, voice, and characterization, as well as to have a thick skin because no matter how hard you work no one is reading you anyhow!

Last week, I lost all of my followers thanks to another google error. Don't get me wrong, I felt like quitting. But I had another project to finish, so I didn't. I've got some followers back, not as many as I had, but I'll re-build. I'm not quitting, because I'm learning to plot, furthering my voice, finding a good genre fit for me, and either meeting or maintaining relationships with interesting people who often know more than me.

Traffic is not the most important thing, unless that's all you're interested in gaining from blogging. I don't think anyone should ever tell anyone to just "give up all together." This is a great experience, and it's true you're going to get out of it what you put into it, but even if you only blog for six months before life takes over and you can't anymore, you'll most likely learn something--come out of it more well-rounded or with some new perception.

Okay, I'm off my soap box now. *Beth steps off of box*


Reminder book depository contest is open until midnight March 31st.

12 comments:

  1. Beth, I'm on your side here. I'm glad you persisted. Posting every day, even multiple times? Really?!

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    1. That's what the article said although I dont know anyone who updates that often.

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  2. Wow, I'm lucky to get in three posts a week. :)

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  3. I agree. I have other things to do in my life than blog, and while I used to blog three times a week, I've recently dropped to once regularly and twice when something comes up that I WANT to blog about. I can't even imagine blogging multiple times a day! Good grief.

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  4. Well said, Beth. I would much rather follow a blogger who posts something significant a few times a week than one who simply hops on every thinly veiled excuse for content simply to get up multiple posts per day. Personally, I find my eyes glaze over when those blogs appear in my feed because I know 90% of it's nonsense. Instead, it's those blogs I enjoy who come up sporadically that catch my eye because I know there's going to be something worth reading.

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  5. Hmm, and I thought blogs that posted multiple times a day or even every day got fewer comments. I post three times a week and I'm happy with my audience.

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  6. Okay, I'm thinking the idiot who said you had to blog that frequently has no life, no family, and isn't writing a novel. I'm with Kelly. Three days a week is more than plenty for me, especially since I ended commenting on blogs on my non blogging days. I'd go insane if I had to post more frequently than that.

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  7. If you post every day that takes time away from your writing, in my opinion. A couple times a week keeps others updated. Besides I don't have that much to say. :)

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  8. Hi Beth. I agree with what you said in this blog post. I know that the one link in one of my past blog posts was what inspired this blog post. I didn't agree with everything in both of the links I shared, but thought that others might use what ideas they thought were useful and not bother with what they felt was useless or silly to them.

    I don't feel that someone needs to blog daily or several times in the same day to gain followers. Right now I'm lucky if I'm posting once a week on my blog. I'm pretty much happy with the amount of comments I get, because when I look at my stats, I know I have lots more people stopping by to read, just not leaving comments.

    The post I wrote with the included links came about because I know a couple of bloggers who blog regularly, are published and wonder why they aren't getting a lot of comments.

    It's interesting how a thought or conversation can prompt a blog post. Or how a blog post can prompt another blog post. Such is the blogging world.

    I hope you find more of your past followers coming back to follow you. You have an interesting blog which I enjoy stopping by. I look forward to reading more of your blog posts in the future.

    Have a wonderful day!
    : )

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    1. Your blog link did inspire this. I hope you don't mind my posting this. I knew you didn't write article and most of the tips in the article were worth sharing, but I just thought it's important to point out that there are so many other benefits to the writing we do in the blogosphere other than traffic or platform building.

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  9. I can't believe someone actually said bloggers should quit if they don't blog every day. That is just silly. I could blog every day but it would take time away from my writing and that just wouldn't work. I agree with you. Everyone starts a blog for different reasons, and unless we are only counting traffic numbers and followers, then we should be able to blog whenever we want.

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