Blogs, Blogs, Everywhere, and Not a Thing to Write
Flickr Photo: kirstenvIf there are any "Laws of Blogging," then posting consistently is one of them. One of the keys to retaining and even increasing your readership is to post regularly. My own personal experience with the NTEN blog is that more IS better. The more we post, the more traffic we have, period. I'm sure there's going to be some point when this will no longer hold true, but for now, that's our reality.
Which means, of course, that I am now trapped. I've worked really hard over the last few months to become a (near) daily blogger. In fact, you're reading this while I'm on vacation because I made sure to have a few posts in the bank before I left. But being a daily blogger is a commitment rivaled only by kids and marriage. (OK, that's an exaggeration, but it is a lot of work.)
So I thought I would share some of my challenges, as well as a few of the things that help me out along the way. Mostly, though, I want you to write this post. Share with us. What are the strategies that you use to make your blogging work? What are the difficulties you encounter?
Here are my challenges:
1. Time. I know, this is everyone's problem. But I wasn't hired to blog. I'm trying to squeeze it in among the budgets, HR handbooks, programs, and all the other fun goodness I deal with each day.
How I cope: I get in the office first each day. From about 7:45 to 8:30, I am generally alone. I use that time to do my blogging because there are relatively few interruptions and I get it done more quickly. I also love to blog when I am stuck in airports. I can't focus on "real" work there, anyway.
2. Subject matter. You can't fake it. You have to care about the thing you're blogging, and have a value-add. Sometimes, I spend more time each day combing through my RSS feeds trying to find something that sparks my imagination than anything else.
How I cope: If I don't see anything I'm super excited about, I just don't blog. Also, NetVibes has helped me organize my RSS feeds, so it's much easier for me to sort through all that information and quickly spot things that might be up my alley. I also keep a Post-it with blog ideas. That way, I have a few topics in reserve.
3. Writing. Most of the time, I think I write well enough to be understood, but writing is certainly not my strong suit. I tend write things exactly as I would say them out loud. That makes the tone good for blogging, but it makes the understanding part hit or miss.
How I cope: Well, practice sure does help. But also, our Communications Manager, Brett, reads all my posts and makes sure they can be understood by humans. Editors can be very helpful.
4. The Conversation. Once I finally get a post up, I find that only half the work is done. If it's a good post, it's going to get comments. A big part of getting others to read your blog is commenting on theirs, so I try to spend some time each day responding to comments on our site, as well as commenting on other blogs. It's hard to remember to do this, though. As in life, I find that talking AT someone is easy. Talking with them is hard.
How I cope: I set a goal for myself: 5 blog comments a week, or 1 a day. I skip it if I can't find a post where my comments would add to the conversation. But I try. This is probably the part I am worst at.
So there are some of my thoughts about blogging. Now it's your turn! What are your challenges, and how are you coping?
