Wait for it…
Here it is…
Don’t Do It. Just Don’t.
I was bound and determined to post a blog post today.
I re-visited a couple of drafts. Eh, nothing insightful, empowering, or inspiring there.
I finished the last two chapters of a really good book that I thought I would share. Nah, want to think through that post some more.
I read through my notebook, hammered out a few bullet points on one topic, but I needed to let it simmer longer for full effect.
Still nothing.
A lot of bloggers will tell you that your ideas don’t have to be perfect. Part of putting them down on paper is the experience you derive from your own thought process that goes into the post. You learn as you write. I don’t disagree.
I also think that sometimes it’s a great idea to start an idea and let your readers have a discussion and increase the value tenfold in the comments section.
But then there are others, like Jonathan Mead, who insists he only posts when he has something to say.
It’s an interesting argument.
Personally, I subscribe the theory that you certainly don’t have to have the perfect blog post. I’m passionate about facilitating conversations that will engage my community and stir up dialogue we can all glean insight from – with an overall emphasis on making our lives better in some way.
But, I also feel a certain level of responsibility to deliver good content that can achieve those goals, and there’s nothing about that suggesting you should just post for the sake of it. I’m a proponent of consistency, but if you have a posting schedule and nothing to say one day, you better have a good queue of posts ready and waiting.
Sometimes you only get one shot at this. Say zilch and there’s a good chance that’s how many first-time readers who stumbled across your blog on that day will return.
What say you? Do you have a strict blogging regimen and post everyday regardless of how stimulating you think your post might be? Do you subscribe to the philosophy that any action is good action? Or do you only post when you have something important to say? When something inspires you to write? To have your voice heard?
Photo Credit: apesara
The Foolproof Plan For Blogging When You Have Nothing to Say — http://bit.ly/zD35u
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Hey Ryan, quick question. What if you know you need to get something published, but you are not in the mood to write? How do they get their readers back who checked out their post a week and a half ago?
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admin Reply:
June 27th, 2009 at 1:32 am
@Dan – Two great questions. And I don’t mind at all if you’re pushy. It means you’re eager to learn!
Question #1.) I think getting “back in the mood to write” is different for everyone. I think you need to do what works best for you. For some that entails “zoning out,” listening to music, reading other blogs, going for a run, etc.
If I HAD to get something out and was having trouble finding inspiration or wasn’t in the mood I would do a combination of about three things:
1.) I keep a notebook full of post ideas. I’d thumb through it and find a couple that looked promising.
2.) I’d read some posts in my reader and re-visit a few I’d favorited in delicious and try to connect ideas/thoughts/concepts from them with one of the ideas in my notebook to hopefully come up with a unique post that would add value to my readers.
3.) Finally, if that didn’t work – I’d hope that I have a few posts that would suffice in draft form that I felt comfortable posting or could make a few edits/additions and publish.
Question #2:) That’s tough to say because technically you probably just know that you lost readers, but not who they are. The vast majority of your readers/subscribers are lurkers you’ll never connect with (unfortunately that’s reality.)
The best way to get readers back is just to keep doing your best to provide value, and to syndicate and spread your best pieces across various platforms, both traditional and social in nature.
Maybe they’re not coming back to your blog, but if they see a great piece you wrote somewhere else, they’ll give you another chance.
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I am early enough in my blogging life that I feel like I still have a lot to say. I have a lot of ideas, and in the rare instance where I am not sure, I have a backlog of half a dozen or so posts that I throw up for just such an occasion. Having a few posts that are interesting, and thoughtful, but maybe not flagship content as back up has proved to be pretty beneficial for my blog.
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admin Reply:
June 27th, 2009 at 1:32 am
@Sean – I think that’s a great approach. Unfortunately, I rarely find the time to accumulate much backlog, and if I do it only takes one uber busy week to dwindle that down. Short, interesting, different, risky, etc. are great. Everything doesn’t have to be flagship – for 99% of bloggers that’s relatively impossible anyway. It’s fun to take risks and try new things, but hopefully with some substance (something to say) behind that.
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Ryan, this is such an interesting argument (I’ve heard both sides). I used to really want to get posts out, because I’ve visited blogs I really love and was disappointed because they would barely post about once a week. Then I began to think and realize that like you said, content is important. I wouldn’t just toss something up there that I half-assed.
If you think about some of the best bloggers, they write amazing content (almost everytime) but if they only post three times a week you know it’s about the quality. Quality not quantity is my belief.
Each week that goes by, I feel like I can average about 3-4 posts a week and always 1 of them is a Friday Linky Love post. If I don’t have something to say, I feel a little pressure, but I know eventually it will come to me and I would rather post something meaningful rather than something random, just to get it up there.
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Good topic Ryan – I’ve been doing a lot of thinking on this myself lately. The month-long hiatus that was ‘The Inconvenience of Change’ over at my blog gave me some much needed time to step back and re-think my blogging strategy. I would say that I used to be in that ‘pressure’ situation. There are so many of you awesome writers and bloggers out there that I felt compelled to keep up with the pace some of you are setting – but then I did some thinking, maybe it is my offline life coming into play, maybe it’s just me trying something new – but now, I’m honestly content with 1-2 GREAT posts a week.
When I say great – it may not be great to you, but it’s the kind of post that I write, then I go back and edit. It may sit a day, I’ll find some links to substantiate my talking points, add those in, edit one more time, THEN hit publish – instead of feverishly typing something out and hitting publish without giving it much thought. A GREAT post by Matt Cheuvront is one that I can sit back and enjoy myself once I’m done. When I surprise myself and learn a thing or two from my own writing, I know I’m doing something right.
The old creed of quality over quantity rings true. For those of you out there who may be struggling to keep up, don’t stress, write GREAT posts – whether it’s once a week or once a day.
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Maybe I am a unique breed in that I almost always have some interesting thing to write about (in my mind anyway). I love playing around with not-fleshed out ideas and using a blog post to form something into a cohesive idea via commenting.
So…throw something out there. You may be surprised at what happens.
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Ryan – Thanks for answering the questions. Much appreciated.
I don’t have the time to carry a journal/notebook/etc. but often find that I am not lacking ideas, just lacking motivation to write them.
Stuart – Yes, I agree with you in the fact that when you hold back on a post idea, you never know what it could have been. This is not suggesting to post every idea you’ve ever had, merely pointing out that having a blog is requires you to be bold.
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I agree with this so much. I have blogs that I had been following in my reader that I finally stopped because every time they updated it was a silly and ill-thought post that I could tell was being posted merely for the sake of posting it.
The first time I hit publish on a post of mine that was of a similar process I felt like a fraud. I know my blog is not always about thinking the most deep thoughts (like me, it flows back and forth from deep philosophical thoughts and analyses of Kate Spade wallets!) but I like to think that the people who come to visit it at least enjoy the writing and depth more than the frequency of posts.
As for the drafts and whatnot, I have a good 10-15 “saved as drafts” in my docs folder. Thoughts that crept into my mind (usually while driving or shampooing my hair!) I know some people write all their posts for the week on the weekend. Some while spaced out in front of the mind eraser (TV,) some while outside at an uber-chic trendy coffee shop, some from the comforts of an office chair in their home office. That seems like an interesting idea to me…that way it never ends up being Friday and you say “Shoot, all I’ve blogged about this week is my #BlogCrush on Ryan Stephens.” 😛
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I agree with the others, this is a great topic, and I too have been thinking about this lately. Personally, I don’t have a strict blogging schedule. One of the things that makes my blog different is that I really try to write from the heart. Inspiration comes in many forms, and sometimes when you least expect it (i.e. just like Elisa said, in the car or the shower). I’ve found that my best posts are the ones that are totally unplanned and unscripted. So, I try to at least get a draft or some notes down when an idea comes to me.
That said, like you, I feel a commitment to my readers to provide the best content I can. Sometimes, I will write out a draft, let it sit, and then come back to it and re-evaluate. If I don’t think my readers will get something out of the content I’ve written, chances are I won’t post it. Like you said, it doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be worthwhile. Although our readers can’t see our faces when we’re writing, they’re smart people, and they’ll know if we’ve written just for the sake of having something to post.
Another fantastic discussion courtesy of Ryan Stephens!
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Great post Ryan. I think that one should try to have some sort of schedule when it comes to blogging, but one shouldn’t force it. You’re absolutely right, posting things like “I don’t know what to write today” are discouraging.
I have to say though, that good bloggers, with defined topics, should never run out of things to say.
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Early on I wrote at least 3-4 blog posts a week. Lately, I’ve written maybe 2-3 a week and some weeks, none at all.
Where do I stand on this question? I think that if you don’t have something to say, sometimes it’s best not to say it. Sure you run the risk of losing readership especially if you’re not posting consistently but then why not welcome a guest writer or look for filler posts (run a poll, share a video, etc.). I’ve never welcomed a Guest Reader on Ribeezie(dot)com but maybe I should or should have.
Anyway, I think it’s best to deliver stellar content than to publish something that’s less than average. If your going to feel uncomfortable publishing it, maybe it’s worth not publishing?
These are just my initial thoughts…
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