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April 04, 2008

Blogging even when I have nothing to say...Wait! I do have something today.

Bigthoughts

I started feeling panicky last night realizing that I haven't updated this blog in several days.

In principle, I'm a stickler for setting a blog posting frequency schedule as I believe readers tend to rely on the blogger to deliver new information in a timely manner. And I do try to update this blog at least three times per week.

What really put me in panic mode is that I've had no inspiration for a topic that would actually add value to the greater conversation. A good while back I decided not to simply riff about the latest news - so many were already doing that it would be redundant at best - opting instead for original thought...which leaves me in a bit of a conundrum from time to time.

Apparently, there's a sort of "harmonic convergence" going on the blogosphere this week, as several bloggers are talking about this very thing. Following is a brief litany...

Stowe Boyd reports that Hugh McLeod i s giving up on the blogosphere and moving on to other things. He cites this .

Mark Evans talks about why original blog thought is so difficult. Of course, this is nothing new. Writing "original, thought-provoking" content has always been a challenge, especially when faced with doing it on a routine basis.

David Armano confesses it's been a while since he had a "great" post and that much of what he's written lately has been "filler."

David references Buzz Canuck who says that he believes "blogs are suffering from fatigue in quantity, quality and identity."

Steve Rubel suggests that more of the conversation (and, by inference, attention) is shifting to micro-blogging sites like Twitter and less to blogs. Robert Scoble supports that theory.

So, what are we to do? Should we opt for quality rather than quantity, especially now that blogging has found its place in the social media framework as what Copyblogger Brian Clark calls value blogging?

Yes, I believe we should. After all, most of us have day jobs. Considering that writing really thoughtful posts can require hours of research, multiple drafts and edits, unless we're a full-time blogger who has the time.

You might worry that, unless you keep up a routine posting schedule, you'll lose readership or brand loyalty. To that I say, stay connected via Twitter, Facebook and/or other social networks.

Honestly, using those formats might actually help to improve your readership. And as folks come to realize that you're providing valuable information via the blog, they're more likely to return than if much of it is drivel.

Plus, there's good old RSS.  Silicon Valley Blog's Louis Gray indicates RSS subscription is steadily on the rise. 

So, dear reader, you'll forgive me if I can't come to the plate with new material every day (or even every couple of days). Just know that I'm waiting for that "divine spark" and wading through RSS feeds, Twitter convos and tons of other information to find that topic that I feel will be engaging, informative and which adds the kind of value Clark talks about.

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» Original Thought & Blogs: A Contradiction in Terms? from IP Democracy
Perhaps because I'm in a transition mode or perhaps because I'm suffering from a dearth of new ideas (an unusual thing for me), a post that Mark Evans wrote a few days back has stuck with me. In commenting upon... [Read More]

Comments

It hit me back in mid February.

I'd begun to read a lot of blogs associated with "the conversation" and felt compelled; no, obliged, to put my two cents in.

Before I knew it, I was waking up two hours earlier every day just to read blogs. My feed reader threatened to go on strike as I was clearly overworking the poor app.

Finally, quickly, I went into triage mode. I culled my feeds, reset my alarm to a civil hour and jumped off the merry-go-round to refocus on the stuff that pays my brood's tuition.

It's a comfort to know that a thread of common sense is surfacing in the blogosphere.

Fantastic post, Paul. I don't have anything to say beyond that. :)

@Don - I think it could also be a sign of maturity.

@Easton - Pithy! :-)

You know, I've blogged since the beginning, and podcasted and vlogged as well. I'm exhausted. The social media mess is just that: a mess and frankly, I'm probably rolling it all back to my actual neglected child of a website. That might be old-media of me, that might be taking a step backwards, but yeah. Gotta get stuff done.

And yeah, getting older too. :)

As a Realtor who sees the potential for blogging in her business, but is just getting her feet wet with it, I find this article very thought provoking. It brings up an excellent point as I see Realtors blogs running the risk of quickly becoming the equivalent of the Realtor templated web site - cookie cutter, overlooked, and ultimately ineffective because it is all the same.

As I read this post, I was reminded of a post I saw on CommonCraft.com (http://www.commoncraft.com/were-comments) which indicated that they were going on vacation and there would be no posts for a while. Ahhh, the envy I had! And, more important, the credibility they built with me. I eagerly anticipate their content, and by telling me they were going on vacation, I remember my reaction being one of anticipation for their return. They certainly didn't loose me as a reader. I can only hope to provide this kind of anticipation and loyalty from those who follow my blog.

I think you are straight on with reminding us that the quality of posts is more important than the quantity of our posts. I think Realtors that embrace this will see much stronger results from their blogging strategy. I will work to be in that category!

I like this blog. I think it's the idea of search engine crawling that makes people think they have to keep posting - you hear GoogleMeisters say that you need to post 2-5 times a week to keep google crawling you.

But I don't want to post a bunch of regurgitate drivel on my blog, esp. stuff that can be easily found elsewhere. I've started up a campaign that I hope will work at getting folks interested and coming back to my blog - and getting them to participate in it. In fact, I need to write today's post but lack inspiration.

I do blogging like I do anything else - if it can't be done well, I dont' want to do it at all.

^^Please excuse the typos above. I should compose in NoteTab or something then post my comments.

In the words of Willie Wonka, "So much time. So little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it. Thank you."

The research and thought it takes to commit to a post certainly is time consuming. Especially when you have work life to worry about.

But here is where I think that Twitter presents a true opportunity. You can engage with others one little bit a time. Each time revealing just a little bit more of you. Suddenly you've spawned new ideas together...suddenly you've developed a following and created a readership in that tiny little blog of yours. I think it's a really unique opportunity. (Just don't become a twitterholic)

Norman Rockwell, the famous painter, may have confronted the same problem (nothing to say). He once painted a portrait of himeself, from behind. He is seated in front of his easel which holds a blank canvas. We know that it is Rockwell both by his profile and by his ever present pipe. A series of notes clutter the floor: Deadline Saturday, Deadline 3 Days Away, Deadline Day After Tomorrow, Deadline Tomorrow. Taped to the easel is a note: Deadline Today 5:00PM. Hanging from the easel is a pocketwatch with the time (perhaps 3:30PM?). Over the course of years, artists and art critics have wondered about this self-portrait. Did Rockwell really run out of ideas? Is it possible that he wanted to make a statement about the public's need for, and reliance on, art and artists?

Getting back to your post, is the fear of having nothing to say something worth talking about? Baased on the number of comments that you received, I say yes it is.

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