Monday, April 26, 2010

To Blog or Not to Blog?

That is the question.


You sit down to write a blog post. You stare at the blank page (or the blank screen, but I have a serious love affair with paper and pencil). FOR. EVER. Nothing comes.

Finally, an idea. You jot a few things down. You spend more time than you are willing to admit writing what amounts to only a few sentences. And they're eh. If you let the idea percolate, maybe it could turn into a good post, but that doesn't help the fact that you still have nothing for your readers today.

This is what last week looked like for me. All week. Resulting in ZERO posts. This frustrating creative drought brought me to a few questions:

  • Which is preferable as a blog reader: reading posts on a consistent schedule, even if that means some posts are "blog fodder," or reading only "quality" material, even if that means not knowing when to expect posts to be delivered?
  • What are your expectations as a blog reader, and do those expectations vary by each blog to which you're subscribed?

The questions aren't rhetorical; I really want to know what you think, so please share your thoughts in the comments.


On a completely unrelated note, my friend Becky has started a blog about the trials and tribulations of the recent diagnosis of autism for two of her kids. Since I have the best bloggy friends in the blogosphere, I was hoping I could send some of you her way to lend your support and encouragement.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Expectations vary from blog to blog. I have all the blogs I read in my RSS feed so I don't usually visit a blog unless there is a new post or I'm looking for something that I remember reading. So if you don't post for a week, more than likely I won't visit...I'll just wait for something new to pop up in the RSS feed! :)

Cheri said...

I really have no "expectations" of any of the blogs I frequent. I keep them all in Google Reader, so there is always some inspiration or chuckles for me in the morning. But I would rather read "real" posts or inspirational layouts and photos than just stuff put up to fill a post. If that helps. The thing with blogging is that we all do it voluntarily unless we have reached that point where we are Ali Edwards or Stacy Julian and have a business attached so that we NEED to keep the blog fresh and relevant. As volunteers there shouldn't be requirements about how often or what material we blog about. Just my two cents.

Anonymous said...

i want you to stop everything and post everyday or else!

lol-kidding, i love your posts and i like the quality i really wanted to write this post post. it's ok that we won't know when you will post-however, that is why we have the handy dandy google reader friend :)

xo
me!

Amanda @ It's Blogworthy said...

If I had a choice, it would be inconsistent but quality reads. I don't need to hear from my fav bloggers every day to enjoy them. In fact, sometimes I'm relieved when I don't have a ton of new posts in my reader! They are hard to keep up with sometimes. So I say, write when the inspiration strikes -- you'll get better blogs out of it and be prouder of what you have. If you lose readers...who cares? You'll keep the ones who matter.

Sassy Salsa girl said...

Personally I like to see a post everyday. That being said, I don't think a blog post has to be super long and super enlightening every single time. Sometimes a funny thought is enough or even a wordless picture. That being said, I find that its fine to skip a day once in a while. I have to do that myself every now and then.
Oh, and when I say everyday, I don't mean on the weekends, Saturday and Sunday, I say take those days off and give yourself a breather, I do ;D

PS-I'd still come and read even if you don't post everyday ;D

Erin said...

Hey girl - Your blog should be for YOU! I have a hard time remembering that. I was trying to post everyday for awhile and it was seriously stressing me out. I needed to spend more quality time with my kids. So, I post when I have something to say. Sometimes when I have an extra bit of time I will pre-write and then post them whenever I don't really have anything to say. Long story long, I don't think you need to post everyday. Just when you have something that needs to be written!

Kelly Miller said...

I prefer quality over quantity. Also, I've find that I have creative spurts where I want to publish more than once each day. Instead of indulging that, I write my thoughts out in my personal journal and then blog about them when I hit a dry spell. Just a thought!

Kisha said...

I completely agree in quality over quantity. However, I find that writing about something inane or silly or boring will sometimes get the creative juices flowing and inspire some very good stuff. I find that writing brings more writing, you know? And I will happily read ANYTHING you write, my dearest.

April said...

I want to read whatever is happening in your life . . . ups downs, creative stuff, venting, etsy, . . . it's all good. While I certainly don't expect some sort of rigorous schedule, I'll start to worry about you if it goes a whole month without a post!! :) When I say whatever, it doesn't mean just write because you have to - write because you have something to say - EVEN IF IT'S NOT PERFECTLY WRITTEN . . . ;) I never edit. Sometimes I write and it stays in saved format and never published, but I write nonetheless . . . and now I've rambled in your comments, but I'll be devestated if you stop blogging. It's like one of my few connections with you!