Someone asked me what would happen if they didn’t post every day and I told them the sun would stop shining and the moon would hide behind the clouds.
But no one told me the sun was going to try to make me look like a jerk and a liar. Fuck you Mr. Sun and your silly rays of light.
Ok, that might have been uncalled for but I am feeling extra ornery and I am ready to battle. Yep, the Taurus horns on my head are lowered and I am pawing the ground.
It happens. Or maybe I should clarify and say that real life happens. I have been ridiculously busy and have been working extra hard to find time to write and to respond to comments.
That frustrates me for multiple reasons:
- I love writing and when I don’t get to dance with my muse it makes me sad and lonely.
- It is rude not to respond to comments and it doesn’t encourage people to continue leaving them.
- Perhaps this should be 2a, but it also makes it less likely they will come back and respond to your response. That is a shame.
Why Is It A Shame?
The reason it is a shame is it makes it harder to build a community and a community is what make a blog into something special.
One of the reasons why I have agonized a bit over switching back to Livefyre. I think Danny makes a great case for doing so and I can’t say I won’t do it again sometime. I pay attention to what goes on and I enjoy reading posts about how to build community.
I love the community that has formed around my blogs and appreciate it more than you know. That is because I have developed real friendships, learned and grown because of the community.
And part of what makes it so very interesting and important to me is because it is composed of people I probably wouldn’t have ever met. Blogging has shrunk the world.
It is where Midwesterners speak with British expats about old school blogging and where we talk about what it takes to be successful in business.
Some of you might read posts about how to get readers and miss seeing how what is contained within can be applied to lots of other parts of our lives.
I Want To Be A Raconteur
I like stories and one of my goals is to become a raconteur. I want to tell a story that is captivating and compelling. I want to be so good you turn off your phone and forget to check your email.
The goal is to share useful information used usefully. Part of how that is done is by working hard to build that aforementioned community and to give them license to run wild. Let your readers know they are valued and encourage them to share their thoughts.When you do it well it is magical.
My grandfathers were both master storytellers which I suppose is a big part of why I am interested in reaching the same heights they did.
What Happens When You Don’t Post Every Day
If you are me and you don’t post every day two things happen:
- People sigh with relief and thank you for not overwhelming them with content.
- People email you and ask what is wrong and why you aren’t updating three times a day.
If you have more grace than I do you thank them for you their concern, say “aw shucks” and move along. Or if you are me you tell them you they should make up their mind and they should telling you to slow down because they can’t keep up because once you don’t they still complain.
And for those of us who want a serious answer here is what I have to say.
I encourage people to develop the habit of blogging even when you don’t have something to say. That is because your internal editor will always tell you that your work might not be good enough. There will always be time constraints and excuses not to blog.
Don’t give in to that and teach yourself how to be disciplined.
When you need help reach out to your community and ask. Ask them for feedback, advice and or suggestions. People will help you and you might be surprised with what comes from it.
Never let anyone tell you there is one way to do this or that you are doing it wrong.
Most of all, have fun.
Your turn. What are we missing?
When bloggers share their experiences, it makes me glad that someone extends a helping hand to other bloggers in the Blogosphere. This means that I could learn something without going into the painful process of the “hit and miss” method.
I noticed that for me, I can post 3 x a week, once, or daily as long as these are on a regular basis. I could even post once a month, as long as I keep that schedule. It is because my readers know when I’ll be posting again. They know exactly how many times would they be visiting my blog.
You have provided us with vital information that we could use. Thanks.
Great post! I love and am fascinated by the blogosphere community. But I must confess that I clench my jaws over daily blog posters. Those daily posts tend toward the frivolous, which is okay, but it clogs up my reader and I feel guilty if I don’t at least open each post. This takes precious time from the meatier posts that come from people who post once a week or one or two times per month. Those are invariably the posts I most enjoy reading.
One of your commenters alluded to the rhythm of blogging. I think there is a lot to be said for that. We all write to a slightly different rhythm…another aspect which makes sharing interesting.
Hi Linda,
I understand, especially since I am one of the daily posters. The rhythm of blogging is really important. It is where we find our voice and our passion. To me the most important question I ask is am I having fun.
When I stop having fun I will quit. Hasn’t happened yet, have moments of aggravation, but there is still lots of fun.
You want to be a raccoon? Keep writing at 1 am and you’ll get there…….
If you hang around in here long enough, you will know a bloggers rhythm; if it’s once a wk, twice a wk or every day, you will notice when there is a break in the routine. Someone as consistent as you would probably be much more noticeable than me for missing a post.
There is no right way or wrong way; but I’m always open to suggestions. I might not heed their advice, but I won’t be offended someone offered it.
As far as commenting systems, as long as I can stop by and leave my thoughts and post my comment, I don’t care if you are using Bud’s commenting system. I’m sure you have reasons for choosing one over the other for global dominance, just don’t make me take any tests just to leave a comment…..
Mr. Dorman,
You have moved into the ranks of the elder bloggers. That is not me being facetious either. I base that upon your knowledge and longevity. More than a few of us are gone now and more will drop out today, tomorrow and throughout the week.
This blogging thing can be a real grind, unless you figure out how to have fun and it appears to me that you have.
We agree on most things which makes of us pretty damn smart. Stay tuned for your check for the shout out on Bud’s commenting system, that man pays pretty decent amounts of moolah.
Good advice, Jack. I’ve only been able to squeeze out one post a week, and just getting that done has required supreme effort. I don’t know how I’m going to get back on track.
Hi Joe,
My friend you have some outstanding stories about a life that very few have any insight into. I am confident that a man who has reached the levels of command you have is going to be quite resourceful.
Jack, I love coming here to read. I don’t care much about the commenting system or the technology. Vehicles. You writing is what is important. I think if people are accustomed to your post frequency they notice when it changes.
The one piece of advice that I heed to this day is consistency. Our friends Bill and Craig, among many, are, if nothing else, consistent. I may always state the obvious but for some reason it feels right to me.
Hi Ralph,
You are correct, they are vehicles. The question is whether these are the appropriate vehicles for helping to move my passengers from one place to the next.
Most of the time I am confident they are. The ideal that I strive for is to create the kind of content that makes people want to visit. I appreciate you and the others who are regulars and happy to be a part of what we are trying to build.
That is not to say that I don’t appreciate the others because I do, but there is a difference.
I’m not as prolific as you are, Jack. I think I work better if I post three times a week instead of every day. I’m trying to give my 4 loyal readers a break.
But the commenting part is a component of blogging I’m finally beginning to understand (I blame the KISS concert of 1975 for being slow on the uptake sometimes). Fortunately, you make it easy-peasy to comment to you. I need to study you and learn your secret.
Hi Chloe,
Whatever rhythm feels most natural to you is the one you should work on maintaining. It makes me laugh to get the emails/comments that ask me to slow down and then wonder why I have. 😉
Anyway, I can see how that concert would do that. I remember a lot of my friends older brothers and sisters talking about KISS and hearing my parents talk about the guys in makeup, not that any of this matters. I am just making conversation.
I don’t think there are any real secrets to getting people to comment other than these three steps:
1) Provide content people can relate to.
2) Provide content that elicits an emotion.
3) Ask people to comment.
Hi Jack,
Posting three times a day comes naturally to you unlike most of us i think. When I should start posting one entry per day people would ask me what’s wrong with me…
It’s hard to please everybody, so you better please yourself. When – and only when – Blogasphemius (the old God of Blogging) rides his chariot from the heavens to earth to call upon you it’s time to do whatever you want to do. Until that happens you should be ok.
Live by the rule “Thou Shalt have Fun Blogging”.
Hi Jan,
Can I bring Blogasphemius down here sooner than later? Do I need to provide him with a gift or some sort of sacrifice? What happens if I try to punch him in his big wordy mouth?
I need to know these things.
You are right about posting in a way that is natural to you. When we do that good things happen.
I had disqus and for many reasons I switched to the WP commenting system (without comment luv) and recently got Livefyre. And really, I am sticking with Livefyre at the moment. But like they say, never say never! 😉
Blogging daily – maybe, someday definitely. I always say I am here to write more but looks like I am reading so much more than I am writing. Maybe it is a part of the process. But I do want to write daily…someday. Maybe people will throw stones at my blog, but that’s okay.
Hi Hajra,
I’ll cut right to the chase. You can do this everyday. You could blog all week long, but only if you really want to. I am not saying you should or you shouldn’t because that is your choice.
But don’t doubt yourself because you can do it.
As a commenter, I like comment luv better than livefyre. But I get all technically challenged and haven’t yet switched over (I know, plugins are blogging 101…). Maybe I’ll go read the case for Livefyre…
Hi Stacie,
I encourage you to check out all of the different links that are included in this post. There are some very fine bloggers and some excellent advice contained within.
Just kidding! Thought I would try the, I have nothing to say, but I came over anyway, comment!
Good post, Friend. You’re right. You’re indeed an animal; when you can’t post 3 days we’re happy and then we wonder what’s wrong. Heh. Call it love.
I’ll take the love, the chaos and the commotion that comes from conversing with the crazy, confused and curmudgeons that hang out here.
Don’t know where all that came from, but it did.
Nice post. See ya.
There are two sides to this, and they’re obvious. And I’ve heard arguments for both sides. I tend to fall on the side of, “Blog only when you have something to say…” which may or may not be everyday. Or is it every day? I always get those two confused.
Your content is something that I read almost every day, when I get a chance. So, if you feel that your time at your site has been reduced by real life, then by all means, take less time for virtual world. Most of us will still be here when you get back.
I always recommend that people follow whatever feels most natural to them, but I encourage them to try to post at least 2-3 times a week.
If you don’t structure it then it becomes more likely that you will start to see things really tail off.
I do appreciate your time. Unless there are more significant changes you can expect to see daily updates or pretty darn close. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are moments in which I update more than once per day.
I think this commenting system is fine, if you decide to stay with it. I can do Livefyre as well. Either way, you create posts that practically beg me to leave comments.
I don’t post as frequently as I’d like to, but I do write with some frequency. Have to make the attempt to match the two up…
Hi Joe,
You are welcome to comment as frequently as you like. It takes some practice to sit down write consistently. I have been doing it for so long it has gotten to be relatively easy, but repetition really helps.
Now that I have glimpsed Danny’s post about Livefyre (thanks for the link), I’ll give you my two cents in observations about Danny’s recommendation.
1. Danny didn’t experiment with CommentLuv – or he doesn’t mention it.
2. Danny was never committed to serving his community with link juice – or my memory sucks
3. Danny has a relationship with Livefyre.
None of the above should be construed as a complaint, criticism, or attempt at the punking of Danny Brown. [grin]
Danny had Disqus and CommentLuv running on his blog one after the each other followed by LF.
I don’t think changing your comment system every so many weeks or months serves you, me, Harleena, Carolyn, Jayme Soulati, Bill Dorman, et al. Because missing data can confuse the search engines. I believe it also reduces the search relevance of your pages and your commenters’ pages.
Stick with CommentLuv. If you think CommentLuv needs improvement, write some posts about it and build a relationship with their development team.
None of what I’ve written above should be construed as a complaint, advice or criticism. [laughing]
Hi Stan,
I prefer not to change every few weeks. I wouldn’t be surprised if it created other issues and I certainly don’t want to negatively impact my search relevance. That doesn’t serve me well at all.
You did provide some good food for thought and I appreciate that.
I was just about thinking what this post would be about Jack!
Or I was thinking that perhaps LiveFyre would be here now instead of CommentLuv, though am glad this is still here. 🙂
I think when we post daily, like you do, and all of a sudden you don’t, which again is very normal as you have your commitments too – people tend to notice and ask. I guess they get so used to the daily posts and look forward to them, not realizing that sometimes it’s alright not to post too.
I’ve also recently started posting twice a week now, instead of the usual Friday posts. More than anything else, it’s a commitment I make to myself and my readers that I will be here. So, that keeps things going.
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Hi Harleena,
Well I am not married to any commenting system so I can’t say you won’t see a change but I try to space them out a bit. 😉 The goal is to make sure that my readers can comment and I appreciate people like yourself who still come by, even though you may have had trouble.
I think it is important to try to meet the expectations of our readers. Life got busy and though I can pump this out quickly sometimes it is better not to.
I think you will enjoy posting twice a week. It is a good way to build our writing skills.