What Keeps You From Posting Regularly?
As bloggers, we have some expectations as to the frequency of our own posts. We certainly don’t want our readers to keep on waiting, and eventually leave us. Here now, gone later. Unless maybe we have some prior announcements like saying, the next release of this series is on Christmas of 2008. But if we’re only expecting a 700-words post, you must be kidding with your announcement, my friend.
So, what is your acceptable number of post per week? My personal goal is to write 2 entries per week. I expect the same (or more) frequency from the bloggers whose works I read. But can we really keep up with the demand? For us who are not into full time blogging, what keeps us from posting regularly?
Work
Unless we are jobless, work takes at least 9 hours (including the meal breaks) of our day. Some would even joke and say that work is a hindrance to blogging. Indeed it is (lol). For non-bloggers, it’s the other way around. But will you give up your day job for full time blogging? Some can. I couldn’t do so, for now.
Offline Recreation
You know that it hurts your legs if you just sit in your chair 8-10 hours a day. You also need to involve is some physical activities, like eating (which you exercise the jaws, mouth and stomach), and sports. I play badminton once or twice a week. Others play computer games, read books or go malling (which is also an exercise if you consider walking the lengths of an SM mall).
Family Time
You can’t excuse yourself from your family because you want to write a blogpost. Family demands a lot of time. If you have children, you really need to spend time with them in their waking hours. Blogging fathers may have to write in the hours past the children’s bedtime. Blogging mothers may also be doing so. Stay at home moms blog when their children are at school.
Writers’ block
So, you’re a writer now because you have that writers’ block? Some would argue that there’s no such thing as writers’ block. It’s just procrastination. Whatever they say, I know that there are days when you just look at the ceiling, then at the PC, then push yourself to type a word or two, only to delete them afterwards.
Other excuses
1. There’s no internet
2. Ran out of topics/ideas
3. Lack of knowledge of the topic worked on
4. Procrastination/Laziness
5. The cat spilled milk on the laptop
6. Fortuitous events
7. Webhosts’ fault
8. Busy with another blog
9. etc…
We can make all the excuses we want but when we fail to post regularly, there are consequences. First, we’d lose the interest of our readers. Even our most loyal ones will look for an alternative somewhere, as there are many better blogs out there. But good thing there is Entrecard. There’s a temporary incentive for the visit, even without the updates. But when everyone’s gone, it’s hard to lure them back.
Second, you will miss out on some money-making opportunities. If you are into sponsored posts, you’d miss out on opps. If you are chasing keywords, you’d be lagging behind in your optimization.
Third, which I think is very important, you’d lose your own interest and motivation. It’s really difficult to come back after a long hiatus. Of course there will always be reasons for not posting. But for the serious bloggers, there is a need to balance our time so that there will always be time to write and publish a post.
(p.s. six days gap between this post and the previous one is already too long for me.)
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Ceblogger is a CPA trapped in his cubicle while his mind wanders outside watching the world, and exploring possibilities his mind conceived.
June 23rd, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Wow, you’ve got everything in, Vonz. I couldn’t stop myself from nodding my head with every point you listed…up until the third and last consequence. Sigh. So true.
June 23rd, 2008 at 1:39 pm
I envy people like you who can write well and communicate your thoughts to your readers. I don’t have such gifts, I could talk whole day, but not good in writing stuff. However, in my case, I agree with at least publishing 2 posts each week.
I always try to make at least 2 posts per week. And I know it isn’t good at all. The goal is to at least write new posts every other day. Sometimes I can, but in most cases its difficult especially when citing all those reasons you mentioned.
And lastly, you hit the nail in the head about the things you would lose when you are not updating your blog regularly.
Great post dude.
June 23rd, 2008 at 4:46 pm
#4 for me. hee hee.
buti nalang wala kaming cat.
June 23rd, 2008 at 6:31 pm
I’m a bit anal. For me it’s a combination of work and thinking of how to present a particular topic. I need to do some thinking on how the words would flow and I also do a lot of self-editing before I post an entry. It’s a bit time-consuming.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:55 am
it’s because i’m underutilized.. outlet na rin if i’m mad over something.. lastly, I blog because it’s lucrative :).. great article von…
ey! u coming this sunday???
June 24th, 2008 at 10:52 am
lourie, just enjoy blogging! i hope that everything will be fine with your cousin’s family.
bloggista, i still have a lot to improve in my writing. my day job involves a lot of numbers. but thanks for the compliment!
bambit, but you have plenty of other blogs to maintain. Btw, can I ask for a copy of your ebook on your compiled short stories? I love reading and writing short stories.
pan, you write long and well thought of posts. consider me a fan of yours.
rodel, underutilized? i guess you now earn more from blogging than your day job. Sunday? When, where?
June 25th, 2008 at 3:32 am
ceblogger,
you made me laugh with this post. it’s honest and it’s what i’ve always wanted to read in an article when i bloghop. this time, it’s me who’s giving thumbs up here and in SU.
June 26th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
good one, Von, I couldn’t help but agree more. but there’s more than just having the day job for me. ever since I went on vacation, I lost the drive to post and well, ideas just stopped coming to me. a month long without internet connection can rot your creativity, I tell you, at least that’s what happened to me. wait, I think I can put that down as procrastination.
Posted details of the EB on my blog
http://www.misswilhelmina.com/2008/06/26/bloggers-meet-up-in-cebu/
June 29th, 2008 at 1:22 am
Nothing keeps me from posting regularly, in fact I have so many advance posts all of my blogs will be updated daily until mid July!
July 1st, 2008 at 1:40 am
jessie, thanks.
weli, just keep on blogging. now that you have two blogs to maintain, you have to push yourself, otherwise, your desire to blog will wane.
contamination, good for you! not everyone can do that.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:19 am
i used to write all the time in my blogs now, I have to force myself in logging in. I think I made a mistake in creating too much blogs that i neglected to maintain some of them. Now I have 3 left since I started deleting some of them. But I couldn’t agree more on your post!!! Somtimes i just don’t update just because I am plain lazy!….
July 4th, 2008 at 2:22 am
irel, thanks for dropping by. It’s really difficult to maintain plenty of blogs if are not blogging full time.