Recently, due to my studies, I have been getting a bit behind in reading blog posts from blogs that I subscribe to. Let’s face it, it’s a bit of a worry reading about Valentines Day in April!
As I slowly worked my way down into the single digits, I noticed a couple of important factors regarding blogging. These factors not only decided on whether to continue subscribing to some of these blogs, but also gave me a wake up call with my own.
- Content. We like to visit blogs for their content, which needs to be informative, engaging and can sometimes give us a bit of an insight into the bloggers’ personality. This is what keeps us coming back to these particular blogs and maybe even subscribe. Keeping content fresh can sometimes become a bit of a challenge for the blogger, but it’s always great to see something a bit different. Try not to write what other people are blogging about, and if you do, put your own perspective on the topic.
- Community. Reading blogs that place a heavy emphasis on the ‘me, me, it’s all about me’, factor is very off-putting. I used to subscribe to some blogs that were like this, but not anymore. Try not to bog down readers where the emphasis is all about you. Sure they like to know more about you, but stick to the old saying of ‘less is more’. Involve your readers in the conversation. As Christina Katz says – ‘think we; think community’.
- Regularity. While I was going through the blog posts, I noticed a few posts from blogs I had not heard anything from in months, leaving me a bit bemused. This can become a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’, and as a result, I unsubscribed to these blogs. You don’t want this to happen, so make sure you post regularly. If you post on certain days, place this somewhere on your blog where your readers can see it so that they know what days to expect your posts. I was absent from my blog for a couple of weeks, and in my last post, I informed my readers and even told them when I would return to blogging. Remember to act professional and consider your readers. They are your audience and you are providing a customer service.
Are there certain things that concern you with regards to blogging?
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Your points are all spot on. I’m currently re-evaluating the plethora of blogs I’ve subscribed to in the past several months, as I’m finding I just don’t have time to read so many blogs.
I’ve discovered in a few instances that I have two subscriptions to the same blog, one by email and one through google reader — I’m paring down to one for those, so some people might notice a drop of one in their list of email subscribers.
Further to your point 1, when a blogger focuses on one topic incessantly, even if it’s a good topic, it gets boring rather quickly. (That concern could easily be leveled at my blog, I suppose.)
I’ve been involved in the A to Z Blogging Challenge (and it will be SUCH a relief to get to the end of it, and go back to “normal” blogging!) Because of that challenge, I have subscribed to many blogs that I don’t see myself continuing with after the challenge is over. On the other hand, I have discovered some wonderful blogs that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise, so there were positives to the experience, too. But my blog reader will be a lot less full after April!
Sorry for the long comment. You’ve got me thinking.
Hi Beth. I love reading other people’s blogs, but given the time factor, I’ve had to narrow it down quite a bit.
I enjoy reading blogs from authors and other writers about writing, but if they are putting their own perspective on that topic and approaching it from a different angle, then it doesn’t bore me. I’m still trying to find my own ‘niche’ topics though, and I think that having more than one or two makes it much more interesting.
Thanks for your comments – you’ve got me thinking too! Best of luck with it Beth and I look forward to seeing your progress with interest. 🙂