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December 6, 2004
Blogging 101 - Consistency
By QBlog in Blogging 101
One characteristic that distinguishes blogs from many other Web sites is freshness. Because blogs can be updated quickly, easily and from almost any location they often exude a sense of immediacy and urgency. And it's that fresh quality that gives readers a reason to keep coming back, to see what's new at their favorite blog.
But how can a blogger maintain a fresh blog? Well, it's easier said than done but a blogger must be committed to publish consistently. Blogs that are updated "whenever I feel like it" are usually updated with less frequency as the blog ages. Consistent bloggers develop a personal blogging schedule. Whether it's 10 posts a day or three posts a week, they create a routine and try to stick to it. And readers learn to rely on that routine and will regularly return to the blog to see what's new.
Pacing
When I was first blogging I would post the moment I had an inspiration. Sometimes that inspiration would result in five or six posts, all in one evening. Then a couple of days later I struggled like mad to come up with the most banal post imaginable. What I learned from that experience was pacing. If I had six posts I'd look to see which post had a "shelf life" and would still be worth reading a day or two later. If I had one with a "shelf life," I'd hold it over for another day.
It's this pacing that has helped me avoid the dreaded blogging burnout. On days that I really don't feel like posting anything, I post something from off the shelf. This technique helps me to maintain a publication pace that's comfortable for me and fits my lifestyle.
Find Your Groove
Prolific posting does not equal a quality blog, though sheer volume has been known to compensate for many shortcomings. But generally, bloggers should never sacrifice quality for quantity. To avoid a low quality blog I recommend that you find your blogging groove.
Figure out the style of your blog (funny, serious, poetic, photography, etc.), your publishing sensibilities (one post a day, etc.) and then start consistently posting. After a while you'll find your groove and once you do, commit to post consistently.
Why?
I know it's not always easy to stick to a blogging schedule. Ironically my personal schedule was thrown off this weekend as I experienced a string of technical difficulties which impeded my blogging. Yet I kept thinking, "I need to get that Blogging 101 post up because people are expecting it." Those expectations (real or imagined) help motivate me to stay consistent. And there's also another reason why I try to blog consistently. I really enjoy reading other blogs that publish regularly and I just believe that if I like that quality in other blogs, then there's someone out there that likes that quality in this blog.
And that's actually one of the reasons this blog exists. When I started looking for Quixtar info over two years ago I was disappointed that there were no blogs on the topic. And my desire to read a blog about Quixtar inspired me to start my own blog about Quixtar. Thus, Quixtar BLOG was born.
Comments
Good suggestions, specially the pacing one.
Great post! I always find your blogging 101 posts to be very helpfull. Consistancy is someting I have yet to grasp on my own blog, but I have been striving to get better at it. Keep up the good work!
If I could make a suggestion. I'd like to see a link on your side bar to all your blogging 101 posts. You have a good thing going there and it would be nice to have a easy way to find all your knoledge on blogging.
Excellent post QBlog. You present a way of blogging that demonstrates how a blog does not have to be a central figure in your life.
Perhaps you could start creating seminars for people on blogging, and sell CD's (for a nominal fee, of course) that would help motivate people to maintain their blogs.........oh, wait a minute........
:0)
Posted by: rocket | December 7, 2004 1:35 AM