Monday, April 19, 2010

Blogging in Moderation?

I know a lot of bloggers feel pressure to keep up with the other blogs.  Have to put out something new everyday, maybe multiple times a day.  They get stressed out because, there just isn't enough time or energy to put out content like that, and then their other duties begin to suffer and things just get crazy.  There is a way out of this vicous cycle - Moderation!

Depending on what type of blog you write will determine what moderation means to you.  Let me just start by using my blog as an example.  I post several times a week, probably about 4 times.  Mon, Tues, Thur, Fri.  I have to do this because of several reasons.  I try to make my posts about quality, not quantity.  I don't want to overload my readers with too much at one time, and the effort I put into my posts takes a significant amount of time out of my day.  If I posted any more than that,  my family and household, school and work would suffer. 

As for the weekends, I noticed that the blogging world tends to be a little quieter, so posting is less productive for readers at that point because they are out doing other things, and many are just too busy with family and such to be reading blogs.  So, I post during the week where I hope I can help the most readers.

This is how I learned to blog in moderation.  Blogging shouldn't stress you out.  Its supposed to be a fun way to get relief from your everyday life.  Do I ever get stressed about it?  Of course I do, but I work on learning to control what I call "blogging anxiety" :-)

So how can you learn what your best blogging schedule is?  Easy, test your readers.  What do they expect, and what do they appreciate the most?  Then combine that with what you are able to handle.  What fits into your schedule peacefully?  Its important to remember that You need to take care of Yourself. 

So if your blog is stressing you out, take a step back and re-evaluate and possibly moderate.  It may help you fell more comfortable with your schedule.

10 bloggy friends commented:

Mom vs. the boys said...

yes, weekends are soooo quiet! I usually only post once on the weekend and not about something I really want people to respond to like a giveaway

Christine said...

So true. So true!

♥ Brittany Ciara ♥ said...

The weekends are quiet! I tend to post at night, I don't know if that's good or bad, but it's the best time for me to get in there and post something full of quality. Thanks for this. :)

Rachel Cotterill said...

I publish every other day; that's what works for me at the moment. I tend to sit down and write three or four posts at a time, which helps me to get a balance of different types of content, as well as some 'time off' when scheduled posts can publish themselves. Then I have more time to visit my readers and catch up on the rest of blogland :)

Sunshine of Seven said...

This exact topic has been on my mind as of late, so Thanks So Much for writing about it.
I do believe in the idea, Quality beats out Quantity, and aim for at least 4 days a week!
Thanks for the advice!

Unknown said...

I am trying to put together a rotating schedule so that I have certain topics posted on certain days. This will also allow me to "scheudle" so I can put them all together in a day then I am finished for the week. I think this will work well since the majority of my posts are craft related. Thanks for this article because it really puts things into perspective!

Mom vs. the boys said...

I have an award for you on my blog!

Debbiedoos said...

Seriously good advise here! I learned this early on, I was that stressed out blogger posting stories, ideas, etc....then I realized I was over functioning...now what I do I put out 3 posts a week and link the world to them, brings me fresh traffic and it is working out great! I want to be able to return comments as well, and if I have 100 comments on one post that takes time each day to make my rounds:) Thanks!

Sarah @ Sugar Bananas said...

This is all very good advice about quality vs. quantity. Thanks for the helpful info.
-Sarah

Carol said...

Thank you for this post! I've been feeling a little pressure lately about trying to post everyday. I'm also finding it hard to read all the blogs I subscribe too! I'm going to decide how many days a week I want to post, now I won't have to feel guilty!
Thanks!
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