Update! (Elements of Blogging) #AtoZChallenge

Slacker Bloggers

        One thing about blogs that really annoys me is when they aren't kept updated.  This is especially true when the URLs are posted on social media profiles such as Twitter for example.  If an interesting sounding Twitter account recommendation comes my way and I see a blog URL listed, I often don't bother following them if I go to the blog address and find that they haven't posted for six months, a year, or even more.

        This is true for any place where a person advertises their blog URL whether it be FaceBook, a business card, or even an author's recently published book.   If you aren't going to keep your blog updated then don't advertise your blog link as a place for me to go visit!

         Exceptions to this might be those blog owners who are essentially using their blog page as an informational web site to provide contact details, biographies, or any other strictly business facts that might enlighten visitors who just want additional information.   If this is what is being done then the page should not be referred to as a "blog".   Using this terminology for a static site is misleading.

The Blogging Commitment

        Anyone who decides to become a blogger should accept the responsibility to keep their site updated.  When I go to a blog that doesn't have any posts for a month or more it leads me to question the professionalism of the blog owner and wonder why that person blogs.  Especially if the most recent, now months old post is open-ended leaving the readers to expect a new post to come soon.  That's when I have to ask, "Where is that post?"

         Life can get in the way and a blogger is entitled to change his or her mind about their blogging agenda, but that's when some sort of finalized post should be put up.  At least tell us "Closed Until Further Notice" or something of that nature.  And then be sure that you don't have any promotional material or on line links that are directing people to your dead or sleeping site.

Blogging Consistency

          You don't have to post every day or even every week, but you should make it clear when visitors can expect to see posts.   If you only post every first Monday of the month then make that clear.  If you are one who doesn't like being confined to a schedule or merely blogs when the whim strikes then you should make that clear to visitors as well.

         Personally, I am not at all impressed when I visit a blog where there has only been sporadic activity and when it does happen the writing is banal and of little interest to readers.   The worst are the bloggers who admit that they have been slack in posting and then mention something about their uninspired state of mind--"goodbye that's all I can think of today, see you when I feel like posting again."  If that comes from an author especially, do you think I want to read that person's books?

The A to Z Test

        During the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge we see some of this blogger reliability exemplified.   So many blogs are stricken from the list during the month of April because they aren't able to keep up.   With the exceptions of sickness or other unforeseen life circumstances, most of the bloggers who get booted because of inconsistency of blog posting are just blogging like they normally do.  You can look back over their older posts and see the evidence of inconsistency everywhere in their blog history.

        Part of the A to Z goal is to instill good blogging habits like consistently posting content of reasonable quality.  Those who fall behind due to old bad habits need to coerce themselves into building blogging muscle and creative mind stretching.

       If you keep up the daily A to Z pace then you are either blogging in your usual professional manner or you are working towards that goal.  If you fall behind but are catching up, then you know you have what it takes to be a real blogger with a professional attitude about the craft of writing and now you just have to start pushing yourself a bit more.

      For those who dropped out or never responded to the communications of the co-hosts, maybe you need to reassess why you have a blog and whether or not you should continue to have one.  While you're at it you might want to take a good look at everything you do in life and how well you are doing at those things.   Blogging is a responsibility that to a great extent mirrors your character.

        Finally, if you are one of those people who has a blog that is rarely updated, please don't share that link with us.   I might go to read your out-dated post one time, but if it's still there when I return later you've lost a great deal of credibility with me.

        Do you think I'm taking blogging overly serious or would you tend to agree with what I've said here?    Do you blog according to a certain schedule?   Do you take any action if you know you won't be posting for a designated period of time?  

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Ask Arlee: Quality Content VS. Frequent Posting?

And now another episode of Ask Arlee...

M. J. Joachim asks...

Quality content vs. frequent posting? Obviously, it takes way too much time to do both!

       Does it?  Can we post with frequency and still have quality posts?   I see many blogs that I would judge to be accomplishing this, but the answer to this question might be a matter of opinion.  Let's try to define what each of these aspects of blogging actually means.

Quality Content

        "Content is king" is the well-known adage attributed to Bill Gates back in 1996.  However, does this really apply that much to all of us as bloggers?  For the most part the saying is more applicable to search engine accessibility based on originality of content.  Our content should be original and it should have good quality.  But "quality" can be a variable and rather selective term.

         We need to determine the purpose behind our blogging.  If we are striving to be pro bloggers with blogs that readers regularly follow or search engine researchers arrive at for specific information, the blog posts need to be of a unique informational content that is professional and authoritative.  This is the type of blog with quality content that is backed by good research and experience in a field and is suitable for quoting from or citing elsewhere as coming from a reliable source.

         If you are not a pro blogger who fits the above description then I think you can still maintain quality content but that quality would be of a different nature.  There is that level of quality that we would expect from any published work--proper grammar, correct spelling, engaging presentation, and so on.  If you are blogging to establish platform then your blog should be exemplary of what you are delivering or plan to deliver to your audience in your published work.

          Comments can tell us a lot.  If a blogger is doing all the right social networking and receives few comments or the very shallow "nice post" comments I think there is something wrong with the content.   I'd rather have four high caliber comments that tell me that the readers actually had read and responded in a meaningful way than 40 drive by comments.   If you see by your stats that your post got a lot of visits but few decent comments if any, then maybe you had bad content and visitors had no idea how to respond.

          Blogging is often an experimental endeavor.   If something does not seem to be working for you then maybe you need to try something else.   The assessment of the quality of a blog's content is ultimately up to what readers are looking for.   If you can't seem to hold onto readers who visit then they must not feel that your content delivers anything that they think they want.  

          If you are pleased with your posts and the traffic your blog gets then maybe you're doing all you need to do.  However if you don't like your traffic, your blog's ability to retain readers, and the lack of interaction from visitors then maybe you need to think a bit more about the content you are delivering.

Frequent Posting

        "Better to have too much than not enough."  That's a philosophy my mother used to have when it came to dinner gatherings and other social events.  This might not be the best idea for blogging though.  Unless you're operating a news blog or a site that requires frequent updates, more than one post per day is probably overkill--you're likely going to wear out your readers and drive them away.

          However it's important to have regular activity on your blog.  Once a month might be okay if you maintain a regular schedule.  Consistency is the most vital aspect to instilling audiences with a sense of expectancy.    If they know when you post then it's easier to turn your blog into a habit.  Random posting might work for some bloggers, but I would recommend a predictable schedule.  If you become accustomed to meeting deadlines then you are more likely to have a readership who knows when to look for your new posts.  When you go out of sight then it's possible that you'll go out of mind and have to make a greater effort to retrieve your lost readers.

         In my opinion, two or three days per week is best for most blogs.  Three of my blogs are only posted once a week and that works well since those are very limited niche blogs.   The key is to pick a regular posting day and time, then plan your posts to go up according to that schedule.  It's easier on your readers and in the long run I think it's much easier on you the blogger.

Should Your Blog Ever Post Daily?

         Yes, during April you should sign up for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.   There are some very good reasons for doing so as I outline in the following list:

• The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event in which many other bloggers will participate.  You can gain greater visibility in participating with others.
• You can hone your blogging skills in content creation, experimenting with new approaches to blogging, and testing your blog to see what works best for you.
• There is an increased opportunity to get more feedback on your blog posts.
• Blogging daily for a month can develop a habit of creating content and functional social networking.
• The output resulting from participation will provide a good backlog of content for your blog.
• Participating bloggers can develop strong bonds with others with common interests.  This in turn can be used to mutual future advantage for friendly support as well as business networking.
• Daily blogging means more writing and more writing is practice that can help make you a better writer.
• You might even end up with material for a book based on your A to Z content!

       There are many more reasons that you as a blogger should participate in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.   If you have never explored the A to Z Blog be sure to visit and read the helpful posts that appear on that site.   If you are having concerns about not having the time, the energy, or the ideas to join us in April I hope you will reconsider.  For every reason not to do the Challenge in April, the A to Z Team members and many other A to Z participants can probably counter with several reasons why you should join us in April.

         Once you've done a Challenge it's easy to get hooked.  It's really the best blogging event of the year!

         What other reasons can you think of to encourage others to participate in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge?    What are the main benefits you've gotten from A to Z?     What do you think is more important in blogging--quality or frequency?

         

Ask Arlee: What kind of blog is best for me?

English: Monkeys Blogging Español: Simios bloggeando (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

         A few months ago a blogger whom I like to refer to as "Dr. Johnny" posed a question to me after he had read some of my advice on a LinkedIn forum.  Johnny Velazquez, PhD blogs at Parilla.   Here is Dr. Johnny's question to me:

Should I concentrate on a particular subject when I blog, or whatever comes to mind? Blessings.

My response:

        This is a question that I think many of us face when we consider blogging.   I've seen this work as a dilemma that sometimes keeps people from blogging before they even try it, while in other cases bloggers will begin to have doubts about the purposefulness of their blogging or disappointment about a seeming lack of interest in what they are doing.

        To blog or not to blog?   Am I just wasting my time or is this endeavor all eventually going somewhere?

        If your goal is to be a writer per se then since blogging is writing, that in itself is good reason to keep on blogging.  If you're published already or hope to have your work published in the future, then your blogging activity becomes your platform for your work and your market exposure.

        If you have some other goal in mind like expressing your beliefs, sharing your knowledge, or whatever other reason you may have, then blogging can be useful as a tool of getting yourself out into the cyber world as an expert or an enthusiast in a particular field.   And if nothing else, blogging is fun.

        So what should you write about?

       I think content depends on your goal.  I tend to go the random route and blog about what's weighing on my mind or whatever idea pops into my head.  I consider my blog an eclectic blog because it doesn't stick to any particular subject.  In some ways I may still be trying to find myself as a blogger.   At least I'm consistent in my posting and I have my platform that I can eventually use as a springboard into other realms.

       If you have a field of specialty then you may want to create a niche blog where you are a go-to guy for whatever topic you're the master of.   It may limit you, but then again you can always sidetrack now and then for reader relief and to give yourself a writing break.

       Personally, I think the niche blogs can get a little dry and redundant unless written by an exceptional writer with a wealth of near unquestionable knowledge and experience.  If you keep the material fresh and on top of trends you might appeal to your target audience and begin to attain a regular following.  This will probably not be easy and will probably require a lot of work.  But if you stick to it, this route may be well worth the effort in the long run, especially if you have books or other products to market.

     You may want to gravitate towards your personality and whatever agenda or information you want to convey to your audience.  It doesn't hurt to experiment and get reader feedback to help shape your course in blogging.  And you should post on a schedule so any readers you manage to hook know when to look for your blog posts.

      The bottom line is to blog about what interests you most.    Show the readers the side of you that you want them to see and try to make an effort to get them to like you or at least want to come back to see what the heck you'll be doing next.  Subject matter is probably less important that style and presentation.  The most interesting topic can put a reader to sleep if left in the wrong hands, while an utterly ridiculous topic in the hands of a creatively entertaining writer can grab a reader's attention. 

       Content may be king, but the housekeeper who keeps everything clean and fresh is the one who makes the castle an inviting place to visit.   Blog about what you like and then listen to your guests.  Ask questions to see what they think.   Learn to read between the lines or beyond what is said in the comment box.  If the comments are especially good then you probably have done something right in the post you've written.   Now keep doing it.

       If you aren't getting as many comments as you'd like to see then you've got to get out there and drum up blog business.   So, in answer to your question, blog about a particular subject if you wish or use whatever comes to mind when you're writing.  Like what you do and if that comes across to the reader there's a good possibility that they may like it too.   Write it right and keep yourself open to changing your direction if you need to.   From what I've seen so far, there are no set rules in blogging, but some things work better than others.    It's up to each individual blogger to find out what works best for them.

      What kind of blogging works best for you?   What kinds of blogs do you prefer to read?     Do you regularly read any blogs that you would consider to be "niche blogs"?    Did I basically answer a question with a question?

Would you like more comments on your blog?

If so then check out to see what D.L. Hammons has put together.  Join the Blog Blitz and have the biggest comment day of you blogging life!
      

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Empty Page

Image via Wikipedia (if I were a woman I might look kind of like this)         As I open up this empty page, I do so without any real idea of what to write about.  Then as I ponder the possibilities I start to wonder--what do the people who happen upon my blog want to find?  I consider what I look for when I'm surfing through the blogosphere.  There are a heck of a lot of blogs and a ton of different topics.  What am I looking for in blogs?

         Information:  I like to find interesting facts.  Facts about places, people, and things.  Ephemera.  Hard truth.  Behind the scenes stories.  If it looks like I might learn something, I might hang around a blog for a while.

          Style:  Simplicity, that can be convoluted and deep in thinking, but presented for a dummy like me.  Expanding my vocabulary is fine, but if I have to stumble over too many words the reading might get tedious for me.  Likewise, if it sounds like a blogger is writing like a professor writes for academia, then it might become too much for me, especially if it's a long piece.  If it has footnotes I'm fairly sure that I'm in the wrong place.

         Quirkiness;  There are some blogs that are really weird in content, but it's an intelligent weirdness.  Other blogs shine in the delivery of humor, visual art, or entertaining literary devices.  Keep it short though.  In  blogging--especially the type of rapid social blogging as occurs in a blogging event like the A to Z Challenge--we'll read your book at another time.   Right now, don't bother me--I'm blogging.

          Friendliness:  Some blogs are so inviting.   It's easy to get to know the blogger and ties are established. Those are the blogs I visit repeatedly.  I may not visit every day or even every week, but I know who you are and you'll see me on occasion and I'll see you.  The community of bloggers is so cool.

          So I filled the page with my wondering about what the best thing to fill blog pages with is.  What do you look for in blogs?   Which one of these or other categories does your blog most fit into?  How would you describe Tossing It Out (that's the blog you're reading now in case you weren't looking)?   What would you like to see more of on this blog?  What things on this blog have you liked the least (be honest!)?

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Blog Boggled: Me, Me, Me--How About You?

           I've really been milking Alex J Cavanaugh's  Blogging Idiosycrasies Part Two and Blogging Idiosycracies Part One, but it's a topic that I too enjoy examining and it's what I frequently post about on Monday's Blog Boggled feature.  I'm a student of blog science and if you are a blogger then you should be as well. 

          Aren't we all a little curious about why people would want to visit our blog?  What would bring them back again?   Why they would follow?   What we can do to keep our blog posts interesting enough to keep readers coming back and leaving comments?    How important is blog content?

          The topic of talking about oneself as blog content was one thought that arose in the comment section of Alex's second post.  This is what I want to address today.   Is blogging about oneself merely egocentric information that no one else wants to hear or does it have relevance?


          Let me cite the following from that comment section: 

         L. Diane Wolfe said, "I try not to talk about myself all the time. Those who do seem egotistical and it becomes annoying."

         To which Alex replied, "Easily annoyed, Diane? Yeah, I couldn't talk about myself. I wouldn't know what to say."

          I would agree and disagree with both statements.   I really enjoy when L. Diane Wolfe tells about where's she's been and what she's been doing.  I want more information about book promo events or speaking engagements.  I think those of us who read Spunky's blog think of her as a friend even though most of us don't know her in real life.  When she relates anecdotes about herself it allows us to feel that the friendship is more real.   Learning about her life as an author, speaker, and motivator is something that we can learn from as well.

          Likewise, I wouldn't mind hearing more stories about Alex's life.  Especially when the book promo begins I hope he will keep us filled in on some of the things he encounters and the people he meets.  Those of us who are interested in becoming authors want to know more about the process of writing, publishing, and promoting.  Tell us more, Alex.  

         Patricia Stoltey expressed this well when she said, "I like to know about a writer/blogger's life and interesting things about his environment and experiences, both personal and writing-related. And I like hearing how a writer is promoting his work, new small publishers, and agent searches."



           As far as the sentiment of bloggers who talk about themselves becoming "egotistical and annoying", I don't think L. Diane really meant this as a blanket statement which really encompassed all.  Not to be overly presumptuous, but I think I know what she was talking about and she didn't have most of you in mind.  She would probably have a similar view as Patricia--at least that would be my guess.

           I can think of some wonderful examples of bloggers who often talk about their own personal lives.  Ruby from Blabbin' Grammy gives us homey recounts of what's happening in her life.  Many of us find her writing style to be engaging and it's like a daily serial that readers can really get involved with.  Gosh, I feel like I know her and even like she's a relative or something.  Style combined with content counts on this blog.

           Then there's the wonderful poet Yvonne from Welcome to My World of Poetry.  Many of her poems have to do with things in her past or her present activities.  She is another blogger whom many of us have come to love because we feel like we know her.  She uniquely passes us this personal information through her cleverly written and often heartfelt poetry.  Even her award presentations and best of lists are delivered as poems.  I for one truly enjoy my regular blog visits with Yvonne, not to forget that she is an amazingly prolific and thoughtful commenter.

             There are so many other wonderful blogs where the authors talk about themselves, such as Karen Walker's Following the Whispers,  Teresa at Journaling Woman,  Diana at Welcome to My World, and many more.

             Then of course, yours truly blogs about himself often.  I hope I haven't bored anyone with my stories about my past and anecdotes about current happenings, my lists of favorite things, or any of the other information that I reveal about myself.   My intent is to entertain and to share some of my knowledge and get feedback about the knowledge that you have that relates to what I've talked about.  It's like a conversation on a train with a stranger--sometimes random and pertaining to wherever the conversation happens to go.

            There are many blogs out there and many blog friends to be had.  Personally, I do agree with what L. Diane Wolfe said about some blogs being a little annoying, or perhaps it might be better to say not interesting to me.  If I don't enjoy the writing style I will more than likely soon be gone. If there is nothing for me to relate to then I will likely lose interest.  But, let's face it, there is something for all sorts of tastes in the world of blogging and I'm not going to judge what someone else wants to read.   One the other hand, I know what I like.

            What kind of content appeals most to you?   Do you like to hear about a blogger's personal life and interests?   Does writing style and originality trump content?  Or will good content keep you coming back even if the blog posts are poorly written?  Do you like to write about yourself?  Why or why not?