I enjoy reading my copy of Writer's Digest, and this last issue had an article titled, "How to Lose Blog Traffic and Alienate Readers."
I discovered that I do some of the no-no's that were described in this article. Then I thought, "Well, maybe I should ask my readers what they think of these tips and taboo blogger moves.
1. Post too infrequently. The writer, Monica Bhide pointed out that if you blog too little you lose readers. This makes sense, and is why I decided to write three times a week, with one of those posts being the Friday Photo. But sometimes I wonder if that is even too much.
2. Post too often? Do I? Is three times a week too much? Should I post once or twice? If you blog, how often do you post? If you read, how much is too much to keep up with?
3. Turn off comments. Check, those are on.
4. Being overly snarky...well, I don't think I'm too sarcastic in tone.
5. Choosing poor photos...well, my photos aren't as fabulous as many of my blogger friends like My Three Sons and ShutterbugandtheSweetLife, but I am more of a writer than a visual artist.
6. Chatting it up about too many different topics. OOOPS, I think I might do this. I tend to write about books, my kids, and then my Friday photo....but then I do slip in a political thought here and there or a random rant about school shopping etc. So, am I too random? Do you like certain post topics over others?
7. Neglect to read other blogs....I do keep up with reading a few faithfully (see my blog roll), but sometimes I guess I should break out and search for new writers.
8. Writing too much.....OK, so do some of you click on my blog and see that the post is too long and then decide just not to read it?
9. Promote yourself through other blogs, FB, etc.....I do post on FB, but I don't want to be that annoying FB friend who is always sending that annoying link to her blog.....
OK, so here are my questions for you to respond to:
1. Do you like the three posts a week or should I do less?
2. Am I too random in my blog topics? Please list your favorite topics that I write about in order of preference:
a. book reviews
b. my kids/Graphic Columns
c. friday photo
d. spiritual thoughts
e. writing
f. school
g. food, farming, and season
h. that random political thought
12 comments:
I hope you found the article helpful.
You are doing just fine.
Wow! Thanks for the kind compliment! I found what you wrote to be very interesting! :) And I LOVE your blog and always get a smile on my face when I see that you've updated.
1. Do you like the three posts a week or should I do less? I think the more posts the better. I wouldn't worry about the number... post when you're inspired. :)
2. Am I too random in my blog topics? Please list your favorite topics that I write about in order of preference:
b. my kids/Graphic Columns
c. friday photo
g. food, farming, and season
f. school
d. spiritual thoughts
e. writing
h. that random political thought
a. book reviews (they're great... I just don't relate to them like I should) :)
I love you blog just the way it is!!!! -Kristin
Sally, thanks for listing the topics in order of your favorite. I like doing the book reviews...they are quick and easy and I really do like sharing good kid books, but they never generate many comments, so I wonder if you are not alone etc.
Oops, I fit the bill for many of these. And, I am an annoying FB friend who posts links to my blog. -EC
1. Do you like the three posts a week or should I do less?
-I'm definitely a "more the merrier" kind of reader. Some of the blogs I follow update daily (one even multiple times a day). As long as the content is good and not too lengthy, I love to "check in" frequently. 3 times a week is perfect for my taste.
2. Am I too random in my blog topics?
-I prefer a slight dash of random, actually. Not crazy off-the-wall random, but breadth is good. Here's my favorite topics in order of preference:
b. my kids/Graphic Columns
d. spiritual thoughts
g. food, farming, and season
f. school
c. friday photo
e. writing
h. that random political thought
a. book reviews
1. Do you like the three posts a week or should I do less?
A) I LOVE reading your blogs. I love your insights... I ADORE your writing style and I get a laugh quite often. I still think of your Dutch Bros post and giggle. So post as many as you like...you have a faithful reader in me even if at times I am too lazy to respond. =)
2. Am I too random in my blog topics? Please list your favorite topics that I write about in order of preference:
food, farming, and season
that random political thought (Love your thoughts!)
my kids/Graphic Columns (your kids make me laugh)
spiritual thoughts
writing
school
book reviews (I was really interested in your review about East of Eden... Never read it and have full intent to now =) Obviously kids books don't really inspire me that much unless im looking for a good gift for a nephew/niece or friends kiddo)
friday photo ( I always must have captions to go with photos. I have a lot of friends that do photos and don't tell me whats going on in them... The more info on a pic the better. Ha)
AS FOR.. FB sharing... Its not a nuisance... Farmville is a nuisance!
I think the answers depend on the reasons you have for blogging. I have come to realize that I blog more for personal reasons. My blog gets me writing regularly and gives me a place to share about our life. It is also a good spot to answer questions about things like, "What curriculum do you use for homeschooling?" I have posted on that and don't have to rewrite something I have already written.
My blog is very random in content and I post whenever I feel like it. That said, I don't have goals about readership levels or things like that, so my randomness isn't a problem.
Now,to answer your questions and add my own thoughts on your post:
-I enjoy blogs that have regular posts, but I read some that have infrequent posts. I'd say my posting preference would be 2-5 posts per week.
-I like a variety of topics, but I can see how that could limit followers. Some blogs I follow, I follow because of the specific focus they have. Yet a number of the blogs I follow are rather random in content.
-I like FB links to blogs.
- My favorite topics that you post on are: tied for my favorite are d,b,e
f,g,h tied for second
c-only because I like to read your writing. I prefer your photos with some narration.
a-I prefer occasional book reviews on exceptional books.
One more thing. I prefer your book reviews on grown up books. I was thinking of the books for children that you have reviewed when ranking. Your review of books for grown ups I would add in to the top of my preferences.
I think it's the randomness of topics within one post that is bothersome. I enjoy variety over the span of a week, but in one post, jumping around is too much when it's the norm.
I post six days a week, so I can't imagine 3 being too many!
This was excellent feedback! Love it, thanks. I will now put more narrative with my photo posts after this and change a few other things too, but mostly keep plugging away.
Post a Comment