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Sunday, November 9, 2008
Is Your Blog A Revolving Door?
Common blogging wisdom says that you should blog every day or run the risk of losing your audience's attention. Do you think that's true?
I don't think it is. NaBloPoMo aside, I know that I'm inclined to unsubscribe from any personal blog whose owner seems to blog mainly for the sake of hearing (reading?) herself blog. Even when the posts are well-written and entertaining. Especially when the posts are well-written and entertaining. Because then I feel obligated to leave a comment, and that makes me feel overwhelmed.
I do think some consistency is called for, like blogging at least once a week or once a month, just so people don't think you've fallen off the map. (And unsubscribe, the horror!)
OTOH, I find it annoying when people save up a week's worth of thoughts and blog them all at once in one great big spew of a post. I end up reading the post, then scrolling back up to remember which thought(s) I wanted to respond to, scrolling down to write in the comment box, then scrolling back up, then back down .... It gets confusing.
I don't know about you, but the Internet has whittled my attention span down to roughly that of an air molecule. I'm inclined to either skim or skip blog posts that take more than about two minutes to read in full. Unless they're really well-written and fascinating. Which, no offense, but they're probably not.
Finally, my biggest blogging pet peeve is headlines that don't provide so much as a clue about the content of the post that follows. Titles like "This week" or "Hooray" are only interesting to your mother. And she's probably faking it.
[sarcasm] Of course, I am never guilty of these crimes. No, not me. [/sarcasm]
I realize now that this is all just a roundabout way of deflecting my own feelings of inferiority for my recent lackluster blogging. Truth is, I've been tired, lazy, busy, and/or preoccupied with other things.
I have a camera review to go finish writing right now, but I promise I will be back soon with another hilarious installment of responses to my personal ads. You won't want to miss it.
posted by Patia 9:03 PM
Comments:
:O
Oh shock, oh horror...
(I'm scurrying back to my blog post-haste to see what sins I have committed.)
posted by
Oh shock, oh horror...
(I'm scurrying back to my blog post-haste to see what sins I have committed.)
posted by 
Tabbie : November 09, 2008 10:08 PM
skimmed your post- looks good, nice pics :)
just kiddin. I READ it; which I admit I do too rarely these days. Like you, I think the net (i.e. facebook) has left me with a gnat's attention span. I refuse to twitter.
I'm not sure if Blogging helps me with 'writing' in general or ruins me for those times when I need to just sit and WRITE for hours on end (papers, thesis work, deeply thought-out blog posts, etc). Oh well. I'm off to work - or facebook - or work... damn.
posted by
just kiddin. I READ it; which I admit I do too rarely these days. Like you, I think the net (i.e. facebook) has left me with a gnat's attention span. I refuse to twitter.
I'm not sure if Blogging helps me with 'writing' in general or ruins me for those times when I need to just sit and WRITE for hours on end (papers, thesis work, deeply thought-out blog posts, etc). Oh well. I'm off to work - or facebook - or work... damn.
posted by 
Buddhist_philosopher : November 10, 2008 8:37 AM
I didn't know you were such a wealth of good information! No wonder I'm not a blogosphere star!!!
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posted by Brent : November 10, 2008 12:59 PM
Justin: I'm not sure, either. Sometimes I suspect that blogging has ruined me for "real" writing, and lately, that twittering has ruined me for blogging.
Brent: You're a blog star to me.
Mostly I just wanted an excuse to use "revolving" in the headline. My little pun on the revolver images.
I know. Groan.
posted by
Brent: You're a blog star to me.
Mostly I just wanted an excuse to use "revolving" in the headline. My little pun on the revolver images.
I know. Groan.
posted by Patia : November 10, 2008 1:32 PM
How the hell did I miss THAT connection, in light of my own post today?? What a maroon...
I think it's a good idea to let people know you're still out there, even if it's only to share a single thought on occasion. We all go through our more prolific phases, and the quality gets better or worse depending on whether or not you let the tail wag the dog. Which I sometimes do.
~Bob Wire
posted by
I think it's a good idea to let people know you're still out there, even if it's only to share a single thought on occasion. We all go through our more prolific phases, and the quality gets better or worse depending on whether or not you let the tail wag the dog. Which I sometimes do.
~Bob Wire
posted by : November 10, 2008 3:42 PM
Bob: It seems guns are the topic du jour, doesn't it? But while our countrymen are out stocking up on AK47s, we use words as our assault weapons.
(Duck!)
posted by
(Duck!)
posted by Patia : November 10, 2008 8:02 PM
So, you're telling me you never read my weekend recap posts? (sniff sniff).
Fine. Be that way! I don't care! :-)
But I totally get what you're saying...some people blog w/o any content, really. I catch myself doing it way-too-much these days---it's something I got to work on.
posted by
Fine. Be that way! I don't care! :-)
But I totally get what you're saying...some people blog w/o any content, really. I catch myself doing it way-too-much these days---it's something I got to work on.
posted by Neva : November 11, 2008 1:55 AM
Neva, I read every precious word you write. Every. Word.
posted by
posted by Patia : November 11, 2008 2:03 AM
Totally agree! But probably only because I don't have time to blog daily ;)
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posted by Scar : November 13, 2008 11:07 AM
I thought I had commented on this....just another example of waning my attention span.
I always wonder what blog posting frequency is appropriate. Or, at least I did wonder before having a kid. Now she decides my posting frequency!
posted by
I always wonder what blog posting frequency is appropriate. Or, at least I did wonder before having a kid. Now she decides my posting frequency!
posted by dig this chick : November 16, 2008 7:49 AM
I almost want to delete this post now; I was in such a bitchy mood when I wrote it.
Hi Scar, thanks for reading and commenting.
Rachel, don't worry, you're good!
Nici, I think your blog posts are just about perfect.
posted by
Hi Scar, thanks for reading and commenting.
Rachel, don't worry, you're good!
Nici, I think your blog posts are just about perfect.
posted by Patia : November 16, 2008 2:59 PM
I have to agree, even though I'm sure we're all guilty at one time or another...
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