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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Discussion Post: To blog or not to blog?

To blog or not to blog? 

That seems to be the question of late, and also one that has been eating away at my thoughts.  When I started this blog a few years ago,  I was worried about many things.  One of the main worries and questions I had was how much should I blog?  Should it be daily? A few times a day? A few times a week?

As my blog has grown and many of you have stuck with me throughout the few years I have been blogging, you may have noticed that my blogging has slowed down.  When I first started, my goal was to post reviews a few times a day.  It was not unusual to see that I posted 2 to 3 reviews a day since I read so many books.  I can usually finish two books a day with no problems.  Plus, I always try to stay ahead of the game by reading as much as I can over the weekend so I have a bunch of books to post about during the week.

While I still have a stack of books waiting to review on my desk,  I have slowed down in the posting process and become more sporadic in posting them.  Sometimes I will post one to three reviews a day, and other times I will not post anything for a day or two.

I finally realized that I don't want posting to be a chore.  I want to post when I can without worry.  I have lost a few blog followers for changing up my posting schedule, but I have accepted that this is my hobby and not a job.  I want to enjoy reading, friendships made through blogging, and have time for my family as well.  I know it is a given that I will lose even more followers for this, but I also made a choice in not caring about those numbers in the followers gadget.  I love hearing from each and everyone of you, but if you feel the need to unsubscribe from my blog just because I don't post every single time -- several times a day -- then I don't know what to say or do to stay.  I am hoping that my reviews that do post are enough of a reason to follow my blog, just as it is for other reviewers, but sometimes people have different tastes and change up who they follow daily.

I am in the process of trying to figure out a balanced medium and it is something I struggle with everyday.  Do I want to post like I did before? Yes.  But I also want to be able to venture out more into the realm of other bloggers and spend time chatting to you about books.  I also don't want to reach the point of 'blogging burn out' that others seem to reach.

So for today's discussion tell me how you feel about blogging? Do you see yourself as a daily blogger or as you feel like it? Do you worry about losing everything you have worked for while slowing the pace down?  What do you think would be an acceptable number of posts per day to keep you interested in reading a blog?

posted by Amy J at 10:44 AM

17 Comments:

Blogger Nicole said...

I don't think there is a preferred number of blogs, just as long as they are good. I scan over my dashboard most days and never read all the updates of blogs I follow. Just the ones that look interesting.

March 21, 2012 at 11:19 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Wow! I can relate! I have never posted reviews a day... I have a hard time keeping up with once a day due to time. I love blogging but I also have a family, a job and friends/commitments. I don't think I could post more than one review a day and I'm okay with that. Even if there are a few days between post I focus on quality rather than quantity. I am also expanding my blog to cover other topics that interest me. I needed to spice it up a bit. Keep blogging but do it for you. I'll read regardless of how many post or how long between. Life is busy!

March 21, 2012 at 11:21 AM  
Blogger Amy J said...

@Nicole: I think a lot of people have been doing that lately. Many people just don't have the time to comment and read everything. TY for commenting!

@Tiffany: I agree. Quality is something I really want to focus on more and cutting down on the amount of posts I think will help. Again, blogging is a hobby and it is nice to know I am not alone in this! LOL

March 21, 2012 at 12:05 PM  
Blogger Linda said...

This is has been on my mind too. I was blogging daily but have slipped to 4 days a week. I'm trying not to fill the other days with junk. I rather have quality then just post to post.

March 21, 2012 at 12:58 PM  
Blogger Amy J said...

@Linda EXACTLY! I don't want to do that either. Quality I think is much more important!

March 21, 2012 at 1:38 PM  
Blogger Bella-Marie said...

I think you touched on an interesting point :) I'm a lifestyle blogger so very often I haven't got anything interesting to blog about all week, other times I'll have so much that I have to stagger my posts so I don't fill up people's inboxes but honestly I think that the occasional post with interesting content is better than posting for the sake of it. I like to think that I blog for the followers I have, not for potential ones and therefore posting for the sake of regularity would spam my readers with uninteresting content and quite possibly cause them to unfollow. I follow lots of blogs that update daily and often skip over many of their posts, but there are blogs that only update twice a week that I really look forward to seeing in my inbox because I know they'll have good content that I'll enjoy.

In the end I think it's a matter of personal preference.

March 21, 2012 at 2:14 PM  
Blogger Bark At The Ghouls said...

Several reviews a day is a ton if work. I post daily but I just started my blog and I have been reviewing for ages and have a huge backlog of reviews to fall back on. Typically I can only crank out 1-2 new reviews a week. Any more than that and I start to feel burned out and pressured and the writing just stops to flow. Do what works for you and don't burn yourself out!

March 21, 2012 at 2:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think the biggest thing to remember is that you started your blog for YOU. Don't ever let the pressure force you into the feeling that blogging is a job. Do what you feel is best for you, even if that means one post per week. Personally, I respect bloggers who remain true to themselves, rather than trying to please all of the "numbers" in their widget. :)

March 22, 2012 at 4:15 AM  
Blogger Amber Hughes said...

Hi Amy! I'm not a blogger but I just wanted to say I would never unfollow you because you didn't post multiple posts a day or even a week. You have a life outside of blogging and you should be able to enjoy that. I follow a lot of blogs and personally it's hard to keep up with all of them anyways. I do look forward to your posts (even if I don't get to comment a lot on them), but I would still follow even if you posted less. :-)

March 22, 2012 at 6:39 AM  
Blogger Melissas Eclectic Bookshelf said...

Personally I think that posting 2-3 reviews a day is insane! First of all...who has the time to read that many books? Between working 50+ hours a week, taking care of my home and family and caring for and managing the finances for an ailing grandparent...I am lucky to post 1-2 reviews a week!

Blogging should definitely be a fun hobby and not feel like extra work or pressure. Just do what works for you! If people (who are insane by the way) unfollow you because you are not posting 3 reviews a day then you are better off! Whoever is complaining can go jump in a lake!

Sorry...for some reason I got a bit worked up there :/

Honestly though I follow about 150 blogs in my reader and do not have the time to read all the posts. If they all posted 3 times a day that would be 450 posts a day to read (I'd never sleep) If they post 3 times a week though...there's more of a chance that I'll have a time to read them all.

♥Melissa

March 22, 2012 at 8:02 AM  
Blogger https://booksthoughtsadventures.com said...

I can't even believe you posted that many reviews each day...

You are too hard on yourself!!!

You need to run free!!!

Have fun!!!

When you feel like posting...do it...it doesnt always have to be a review!

March 22, 2012 at 8:41 AM  
Blogger https://booksthoughtsadventures.com said...

O m g...I love Melissa's comment!!!

March 22, 2012 at 8:42 AM  
Blogger Amy J said...

You all are so sweet! Thank you for the support! It is people like you that make me so glad I have my blog!

March 22, 2012 at 9:23 AM  
Blogger Em said...

I love blogs, I find I get a more honest opinion (especially on books). I also like the fun extras.

I sometimes will prewrite some posts for those days where I just don't feel like it. They are my backups, I do read your blog a lot though and hope you continue.

March 22, 2012 at 9:44 AM  
Blogger Lola said...

I agree with Melissa's comment. Blog for fun. That means whatever works for your schedule. Sometimes I'll post a few times a week and sometimes, it'll be a week before I post. It all depends on what's going on in my life. I definitely agree with your decision! :)

March 22, 2012 at 5:52 PM  
Blogger Alexa said...

Wow 2-3 reviews per day! I think I would fall over and give up if I was trying to keep up with that. I know you read really fast but I wouldn't blog that much even if I could read as many books in a week as you do.

I feel happy having 2-3 reviews up per week! Plus I do other posts like my Girl Behind the Blog, Blogger Pages to Love, Memes and random posts about books or such. I just couldn't do what you do and I think you should take time to enjoy life. Reviewing is fun but it is not your life.

I personally like how much you post in a week. I think you have a good balance right now and if people expect more then they can go somewhere else. I think you just have to find readers and followers who want to keep coming back because they love to see what you are reading and to chat with you! Just do what you want and the rest will fall into place.

(On a major side note I read the first Fifty book and I did like it but I had problems connecting with the story. I think this had to do with the fact that the passion seemed lacking for a book classified as erotic fiction. I think this one falls somewhere in older teen and adult romance. I did connect more with the last 100 pages of it but it shouldn't have taken that long. Plus I didn't like the lesson on BDSM, I already know what that lifestyle is and didn't like the author explaining it to us. I have read 100 pages into the second Fifty book but I'm mad that Ana didn't make Grey fight to have her back, she just went to the art gallery with him and then was back with him 15 pages into the novel. I felt he should have had to spend time winning her back. Rant over lol)

March 22, 2012 at 7:23 PM  
Blogger mnleona said...

I could not read and review so many in a day. I am behind on my reviews now and also my reads. I get so many emails from my type of business, I have trouble reading them. I read most of the emails I get and blogs, but not time to read all. Your topic made me read the message.

March 24, 2012 at 8:56 AM  

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