Quality over Quantity: It’s not how often you post | Blogging Effectively Series

Thanks so much for all of your thoughts and input on this series. Blogging is something that takes time. It can take months-maybe even a few years-to grow your blog enough to ever be considered a “professional.” There are a few mommy bloggers that reached their pinnacle through unfortunate family circumstances, and then for others it just seemed to happen…a meme that just seemed to catch on, a popular niche, or maybe just a natural talent for writing. But, I firmly believe that most anyone can reach this point of success. Whether you desire to become one of the big bloggers to bring in uncanny amounts of money through your blog; or if you just hope to reach others through your writing, a few minor changes in the way you approach your writing could make all of the difference.

The last thing I’m going to talk about in this series, is Quality verses Quantity. Until you turn your blog into something that people check multiple times a day [and that is hard to do…as there is only one on my reader that I check more than once] posting five or six times within a single 24-hour period, can drain your readers. Most blog readers use an RSS feed or Google Reader to check the blogs they follow. Posting multiple times a day fills that feed to the brim. I know that I, personally, have deleted blogs from my feed because of their continuous posting.

An example, I follow a wide variety of photography blogs. And if you are a photo blogger, then you are well aware of how many photo challenges and photography related meme’s there are out there. Nothing irks me more than to see someone participating in 12 different photo-challenges on a given day and writing a new post for each one. Compile them all into one. If you don’t do photo challenges, but participate in more than one of the thousands of memes that exist these days, then merge them into one post. {Let’s not forget the point that I brought up about all of those memes in Part Three of this series…how too many can leave your readers bored}

Make sure that if you are going to write, that you have something to write about. Posts that continually just tell about your day [Today, I did the dishes, washed clothes and made a fabulous casserole for supper. We sat around and watched movies…type posts] get really boring and lose the interest of your readers. As I mentioned before, occasionally writing about the every day happenings in your life is a must; your readers like to know that you are a real person and that you have a life outside of writing. But there is a limit to how much is too much. Look at your blog from a third person perspective. If you’ve just stumbled across the blog for the first time, would you continue to read? Would you be interested in reading what they have to say over and over and over again? Pull yourself away from the blog writer/owner position for a few minutes and examine your online home as if you were a visitor.

I mentioned in the beginning that not all readers who stumble across your blog will stay. That’s okay! Do you read every single blog you’ve ever come across every single day? Of course you don’t! There are tons out there, and you won’t connect and identify with every one of them; just like they won’t connect and identify with you.

And lastly, the most important thing I want you to take from this tiny series, is to remain true to who YOU are through the process. It’s so easy once the opportunities to make money start to roll in {and I hope that they do indeed roll in for you!} to lose sight of why you began blogging in the first place. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the numbers game and the desire to be a “big blogger” and lose sight of who you are. Every once in a while, you may need to take a blogging hiatus. Most of the bigger bloggers, and even us smaller bloggers, need a break once in a while. Step back from the computer and the writing and spend time with your family; seek out new inspiration for your writing. Never, ever let the blog and the money and the reviews and the giveaways become more important the reason you started writing in the first place.

And don’t lose sight of your followers-the once who comment. They are, in fact, the ones who grew your blog, commented on your writing, and built up your following. Take time to reply to their comments; let them know that you are aware that they exist; send them emails…do whatever it takes to connect with your readers and help them feel like they are appreciated. I recommend [if you are on blogger] you install a commenting system such as Disqus or Intense Debate that will allow you to reply to comments individually. Those who leave comments will receive your replies in their inbox. If you use the default commenting system that Blogger offers, you’ll slowly start to ignore your readers because of how frustrating it can be to reply to comments. Trust me. I’ve been there.

I hope you guys have enjoyed this series! If you have any questions or anything you think that I missed that you would like for me to touch on, leave them in the comment section! If I receive any questions, etc. I’ll do another post later this week with my answers and input. Hope you guys have a great Monday!!