Frequency, Quality, and Sanity
How often should one update their blog. Once a day seems to be the optimal level for a more personal blog such as mine. If I don’t post enough then obviously I won’t maintain any decent readership level. Theoretically if I posted too often then my readers would find themselves overwhelmed by too much information.
I never seem to be able to keep up such a steady stream of posts for very long. This is due partly to to my only super power: Fear for me I am Procrastination Man!
Other reasons (excuses) include having a young baby and a pregnant wife. However, these excuses only hold true for one or two days, any longer and you can assume that lack of updates is not due to lack of time, but lack of motivation or willpower.
Community blogs, those with multiple authors, and the great “link-collector” sites such as Boing Boing have a much higher frequency of posts, often numbering 10, 15 or more posts per day. Their readers can tolerate a higher number of posts because they skim to find information that is relevant to them.
I like to rationalize my lack of daily posts away with some sometimes true, although often slightly over-used logic. Quality vs. Quantity. I don’t pretend that all of my posts are great works of art, but I generally won’t post willy-nilly about every thought that crosses my mind. Nothing like a constant spew of navel-gazing, or “what I ate today” posts to drive your readers away.
There is a fine line to walk between writing with sincerity and writing more than your readers really care about. Your readers can help keep you in check by posting comments and questions. Thanks again to all those who have been commenting on my past posts. The feedback is greatly appreciated.
I don’t see how folks have time in a day to post more than once; I set aside about an hour after work to write, and I’ll use every second to craft an intelligent post. I suppose I could be like Instapundit and do nothing but post links all day with minimal commentary (and for some reason he’s famous for it), but what’s the point of blogging if you don’t actually write?
Comment by The Mad Pigeon — August 28, 2005 @ 5:59 pm
I think even every-other-day is fine. Not everyone has time to check their favorite blogs every day. And you’re right–too much mindspew will bore your readers and spur them to seek more fertile reading.
Who am I to talk? If I post twice a week on my blog lately, I’m doing great. And I don’t have kids yet!
Comment by Hamlette — August 29, 2005 @ 1:29 am
At least I’m not alone in my plight. Thanks for visiting and leaving your comments!
Comment by Administrator — August 29, 2005 @ 6:28 pm
I enjoy nearly all of your posts which is a big positive. Personally I average about once a day because that’s approximately how much I enjoy it. I never blog because I feel I must. Sometimes I’ll go a couple of days not writing all just because I don’t feel like it and sometimes I’m on such a role I blog 3 times. I think what’s most important is that you’re writing on something you care about and not just writing for the sake of “keeping it up.”
Either way is reflected and your readers most often will tell you.
Comment by tj — August 30, 2005 @ 7:10 pm