Thursday, November 20, 2008

When To Blog That Is The Question

By Don Bethune

Blogging is growing like wildfire across the internet. People are using it to connect with others in a way that print media has never been able to do. It is perfect for keeping up with the everyday events of other people and for letting others know whatas going on in your own life. An important question to ask, however, is how often new bloggers should be adding new content to their sites.

The most crucial thing you need to know when deciding how often to blog is who is reading your content. Whether you post daily, weekly, or monthly, who is going to be seeing your posts is what you should use to set up your posting frequency schedule. Content is actually more important, but how often to post is definitely something to consider as well as this will give your readers the chance to develop a schedule for visiting your site.

When choosing how often to blog you should consider all conceivable aspects that come into play. If you are just starting out with your blog and get that beginners rush where you are blogging twice a day, then a month into it you start to lose your drive and post a new entry every week, your readership will diminish considerably. Think of your newspaper, if you got it every day when you first subscribed then one month later you only got it sporadically, if at all, you would probably subscribe to a different newspaper. With a myriad of bloggers on the internet you want to make sure not to do anything to diminish your readership.

Taking into account what kind of blog you are writing is another important factor. If you are chronicling your cross country trip with a day by day account it is a good idea to stick to your day by day schedule. Posting daily, or more than once a day, works well for things like a blog diary of a trip or event, but can be a bit too frequent for those that blog about broader themes. Frequent posts work well for short periods of time, as with the reporting of an event example.

Another factor to consider when deciding on posting frequency is your actual content. You want to be sure to not overestimate your writing capabilities so that you are not stuck with nothing to write. Writing a few extra entries in advance and saving them for later can be one way to overcome this possible problem. You should strive for consistency, so having backup entries can help you get through any dry periods you may experience. Keep in mind that you should always know your limitations.

It is a good idea to notify your audience when planning to change the frequency of posts. If you post once a week but are going to be taking a trip where you will be posting daily, slip in a line to let others know. The most important part of blogging is building a rapport with your readers. Scheduling is part of that camaraderie, so be sure to let them know when the schedule is going to change. By the same token, be sure to let them know if you will not be posting for awhile.

Look into your core audience to determine what frequency of posting will be optimum. Daily blogs can be a lot of work, but are necessary for those blogging on daily events and news. A daily blog can be redundant for some blogs, however. Think of yourself because, most likely, you are a fan of what you are blogging on, so think of how often you are out there reading blogs similar to yours and how often those are updated. You want to make sure that you find a happy medium when it comes to posting frequency and content, because if you post more frequently than people are reading, than you are not optimizing the release of your content. Obviously old blogs can be read after the date they are posted, but most readers like to have a "fresh" copy.

Frequency is important in blogging. It is an aspect of blogging that can optimize your readership. Although it is overlooked by some, how often you blog can invite or alienate those who read your blog. Remember to find what works best for you, and have fun. - 16651

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