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Holy crap, I haven’t posted in a week! Do I suck as a blogger?

March 20, 2010 By 14 Comments

I guess I’ve been busy lately. Haven’t been posting (or tweeting) much, at least publicly. So does this mean that I suck as a blogger?

One of the most common questions I’m asked when I’m talking about or teaching blogging is “How often should I post?” It’s easy to answer with a smug “As much as you want to…”, but what people really want to know is how much time this new thing will take up in their lives. If you’re a starting a business blog, chances are that you can’t just devote 100% of your time to blogging. Even as a hobbyist you can’t blog all the time. So how much is enough?

My advice always the same, if you’re trying to build traffic to your blog, 3-5 posts a week is the minimum. That’s a lot of posts, well not really, but it certainly seems so when you’re starting out. The first couple weeks might be easy—you still feel like you have a lot to talk about—but after a month or so you might feel like you have nothing left to say or that you just don’t have time to blog.

That’s okay.

Let’s face it, there aren’t many folks who can keep up a 3-5 posts a week level, unless you’re being paid to blog. So the question is, do you have to keep blogging hell-bent for leather to still be a good blogger?

No, not at all. The question you ask yourself isn’t “how much should I post?” but “why am I posting in the first place?” because this is what will ready guide you. Business blog? New products, important company news, that’s important. Hobby or personal blog? How about, just when you feel like it?

A great blogger isn’t someone who blogs a lot, but someone who writes good stuff. Interesting stuff that other people like to read. Recently, in all honesty, I haven’t felt like I wanted to blog. I’ve just finished writing Using WordPress about two weeks ago, so I’m a little burned out on writing. I’m in transition between projects so I’m letting things sink in and give my brain some time to get perspective on blogging, WordPress, and just “stuff”.

Perspective is important. Feeling like you want to write is much better than feeling like you have to write. So when you feel like you just don’t have something to say right now, don’t sweat it. Wait until you do and then write it out. It does make a huge difference.

And just because you don’t post for a week (or two) doesn’t mean you suck as a blogger.

Filed Under: Blogging, Blogging 101, Books, Create Your Own Blog, Tips and Tricks, Using WordPress Tagged With:
  • Ellena

    I appreciated this post! In your book Create Your Own Blog, you do emphasize, “write for you.” Makes total sense then that there are times when one is not in writing mode and to force writing would mean that you weren’t truly writing for you. In a writing class I took last year, the professor actually had us doing non-writing activities so that we could make healthy use of the time when we weren’t in writing mode. She emphasized that often these ‘breaks’ would birth some of our best writing. Enjoy the break and I’ll stop by your blog in another week or two to see what you have been up to. :)

    • http://www.trishussey.com/ Tris Hussey

      Thank you Ellena. Your teacher is exactly right, taking a little writing break is often just the thing to break out of a rut.

      That or bad SciFi movies …

  • Ellena

    I appreciated this post! In your book Create Your Own Blog, you do emphasize, “write for you.” Makes total sense then that there are times when one is not in writing mode and to force writing would mean that you weren’t truly writing for you. In a writing class I took last year, the professor actually had us doing non-writing activities so that we could make healthy use of the time when we weren’t in writing mode. She emphasized that often these ‘breaks’ would birth some of our best writing. Enjoy the break and I’ll stop by your blog in another week or two to see what you have been up to. :)

    • http://www.trishussey.com/ Tris Hussey

      Thank you Ellena. Your teacher is exactly right, taking a little writing break is often just the thing to break out of a rut.

      That or bad SciFi movies …

  • http://RevSocial.com Warren Daly

    Great Post Tris!!

    I think its a HUGE business opportunity to teach people how to blog effectively and how to plan a content development strategy and Blog Topic Calendar…especially in the beginning..something Im doing for a client right now :)

    Its certainly more than just having the skill of writing when you are delving into the realm of impromptu Public exposure with your writing…while 3 to 5 blog posts a week can seem like a daunting task to many beginner bloggers I think its essential to get that momentum early on…not only to drive traffic…but to evolve your ideas and brand based on the first few active members of your community….Do you think 1 Blog post a week is enough to sustain yourself once the first couple months have passed?

    Looking forward to take a look at the book! Do you have an overview somewhere I can look at…cant seem to find it on the site :)

    • http://www.trishussey.com/ Tris Hussey

      Hi Warren, Thank you! I’ll be releasing info on the next book in a bit. We’re tweaking chapter titles and content right now, but rest assured it will be a soup-to-nuts WP for beginners compendium!

  • http://RevSocial.com Warren Daly

    Great Post Tris!!

    I think its a HUGE business opportunity to teach people how to blog effectively and how to plan a content development strategy and Blog Topic Calendar…especially in the beginning..something Im doing for a client right now :)

    Its certainly more than just having the skill of writing when you are delving into the realm of impromptu Public exposure with your writing…while 3 to 5 blog posts a week can seem like a daunting task to many beginner bloggers I think its essential to get that momentum early on…not only to drive traffic…but to evolve your ideas and brand based on the first few active members of your community….Do you think 1 Blog post a week is enough to sustain yourself once the first couple months have passed?

    Looking forward to take a look at the book! Do you have an overview somewhere I can look at…cant seem to find it on the site :)

    • http://www.trishussey.com/ Tris Hussey

      Hi Warren, Thank you! I’ll be releasing info on the next book in a bit. We’re tweaking chapter titles and content right now, but rest assured it will be a soup-to-nuts WP for beginners compendium!

  • http://www.pinkpeppers.com Terri Rice
    • http://www.trishussey.com/ Tris Hussey

      Thank you Teri! I’m very happy you liked it and thank you for the review!

  • http://www.pinkpeppers.com Terri Rice
    • http://www.trishussey.com/ Tris Hussey

      Thank you Teri! I’m very happy you liked it and thank you for the review!

  • http://ravekrishna.wordpress.com Revathi Krishna

    Hi Tris,
    That was a neat blog. I deal with mulitple roles as blogger – my personal blog, my company blog, plus the Chief Blogger role I take on for my clients, and am frequently in “guilt” mode since I am not posting as much as I would like to!
    Your blog makes sense – to focus on what you want to say and then say it as opposed to simply blogging for the sake of it.
    But how do you generate blogs when there is a timeline involved? Are there times when you HAVE to force yourself to write?

  • http://ravekrishna.wordpress.com Revathi Krishna

    Hi Tris,
    That was a neat blog. I deal with mulitple roles as blogger – my personal blog, my company blog, plus the Chief Blogger role I take on for my clients, and am frequently in “guilt” mode since I am not posting as much as I would like to!
    Your blog makes sense – to focus on what you want to say and then say it as opposed to simply blogging for the sake of it.
    But how do you generate blogs when there is a timeline involved? Are there times when you HAVE to force yourself to write?

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