Welcome to blog talk!
This is the sixth installment of "Blog Talk," in which I will give my opinion on different aspects of blogging and then continue the discussion in the comments. Because I want to hear what you have to say! Yes, you're even allowed to disagree. Just be nice about it.
Don't miss the other posts in this series!
When we consider the concept of quality vs. quantity blogging, I'm sure everyone would agree that we want to have a quality blog. But I saw the following statement once from a "big" blogger (big as in 3,000+ followers, which I consider quite large), and I want to know what you think about this:
"When it comes to my blog, I believe in quantity over quality."
She went on to say that while you shouldn't write complete crap just to have something to post, you really should be able to come up with something to say five days a week, because readers expect it.
The thought is that if someone comes to your blog expecting a new post and there isn't one, they will think twice about coming back the next day. This cycle continues, leading to fewer readers over time. So, basically if you want to be a big blogger, go for quantity, even if you can't always post something quality.
I'm not trying to be mean here. The point is not who wrote that statement (I'm not going to tell you). The point is not that big bloggers are terrible people (they aren't, obviously).
But I'm just going to be honest: as a reader of blogs, this concept irritates me and even offends me a little bit.
On one hand, I understand the importance of consistency. I can think of 3-4 blogs right now that I love to read but that only post a few times a month, if that. I wish they posted more because I really enjoy reading their blog! It also does get frustrating to continue to return to a blog time and again and never find a new post.
I also understand the importance of regular blogging if you have sponsors who are paying you to create weekly content that will drive traffic to your site, which drives traffic to the sponsor's site. But as someone who only has so many hours in the day to read blogs anyway, I find the concept of "just post something even if you really have nothing to say" insulting. I can tell when you've posted something just to post something. I'm not an idiot.
The best part is when a blogger announces that he or she had nothing to say.
"So I was sitting at my computer at 2:30 this morning, wide-awake, and I really wanted to have a post up for today, but I couldn't think of anything to write. So I Googled 'linkups,' and I found this Thoughtful Thursday* linkup! So here are Three Things I'm Thinking on Thursday."
And I'm all, "Yes! I totally want to read this post that you obviously wrote in twenty minutes on a topic you had given zero thought to before five hours ago."
So now you're saying, "Amanda, stop being cranky. You don't have to read the post if you don't want to." True. But if it's a blog I like, I'm going to click on the new post. And I'm going to have to read at least the first few lines before I realize this is a post you threw together because you felt like you had to write something.
Then I'm going to feel used for my page view.
Then again, what do I know? Obviously big bloggers who adhere to this quantity rule know something I don't. Hence the fact that they have thousands of followers and I, clearly, do not.
But here's another thing: there is not a single blog that I read every single day. Not even my favorites of favorites. Some days I have time to read lots of blogs. Other days I don't have time to read any blogs because I go running and then I have work, then I go volunteer or I go to Bible study or have dinner with friends. By the time I get home, I just fall right into bed and skip reading altogether.
I like it when a blogger doesn't post every day, because then I actually have time to read every post! Otherwise, the posts pile up on me. Then I get overwhelmed and hit "mark all as read." Because what else are you supposed to do?
Big bloggers who post daily have thousands of followers, so there are plenty of people who seem to not mind quantity. And listen: if you are able to post 9 days a week and write posts you're proud of, more power to you! I really mean that. I don't know how some people do it.
I'm not saying posting every day is a bad thing. And I'm not saying having thousands of followers must mean you don't have quality content. I AM NOT SAYING EITHER OF THOSE THINGS.
I'm just saying that for me personally, quality will always win over quantity. If that means posting less, I say so be it. This is why I don't post every day. This is why sometimes I don't post for a week.
I'm not consistent, I know.
I don't have a schedule. I'm sorry about that.
I don't like the thought of you coming here and not having anything new to read. But it's because I feel strongly about only posting my best, and if I don't have anything to say or I don't have time to get the post the way I want it, I'm not going to publish anything.
Want to weigh in? I would love to hear what you have to say about this topic! I'm sure some of you are going to disagree with me, and that's fine. Even encouraged! Please just be kind to others, or I will delete your comment. We're sharing opinions and learning from each other, and we're being nice about it.
Questions:
1. How important is quantity vs. quality to you for your own blog?
2. As a reader of blogs, how important is consistent posting? Would you rather have a blogger not post anything at all or post something he or she wrote at the last minute just to have something to say?
3. What is your ideal posting frequency for either your own blog and/or the blogs you read?
4. For those of you with sponsors, do you ever feel pressure to post even if you don't have anything to write about just because people are paying you to have new content? How do you handle that?
*Re: Thoughtful Thursdays. Not a real linkup as far as I know. I completely made it up for illustrative purposes.