To blog, or not to blog, that is the question…
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer. Or to continue spewing random words onto the interwebz every Monday, braving the slings and arrows of SEO optimized posts…
I go through this debate every fall as I start goal setting for the next year. The fact is, there are about 4-6 of you who comment on these post regularly, and 20-30 who actually click the link to read. Occasionally, I have a Monday where I hit 50+ views, but those are rare.
And the numbers haven’t been growing. Actually, they are slipping. So I have to wonder…
Is there a better use of my time(and yours)?
And the answer is, probably not. In truth, this blog is the only way I have of communicating with a wide, unrestricted audience. We all know that social media site throttle posts so they don’t reach a broader audience – even those who have opted in. Since I’ve removed Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram from my phone, I find myself looking at them less and less. I also think this is a growing trend, so ditching my blog for social media doesn’t makes sense.
Newsletter mailings rely on opting in, which is great, because we can assume that the audience wishes to receive them. The problem is, we all suffer inbox overload. I myself can be rather capricious when it comes to randomly unsubscribing depending on how my day is going. And if someone sent me newsletters weekly, they would be a goner. Which means the blog is the best way to stay out in front of potential audience.
So here I am. I’m optimized baby. My readability scores are high. I use eye-catching images like this one to pique the interest:
But if the audience isn’t clicking the link, does potential reach matter?
These are the questions that plague me every week when I sit down to write my post. But in writing this post, I’ve managed to answer the big question for myself. So, let me ask you, lucky person who clicked because of the cute but slightly confused hamster, the more important question:
What kind of posts do you want to see going forward?
It must be difficult to come up with weekly topics. I personally love your posts. I know that when I was a crazy-addicted reader if I found an author I liked and if I sought out their webpage, I found myself disappointed the content on their page was old and stale. You are always so fresh, funny and creative with your topics.
I actually like to read your random update posts. A funny story that happened to you. A good deal you got. A Sally update. Of course updates on reading.
Thankfully you don’t do political posts. Twitter is saturated and I find myself only going there once a day. Constant bad news really wears you down. I get myself fired up and angry going to Twitter but I find I can’t withdrawal from there.
So your blog posts are a breath of fresh air.
Thank you! That’s part of why I’m drawing back from social media. Thanks for reading! I appreciate you!
LOL I love the cute but slightly confused hamster! I’d love more of those going forward. 😀
I’m with Michelle and enjoy the posts you write. The random updates are great, as are the true (and sometimes terrifying) tales of the not-so-glamorous life of an author and how you’re able to survive the ever-evolving world of publishing. I love hearing about the new (and old) projects you’re working on, too.
Ha! Like you can escape it. Mwahahahaha!
My voice misses you!
I enjoy reading your posts. It gives us a little insight into what makes you the author you are. But you have to do what makes the most of your time. If you’re posting, I’m reading it.
Thanks, Nancy! I managed to answer my own questions in the ramble, but sometimes I do feel like I’m just flapping my fingertips, therefore I want to write about what you want to read. 😉