The ever curious Rory posed another 24 Hour Question. This time he wants to know…
If no one ever read your blog would you still write, keep and maintain the blog or would you change the way you write so as to keep your blog and be read?
He also asked…
Would you change your style to be read more often or would you simply take more steps to encourage readers to read your actual style and build up your own like minded community – or would it not bother you in he slightest?
I started blogging in 2005, first on Blogger from 2005 through mid-2008 and then on TypePad from mid-2008 to mid-2013. During my days on Blogger and TypePad I hardly got any views, visitors, likes, or comments. I didn’t post regularly, averaging maybe five to ten posts a month, and I sometimes went for a month or two with no posts at all.
In fact, so few people read my blog that my daughter gave me this mousepad.
Yet I continued to write and publish posts, telling myself I didn’t care if anybody read them. Why? Because I like to express myself in writing and because I got a bit of a narcissistic thrill seeing something I had written posted to the internet. Woo hoo!
In mid-2013 I migrated my blog to WordPress. And even though I didn’t really change the way I wrote, I began to find an audience for my posts. I slowly started to get likes, comments, and followers. And I really enjoyed that interaction. It was much more fulfilling and rewarding than “writing for myself.”
I did change my style after moving to WordPress. On my old blogs I used to write long, rambling, multi-topic posts, often ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 words. But I noticed that my views and comments on WordPress were much higher on shorter posts, those at or under 500 words. So I changed my style to shorter, more concise, and single-topic posts. I also started to respond to prompts, like the WordPress Daily Prompt. My stats jumped when I wore shorter posts and responded to prompts.
In mid-2015 I stopped blogging because I had some personal matters that I needed to focus on and I abandoned my blog.
But in May 2017, with my personal matters behind me, I returned to blogging with “This, That, and the Other.” I continued to keep my writing relatively short and crisp. I began responding to even more prompts. And when WordPress stopped its Daily Prompt in June 2018, I started my own one-word prompt, FOWC With Fandango. And since then I have introduced a number of weekly prompts.
So, after this long-winded, rambling introduction, let me finally answer Rory’s questions.
If suddenly no one read my blog anymore, I’d probably stop blogging. Because the best part of blogging, in my opinion, is the interaction from others who take their time to read my posts and to like and comment on them. I’d still write, at least a little, because I love to write, but I probably wouldn’t publish them on a blog.
Would I change my style to be read more? I did that in the past, as I explained above (my average post length these days is about 240 words, although this one is just over 600 words). But at this point, no, I would not change my style. I’m pretty happy with it. And given my number of followers, daily view, likes, and comments my posts get, apparently so are those who read my blog.
What’s not to like? You get ‘good press’ too from long time bloggers and a little positive feedback about a blog goes a really long way. I hadn’t considered one point in your answer(s) – the slightly narcissistic buzz a blogger gets from seeing their words “out there”. I get that too I suppose. Hmm. Great answers to these ‘chewy’ questions! But I expected no less!
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I aim to please, Melanie. 😉
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If no-one reads your blog than it probably means you don’t read anyone else’s. I’ve known bloggers with huge followings that suddenly gave up and visa versa. It’s a subject I could probably rift on for a long time so I’ll just let it go at that!
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Yes, shorter posts are necessary – you’re lucky if someone reads more than two sentences or do a quick peruse. I was told to try and it keep it no more 300 words. (there are various challenges out there) I try to keep that in mind – but sometimes forget. 🙂
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I think trying to keep blogs to 300 words or less is a good approach. I follow a lot of bloggers and I just don’t have the time to read long posts. I either skim them or skip them.
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Right? Someone told me and I tried to incorporate that – but sometimes forget.) but I won’t read anything long (unless it’s very good and I get sucked in) but long fiction pieces, nope.
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Of the 4000+ people who follow your blog, how many do you actually hear from? My almost 1400 followers, perhaps no more than 50 I interact with regularly and probably about 10 who pop up time too time.
PS you daughter is quite mean….amusing but mean 😀
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I’d say that of the 4,000+ who allegedly follow my blog, I probably interact regularly with fewer than 100. Maybe way fewer.
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I always did wonder if the more followers you get the more daunting blogging may become. It seems there is some sort of peak interaction no matter the numbers
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The more bloggers you follow, trying to keep up with them is very daunting. I currently follow 170 bloggers, many of whom post daily, so keeping up is a major challenge.
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Yes I do find that a good few hours is taken reading and commenting on others blogs daily
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It’s hard to get a balance, isn’t it. ‘Squares’ became a full time job. I definitely know now that daily posting ain’t for me!
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The season I planned squares and scheduled posts was the easiest. The theme was an easy one, cant remember which one.
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That sounds like a plan. But there’s still A Blogosphere out there to engage with.
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I know…….
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We definitely like reading your blog. You’ve a distinct style and that’s what attracts people to your site.
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Thanks, Sadje. I appreciate you saying that.
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Always a pleasure
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Agreed Sadje 🙂
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Thanks 🙏
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I followed a similar path to you in starting and maintaining my blog. And this post has given me the opportunity to say how much I enjoy yours, even if I rarely respond. I actually choose not to respond to many Blogging Challenges – it can almost become a way of life, and though it’s good, as a long term blogger, to get fresh ideas from time to time, I don’t want the challenges to become my master rather than my servant. But interacting with other bloggers has been a real opportunity, and one I relish. Thanks for your often stimulating, often witty posts
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I appreciate your comment, and you have a valid point about how easy it is to let responding to prompts become the master. I sometimes feel that it’s taken over my blog, as many of my posts are built around blog prompts and challenges, but I enjoy trying to paint a story using a number of random, disconnected words, or responding to the sometimes interesting, sometimes inane questions other bloggers pose.
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If you don’t write true to yourself you will never gain an audience. I haven’t changed how I write but inspiration is prompts now instead of just the occasional life event. And without the community it would be a whole different game!
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If I didn’t get responses I’d probably give up too. I don’t mind watching my stats go up and down. When i write less, the numbers drop. Sometimes for no reason the balloon up and for other unknown reason, drop down. But you don’t get a guarantee. if you write things other people want to read, you do well. If you don’t, you don’t do so well.
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Very true, Marilyn. Sort of like the laws of supply and demand or the free market system applied to blog posts.
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