This post was written by Jennifer
Is Blogging Really This Dangerous?
My pal Kori sent me this piece from the New York Times a couple of hours ago. Scary stuff - go read it, then come back and we’ll chat.
Honestly, this article sort of freaked me out. While I do love blogging, this article covered a lot of the negatives. Long hours, the constant story hunt, links, networking, no time to eat when I’m in full on work mode, and more. Some of this stuff is scarily true.
It’s worse when you’re on someone else’s dime too. I remember blogging just for me, back in the day. The big difference was that if I felt like stopping, taking a break, I could. I did. I do remember blog breaks. Now, blogging for others, supporting my son with blogging, I rarely have time to breathe when it’s work time. I just don’t stop.
Recently (last month) I realized that something had to give. I sat down with my schedule to think things over. Among other things I went down to part-time at one position and dropped another gig altogether. We’ll have less money immediately, but in the long run, I’ll be more productive at the blogs I’m keeping.
I have some other ideas as well. If you’re a frazzled blogger here are some things that may work:
Quit something: As noted above, I recently did this and I feel much better already.
No more free guest posting: Guest posting has some major advantages if you blog for others. That said, it’s also a drain on the time you could be working for money, hanging out with your family, exercising, or sleeping, etc.
Blog what you know: Deb wrote about this in her post, Knowing When to Say No (And When Not To). It’s smarter to blog what you know because it saves time.
Don’t blog time significant topics: Topic like tech news, taxes, celebrities, fashion, television, and in some case real estate, (among others) can be very time significant. As in you snooze you lose. There are blog topics that are more evergreen than others and some are just as successful as time dependent topics. Examples include parenting, cooking, children’s literature, college life, and more. Obviously all blog topics have some evergreen aspects and some breaking news aspects, but you have some sort of give here. If searching for breaking news 24/7 is making you nuts, look for another topic.
Blog better where you are: You can have a ton of blog gigs and make good money. The disadvantage to holding down many blogs is that you give more attention to some of them, not the same attention to all of them. Maybe you could quit a few blogs and focus exceptional attention on the blogs you have left, thus making them more successful. Believe me it’s less stressful to focus on five blogs vs. ten.
Don’t take poor paying gigs: The worse your jobs pay, the more jobs you need. If you’re currently working five low-paying blog gigs, start looking for two that pay better.
Cut out social distractions: I get more done when I avoid Twitter and Stumble Upon. I also get traffic from both, so it’s a toss up. Email distracts me too. I’ve been considering instituting a dedicated social networking time that includes email. That’s a huge step so I’m only thinking about it right now, but it will save me some time, once I get brave enough to try it.
Blog one blog a day: Some of my friends say that they’ll do all their posts for one blog on Monday, another on Tuesday, and so on. some of them swear by it. It’s not my cup of tea, because I like to jump topics, but it’s something you could try to save time.
Take on a co-blogger: I recently did this and it’s saved me time, motivated me, and the blog has gained lots of traffic, so my wages haven’t gone down that much. Co-blogging is not for everyone, but it can save you time. In my experience, most clients and networks will let you give it a whirl.
What else can we do to avoid the major burn-out that can come with blogging? What have you done that’s worked?
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15 Responses to “Is Blogging Really This Dangerous?”
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As someone who blogs for a celebrity site (among others), I can tell you it’s can be difficult to be on top of the game. Especially since celeb bloggers all seem to write and rehash the same news. I avoid burnout by doing two things:
1. Coming to an agreement with my employer. “Instead of 27 posts per day, I’ll give you two hours a day”.
2. Find a way to be different from the rest of the celebrity bloggers. Instead of writing the same old Britney stories, look for news and stories other blogs aren’t doing. Set yourself apart from the rest. Two well-written article type posts might give you more bang and traffic for your buck than 30 news pieces people are reading every where else.
Is there a link to the story here? Seems to be part of this post missing for me….
I can’t read the rest of the post either. All the “read mores” go nowhere…
Sorry guys. I was trying to use the “excerpt” command to trim the posts on the first page. It worked for FWJ but not NBT.
Wow, the NY Times article really is something.
While I don’t write for a network, I can relate to the long hours and stress, but what I need to do is keep my health and fitness forefront above the blogging, especially since I blog about health and fitness!
I also don’t blog about time sensitive info, but stick with my own experiences and timeless content. I can see why the bloggers who need to stay on top of breaking news would be tied to the computer and a bit stressed out - that wouldn’t be worth it to me, but again I’ve got to put my health first and steer myself back on track when I find myself getting obsessed with my blog (yep, that’s happened!).
[…] Is Blogging Really this Dangerous? Jennifer Chait responds to the New York Times article at Network Blogging Tips. […]
I couldn’t handle the time-sensitive blogging. Those people who feel they can’t sleep and eat aren’t healthy. Why not hire someone to handle the night shift for you if news can’t wait?
E-mail social networking time? 1-3 a.m. ; )
I have avoided skype for the very reason of distraction. I may have to give in and get it, but I don’t think I’m really missing much.
I agree Peggy, that’s why I flipped my schedule around some, to work in sleep and meals. I think though, that anyone in any job has the potential to overwork, not just bloggers. Rest is good advice for everyone.
Ha, and that is when we socialize huh 1-3 am, too funny. Actually, I talk to a lot of bloggers during the night, it’s an odd living sometimes.
I tend to blog more at night since there aren’t as many distractions. I don’t shop, clean, eat, exercise, watch DVDs, hang with Michael late at night. So, really it’s the perfect time. But I also work during the day as well.
Wait, I do cook and eat at midnight sometimes. That’s my prime muffin baking time! Oh, and I usually clean the kitchen at 2 a.m. as well. Still, there aren’t as many distractions late.
I blog on a particular celebrity niche a couple of times a week, and you’re right, Deb — everyone’s talking about the same thing. So I try to add some interesting commentary, or find some additional info that others aren’t linking to. Instead of “just” rehashing, I’m trying to add additional content. Time will tell if that works, I guess.
Distractions? Yes, I need to remember to turn off Twitterific and my feed reader and just get down to business. Especially since I’m adding a gig that’ll require daily posting.
I don’t like the time-sensitive stuff either. That wouldn’t work with the rest of my life. My trick for focus is taking all my research and notes to a Starbucks without Internet access. I can write several articles and/or posts in a 2 hour shot. That’s all I do there is write. If I think of a link I want to add or some more information I need, I highlight the text and look it up later when I’m posting.
“Speed can be of the essence. If a blogger is beaten by a millisecond, someone else’s post on the subject will bring in the audience, the links and the bigger share of the ad revenue.”
This is so true, it’s scary. I write for a TV blog and if I’m the first one up with a breaking story on Supernatural, it’s worth 1,000’s of hits that I won’t get if I’m second or third.
Oops, just saw that the star signed on a new movie — missed that story, now it’s like why bother putting it up. It’s old news a half hour after its posting.
Cynthia makes a good point, in blogging it can be all about first movers advantage, as in Hey, i have the scoop, im the first to cover this.
But who really is the first? Where does it originate? I mean, i read blogs all day long, and many differnet ones, and i am always seeing a link to the source story, but then when i go to “the source”, they also have a source, and on it goes.
Like Cynthia, many times i dont write about something, because im thinking oh someone else covered that like an hour ago, its old news. But i guess that is kind of silly, considering that most people arent bloggers, and they may not have seen said story already.
It is something we as bloggers, have to get over. “Being the first”.
I’m off to take a walk, before i croak over.
Missy.
I don’t blog for a living and yet I can somewhat understand the pressures involved. I have 3 blogs that I currently update and although I love it and I am passionate about them, I can see myself worrying about finding good topics and whether I have posted frequently enough or not.
Although I’d love to do this full time, I can see how time-consuming and demanding it can be. So half of me envies you people and another gives thanks for my steady part-time job that allows me enough time to go to the gym and spend time with my wife.
I guess you get what you pay for and at one point you’ve got to have your priorities straight. Otherwise the literal price of success can be too high.
Good luck and blog safely
[…] from Network Blogging Tips blogged about an important lesson she learned about blogging for money. It can become addicting. […]