I suck at blogging

[BadWolf]

Confession: I suck at blogging. Genuinely. I have a full head of steam and all of these ideas and then I just stop posting or I post sparsely. I fear that I don't post enough photos, that posts without them will just suck from lack. I worry a lot of how many people will read it. I think I'm also suffering from Lifestyle Blog-itis. I don't even read that many lifestyle blogs, but I think I wanted to be one at some point, but I'm not into pretending that my apartment/life/whatever is perfect even for the sake of readership. I wanted to share stuff I'd made/was selling, I wanted to share photos of neat stuff, I wanted to have awesome opinions that I could write long posts about, but none of this came to fruition. I'm not organized like that. On the other hand I still want to share. LET ME SHARE THE FEELS!

My other problem is that when I fail at a blog (yes, this has happened many times) I resent the blog. I delete it and decide never to use the name again.

I've given myself three options:

1) Just dump my blogspot one and start writing stuff on Tumblr in between reblogs of fitness/equality/kitten/nerd stuff.

2) Start anew and just be honest that I suck at blogging while accepting that maybe only a few people will read it who feel the same way I do.

3) Give my current blog another chance.

Why am I boring you all with this? Honestly, I'd probably just click back and think, "What a sad human being", but if you don't think I'm sad and pathetic *big kitten eyes* then maybe you can tell me about your experience with blogging, why you do or don't do it, that you did do it once, etc. Meanwhile, I'll be glaring at my blog, wishing it a fast painless death or maybe applying bandages.

[unicornassassin]

I worry a lot of how many people will read it. ...............

My other problem is that when I fail at a blog (yes, this has happened many times) I resent the blog. .....................

2) Start anew and just be honest that I suck at blogging while accepting that maybe only a few people will read it who feel the same way I do.

Why do you care how many people read it? Are you wanting to make money off of it? Is it an ego thing, like you want to know that people think what you have to say is really interesting (this sounds like a dickish question- I don't mean it to be. Once you know your motivation, that helps to figure out the answer).

How does one 'fail' at a blog? By not making money? By people sending you emails telling you to get off the internet and never get back on?

My experience:

I have a blog. Some people with similar interests read it. I hoped more friends and family read it, and if the do, they don't let me know (and I'm pretty sure they don't, because when I mention it, most don't even know I have it). When I'm really into the blog I post a lot more, but when I'm being really social and busy, I don't blog because I talk to my friends about the stuff I would blog about.

ETA- For me, I think my blog is 'successful' if I enjoy doing it. And if people leave cool comments, that's great, too.

[gymell]

I've never been able to keep up with blogging either. But I've found that Twitter works great for me! Much less commitment.

[Red1263]

It all depends on what you're using the blog for, my blog is merely a personal journal with reflections, so it doesn't matter if one person or a thousand people read it, and that's alright with me. Although I start to feel bad if I don't write after a while, I see it only as a means of putting my thoughts down.

So before you make a decision on whether to save or delete your blog, DECIDE what your blog is for, Pleasure, Personal, Informative, etc. Once you have that, you can go from there.

[pikespeach]

It all depends on what you're using the blog for, my blog is merely a personal journal with reflections, so it doesn't matter if one person or a thousand people read it, and that's alright with me. Although I start to feel bad if I don't write after a while, I see it only as a means of putting my thoughts down.

So before you make a decision on whether to save or delete your blog, DECIDE what your blog is for, Pleasure, Personal, Informative, etc. Once you have that, you can go from there.

Totally agree!

[Artinum]

I've never had a good record with blogs, though I've been doing remarkably well with my NF one. They only "fail" in the same way that species or empires do - they simply stop. From that viewpoint, all blogs fail sooner or later. Or do they simply serve their purpose and then end? Then a blog is a success unless the blogger gives up.

The most important thing to remember is that blogs are not written to be read, though that is a nice bonus. They are written for the sake of writing. Pay no attention to what anyone else might think - feel free to fill your blog with f-words and tales of homoerotic slash fiction if you so desire, or talk about knitting patterns and tea cosies... (or all at once!). The aim is to write what pops into your head, and if that benefits an audience then yippee!

The second most important thing is momentum. Missing a day isn't a disaster, but missing several in a row is bad. Make an effort to post something every day/week/whatever your schedule, even if it's just a bland rant about the price of stamps. This is the single biggest reason why I've never managed to pull off a regular blog until NF - I had nothing to say most of the time, and simply stopped posting anything.

[Sambalina]

I've got a blog, and I really love it. I started out expecting to fail (I'm such a 'start a new project and then get bored halfway through and abandon it' person), but now it's nearly a year later and I've posted pretty faithfully at lest 2-3 times a week (often more) for the majority of that time (apart from one month when I was travelling through China).

I do it mostly for myself. My blog is based around being grateful for things. I aim to find five things every blog post that made me happy. They can be big, like I got a job, or little, like I saw a cute puppy. I also keep my friends and family updated about where I am, what I'm doing, and what I'm planning.

It's read by a huge and faithful readership... My mum Some of my friends back home read it too, and I'm sure the odd guest pops by. I don't mind that only my mum reads it, I'd rather do it for her and myself than anyone else anyway.

I guess it depends on what you want to use your blog for. It also took me a few goes before I found the platform, layout, and name that really 'did it' for me. I tried a few things in the months before setting up my current blog, and something just felt wrong. Maybe you just haven't found the right 'home' yet?

[drayz]

I have the same problem. I don't know how many blogs I have set up and deleted. But I always really want to have one. A couple things I am keeping in mind going into this project. Normally something like a blog is not well thought out for me but given my high failure rate, I had to plan a bit better.

1. It may start out terrible and get better along the way. I need to practice and accept I am not always 100% fascinating nor a great writer.

2. I just moved across the country about 8 months ago. A blog can help keep friends and family up to date and document my city/emerging interests.

3. I am going in with the mindset that it will be an interesting endeavor.

[RDOwens]

Don't delete it. Red1263 provides good advice. I've been blogging nine years . . . pretty much daily. You do need to decide what your audience is, reason for doing so, etc. My focus has shifted over the years, but the underlying fact is that it is for me. If others enjoy it, great. If not, no biggy. I had a plugin written for me several years ago that will append the end of each post with all the posts made on the same date in previous years. I love it when I post each day to peruse what I wrote last year, two years ago, nine years ago, etc. I've plugged in other events from my life, so I am able to re-live concerts I attended 30 years ago as I stroll down memory lane.

Yeah, my blog is for me. When you delete your posts, you are removing part of your history that you may enjoy later on.

[Loren Wade]

Earlier this year I took a course by Corbett Barr, who runs an extremely successful blog called Think Traffic. The course is called Start a Blog That Matters. It's literally changed all of that for me. Choosing a topic, launching your new blog, designing it, etc... all covered in the course. Maybe it'll help one of you out. Feel free PM me if you have any questions about the course.

Ever since taking it, I've been writing more, excited about it more, and I finally believe that I can do something with my blog as Steve Kamb has with his.

But yeah, for a long time I had the same issue with writing a blog. I was never consistent.

[BadWolf]

I've got a blog, and I really love it. I started out expecting to fail (I'm such a 'start a new project and then get bored halfway through and abandon it' person), but now it's nearly a year later and I've posted pretty faithfully at lest 2-3 times a week (often more) for the majority of that time (apart from one month when I was travelling through China).

I do it mostly for myself. My blog is based around being grateful for things. I aim to find five things every blog post that made me happy. They can be big, like I got a job, or little, like I saw a cute puppy. I also keep my friends and family updated about where I am, what I'm doing, and what I'm planning.

It's read by a huge and faithful readership... My mum Some of my friends back home read it too, and I'm sure the odd guest pops by. I don't mind that only my mum reads it, I'd rather do it for her and myself than anyone else anyway.

I guess it depends on what you want to use your blog for. It also took me a few goes before I found the platform, layout, and name that really 'did it' for me. I tried a few things in the months before setting up my current blog, and something just felt wrong. Maybe you just haven't found the right 'home' yet?

I think the problem is that I don't write it for myself really. Maybe if I focus on just putting down things that I want to remember and so forth it'd be easier. My mom reads mine too I guess I've been thinking about it the wrong way.

Thanks to everyone who has responded. I just get frustrated about blogging because I read many that have a purpose (crafting, cooking, Mexico, etc) and so in my head I need a specific purpose, but I float between interests so much that it's hard to do that. I think I'll just keep going and try to think of it as a record for me, and if someone else reads it, bonus.

[KillerGriller]

I found that I was continually thinking each post had to be a soaring epic of literary greatness, then I realized that sometimes the short posts could be just as good. It took a lot of pressure off and I found that I was actually writing more because of it....that being said, I haven't posted in 2 weeks (ooops) but that's mostly due to injury and not having much to say about my training. Good luck

[rtalencar]

I think the problem is that I don't write it for myself really. Maybe if I focus on just putting down things that I want to remember and so forth it'd be easier. My mom reads mine too I guess I've been thinking about it the wrong way.

Thanks to everyone who has responded. I just get frustrated about blogging because I read many that have a purpose (crafting, cooking, Mexico, etc) and so in my head I need a specific purpose, but I float between interests so much that it's hard to do that. I think I'll just keep going and try to think of it as a record for me, and if someone else reads it, bonus.

I've never been able to keep up with blogging, but I do post sporatically. For me, one of my biggest personal problems is that I ramble. I like to think I'm relatively witty and am pretty decent at telling stories, but a simple recounting of a 5 minute conversation I had with someone could take me 20 minutes to finish. It's bad. Blogging is an opportunity to put all of my thoughts into one coherent and succinct package. I'm always telling a story to someone else with it, but it's tailored to relate that story efficiently and 'well' as possible.

I mention this because you talk about not writing for yourself. I'm the same way, if it were just for me I wouldn't want to do it at all. Even writing those posts for others though, I've found that deriving satisfaction from creating the post and perfecting it is really where my reward is. Then it doesn't matter how many people read it, how they respond to it, whatever. I know (or at least think) that my posts are communicated as well as I could have done. Even though it's meant for others, it becomes an internal reward rather than an external one. Note: it helps that I'm a selfish egotistical p**** about this sort of thing so I can actually get away with writing up a post for others to read and not giving a damn what they think of it! =)

[ryanmercer]

Just keep at it. I'm sporadic but I've been at it 11 years now so I've spewed tons of content to one place.

[BruteSquad]

Personal goal. Start a blog site, run it by posting once a week. I include a video once a week also. I am not doing this for money, so I don't care how many people read or watch it. I find my biggest responses are to blogs I write FOR ME! I am writing about my challenges and issues as I lose an incredible amount of weight just to see how much more I need to lose. It is part of my schedule just like a workout.

I made a list of things to blog about. So on the rare week that I don't have a topic inflict itself on me, I look at my list and pick one. So far that has been rare. I have done it on the road, during mad schedule crisis, and when I just didn't want to do it. Why? Because it is part of what I committed to. Just like the workout I did on the road, during schedule crisis, and when I didn't want to do it. It is part of what will help me be better.

I would ask, why do you want to blog? Is it to be one of the cool kids? To be popular? To feed your ego?

If those are the reasons, you would be better off applying your efforts elsewhere.

I blog because I can be open and honest in a way that sometimes startles me when I go back and read/view them. It helps me know myself. I never intended to blog, but now it is part of what I do.

Two cents thrown....

[Vicarious Ink]

I just started my personal website for my blogging about everything going on recently. Mostly it's a "resume/CV" site, but my portfolio will be up there soon.

....if you wanted to see it: www.brandonloyd.net </shamelessplug>

[BadWolf]

I just started my personal website for my blogging about everything going on recently. Mostly it's a "resume/CV" site, but my portfolio will be up there soon.

....if you wanted to see it: www.brandonloyd.net </shamelessplug>

Your shamelessness is showing

Okay, crisis averted. FOR NOW.

Kept my blog, did change the name, but didn't delete anything. Ditched the lifestyle blogger crap name for CATS ARE DRAGONS

Posted twice and I'm focusing on just writing for myself. "Okay, self this post is nice, let's put it up online so we may treasure it in our old internet-y age some day".

To further explain, back when I started blogging I was also trying to promote my shop, but I realized "Hey! Blogs that ONLY feature stuff they sell are lame". So I stopped. Then I tried to make it cool and crafty and awesome, but I was sort of censoring myself and write what other people wanted, which is where I was at when I wrote this. I feel much better just assuming no one will read this crap

[tuffyhills79]

don't give up blogging. Start with your own domain name no body will suck you.