LERNR.COM

There has been a lot of discussion lately about blogging frequency. Some feel it’s a good idea that it is best to post everyday or multiple times per day. Others think that maybe a little more time between posts would be a good thing. This has been a topic I’ve been trying to get a handle on lately. Luckily BloggingExperiment.com compiled a great list of quotes on the subject from a collection of posts from ProBlogger. I was convinced, but it wasn’t easy.

Part of me thinks it is more important to just get content out there and get readers. The more your name is out there, the more you are front of mind. The other part of me thinks it is more important to have quality content. So, it is the quantity versus quality debate. The real winner is and always should be quality. In every part of life it should be quality.

In these discussions it is typically implied that more time between post will equal higher quality. I think it is easy for a beginning blogger like myself to think that just taking it slower and writing less frequently means that I will produce better content. But I know me. I know that if I’m not actually writing content that I won’t be writing good content either.

So, for me, agreeing with the fact that quality is more important than quantity, I have to be active in my writing even on the days that I’m not publishing. Below is a list of actions that I need to keep in mind in between publishings. These actions intertwine and overlap but…

1. Inspiration and Research – As is the main idea of this blog, constantly learning, reading and researching. Also, just read about inspiration. Doing this researching gives tons of ideas.
2. Lots of brainstorming and planning – Take out a pen and paper and think through some of your future posts. What do you want to write about. What do you want it to say. How do you want to say it. Mind-mapping is a great way to do this.
3. Commenting and networking – Always be commenting on other blogs. Always be networking with other bloggers. You can read about it everywhere.
4. Outlining and writing content – You remember high school English class. You remember all of the papers you had to write and all of the outlines that you were required to turn in to show you didn’t just sit down ten minutes before the paper was due. Most of us, once the outline wasn’t required, stopped outlining and that means we stopped thinking about the beginning middle and end of what we write before we start writing it. If you haven’t been outlining lately, give it a try again. You just might like it. Your readers might as too.
5. Proofreading and Editing – This is where I fail mostly. I’m too quick to type and and hit the publish post button. I need to take more time after writing to let the post sit so I can come back to read it with fresh eyes to make sure it is good and makes sense. As I wrote about in a recent post, I need to make sure the post is the best it can be before I publish it. My Dear Wife makes a great editor. She is often happy to point out my mistakes (love you dear )
6. Publishing – Umm Duh? Hit the button. Publish already.
7. Contacting the sources of your research – It is a good idea to let the bloggers who’s blog you used for research (especially if you are siting them). In a quick email, just thank them for their work, tell them you quoted them, link them to your site, and ask for their feedback on your post. A pingback is similar, but the person touch is nice networking.
8. Commenting on those posts you’ve researched with links back to your article – Like the last tip, this tip is to connect your blog with the blog you got your information from. If you like the post you’re referring to, chances are that someone else who like that post will like yours as well. Leave a comment that shows gratitude to the blogger and sharing how your post is a different approach to theirs. This may seem redundant because you just sent an email to the other blogger, but other readers can’t read your email, can they?

And the cycle continues. Most of us, for the different topics we are working on, will be doing different actions at the same time. This is good. As long as you can keep your topics straight and separated, do it. Others, really, can only work on one topic at a time. Do what ever works for you.

Some bloggers write in a way that they have a surplus of posts. Sort of like an emergency fund for blogging. I have tried this, but I’m having trouble keeping it going. But there is real value in it. It would be easy to think that we can write junk but save it for a couple days and it magically becomes quality. Be aware this doesn’t happen.

For me, it’s easy to get caught up in pretending like I’m doing action number 1 (research and inspiration). I could surf the web all day long if I were allowed. I love it, but I have to balance. For others, the pitfall might be somewhere else.

How do you balance the different actions to produce good content?What other actions do you throw into the mix? How do you balance all the tasks