Is it possible to blog too much?
Most certainly, YES.
There are some great writers out there that just love to, well, write. They enjoy it so much they post three plus articles a day. Maybe it’s not enjoyment, maybe they think they have to write that much. Either way, they don’t and shouldn’t.
How is it possible that writing so often can be a bad thing?
At some point you begin to annoy your readers. Not that they don’t appreciate the information you are sharing but because the frequency of updates are just too much. It is important to give your readers the time to read what you have posted.
The number one reason readers unsubscribe from an RSS feed is due to excessive post frequency.
Think of it like this, most blogs keep their last five articles on the main page. If your average visitor comes to your blog every two to three days then they will be able to catch up on any blog posts. The average site visitor will only read the main page.
How often should a professional blogger write?
One to two times per day is a good amount. Do not sacrifice article quality for frequency. If you honestly are not able to post this often then don’t. A low quality article is a sure way to lose a reader as well.
Obviously there are some sites that are the exception to this. For example, news and entertainment sites are constantly getting updated. It is important for them to update as things happen.
So remember, quality over quantity!
I totally agree with you on this Patrick. I think bloggers should post quality articles instead of posting a large quantity. It’s annoying to go to a blog and have to catch up on 10 articles on a daily basis. I hate that.
In summation: bloggers should strike a balance between quality and quantity of articles.
I guess it’s a tradeoff between the enjoyment of some (maybe most) readers and the benefits derived from search engines. You’re obviously going to get more traffic from Google just based on having more written on your site, but like you said, you’ll probably annoy many readers as well. Personally, I blog whenever and however I feel like blogging — if the readers don’t like it, there are plenty of other blogs out there
This is very true. As long as they are quality which yours always are.
Just have to make sure you don’t burn yourself out. I’ve seen too many blogs start off strong and burn out from writing so much. In fact you have a post today about domain blogs that have not been updated.
Patrick,
Yes — you’re absolutely right. Looking at many of the blogs no longer being updated reveals that many of them only covered a small segment of the domain name industry — I tried to do that with 4 letter domains myself, however there just isn’t enough happening out there in such a niche market to be able to blog regularly.
I agree Reece niches being too small makes it impossible to blog every day. Its why I shut down Dottvnation.tv. Starting a new blog soon DotWtf.com so that there are many topics to write about instead of a small niche.
I blog because I like to …and no one can stop it.
Blog all you want.
Hey Chef Patrick, I have to agree that receiving too many RSS post in my inbox has made me shut down at least 4 different blogs when I first signed up with them. It got boring and then I found myself deleting the post without even reading it. How can you expect someone to read a post when you’ve written 3 others that same day? I like post maybe 3-4 times a week and of coarse only once daily. There is such a thing as over kill and then I would think that the blogger who is putting out more than one a day could very easily be waiting for burnout! That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. jj
So, you mean to tell me that there are blogs out there on the interverse where people post information on various topics for the reading enjoyment of others? I love this concept
…
I also have to add my 2 cents in here, I will delete and unsubscribe in 2 seconds if a site or that sites feed gets bothersome or annying.. I like information, but there is such a thing as too much too fast.
I think yes quality is definitely better than quantity. It all depends on the blogger’s goal and available time.
Someone who could write well and has the time to do so could deliver many articles with good quality.
Someone who could write well and doesn’t have the time to do so shouldn’t write too much as the quality of his/her articles would be in danger.
When it comes to RSS feeds. We can’t please everyone. Some will unsubscribe because we blog once a week, some will unsubscribe because we blog 10 times a week. This is all good with me, I only want to keep those readers that appreciate my posts and what I have to say.
When people subscribe to someone’s RSS feed, they expect a certain frequency in updates. Just keep your frequency going to keep those readers happy.
I haven’t been blogging for long but I am subscribed to many RSS feeds including yours my friend.
Straight from the man himself:
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/05/15/be-consistant-and-useful-thoughts-on-how-often-to-publish-on-your-blog/
You read the book right?
Yes, I have read the book. It was a great read.
Did not participate in the challenge though.
I have two blogs and post 3 times per week each blog – if I have a special challenge or something going on, perhaps I’ll post more. For example, I did a 14 day eco blogging adventure and that was really an exception – http://bit.ly/3YKee – I posted about once per day.
I think you’ve said it pretty clearly and I totally agree – quality over quantity.