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Should I Quit Blogging?

Posted By Darren Rowse 1st of July 2009 Other Income Streams 0 Comments

quit-blogging.jpgImage by -nathan

“Should I quit my blog and start Lifestreaming, Videocasting, Social Messaging/Networking etc?”

There’s been another round of ‘blogging is dead’ posts doing the rounds of late and as a result I’ve had a number of emails hitting my inbox over the last week from bloggers asking if they should stop blogging.

Here’s some of the advice I’ve been sharing:

  • Blogging is not dead – it’s evolving.
  • You should be evolving too (read Blogs are Out of Beta, But Bloggers Should always be in Beta)
  • Keep being useful, keep solving problems and keep meeting needs – whatever the medium this is key.
  • Keep producing content – people continue to search the web for content in huge numbers. It’s not all about networking and bookmarking – whether it be text, video or audio – keep producing content.
  • Experiment with different mediums – to the best of your ability keep abreast of the ‘new’ mediums that are emerging.
  • Build a ‘Home Base’ – many people flit from one medium to another and end up with nothing of their own (read more on the Home Bases and Outposts that I use).
  • Build a Brand – the mediums are tools. They’ll come and go in time – the key is to build something that lasts beyond them.
  • Don’t be Precious about your ‘Blog’ and be open to change – there’s no one ‘right’ way to blog. Blogs can have comments or not have comments, have full RSS feeds or partial ones, look like a traditional blog or act and look more like a lifestream or portal. The key is to know what you want to achieve and let that shape what you do with your blog.
  • Don’t abandon your blog too quickly – your primary efforts may move into a different medium but blogs can be an important part of the mix of what you do online. Don’t abandon your blog – build upon it, let it evolve, leverage what you’ve already built and use it where appropriate in the mix of what you do.

My last piece of advice is particularly for those with limited time or capacity to fully engage with all of the mediums and tools that are currently at our fingertips.

I get the sense from a lot of bloggers that they feel that they’re being left behind – that all this new stuff that is emerging is beyond them – that it’s hopeless to keep on blogging. My message to you if you’re feeling this way is to keep at it. Even as a full time blogger/web entrepreneur I don’t have time to fully engage with all of the new technologies that are currently emerging. I too feel some of those ‘overwhelming’ feelings.

I think the key is to engage with the new technologies to the point that you’re able but to know when to stop and focus upon what you already have in front of you.

The problem as I see it is that whether it be a blog, a Twitter presence, a podcast or some other kind of website or presence – it takes time to build these things up to successful levels. If you only give a medium a short time before moving to the next one you’ll just end up with a trail of abandoned accounts and sites behind you.

I see a lot of people running from one thing to the next and not really achieving anything. They live in a constant state of distraction and experimentation. There’s nothing wrong with new things and testing them out – but unless you’re fortunate enough to have a lot of spare time or an amazing capacity not to sleep there comes a time where you need to choose a handful of things to do (or even just one) and to do it to the best of your ability.

For me – this means focusing mainly upon building blogs. My blogs are evolving and looking less and less like blogs as I experiment with different ways of presenting the information on them and play with different technologies on them – but I try to keep my focus steady upon the long term goals that I have. As a result I’ve managed to build them into profitable properties.

Yes I’ll continue to experiment with other technologies but for me they are only about adding value to my primary web properties.

What do you think? How are you approaching what you do in this ever changing web?

About Darren Rowse
Darren Rowse is the founder and editor of ProBlogger Blog Tips and Digital Photography School. Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Comments
  1. Thtat’s one thing I have realized. You have to be willing to try new things, because “things” become old quickly nowadays. I’ve ventured into online video marketer. I create short videos that lead viewers to a free offer on my site. Traffic to the video mostly comes from posting my video free to a video marketing site called http://www.Adwido.com then my lead generation begins. I also feel I’ll find a way to implement blogging into my marketing effectively.

  2. Darren is absolutely right(again). When are people ever going to learn that quitting is never the best route? Is there even one good reason that you wouldn’t ever want to work the absolute hardest that you could….in anything!!!?!?!!

  3. blogging continuously evolving as technology continue to develop. it will never die. as a matter of fact you have a lots of variety and topics to discuss on your blogs.

    and you should work so that your blog wont die. its in the person/author which makes a successful blog.

    http://muffieshannen.com

  4. Blogs were considered before as online news publications and people thought blogs would stay at that level forever. However, as you said, it’s always evolving.

    Blog is not only a news platform anymore, rather it’s like a dynamic community that could be emerged with tons of online tools and resources giving better functions and features to these phenomenon.

    Blogs are now places where people meet each other, interact, share their thoughts and find useful information.

    I don’t think quitting blogging would be a good idea specially when the rate of web 2.0 evolution is growing all the time. Everyone should use blogging, whether for a hobby or business. Blogging improves self-confidence, credibility and innovation.

    Focusing upon building a good content should always be the core of blogging project. People are not first interested in who you are, they are looking for what you have to offer them, good information.

    Then, they would be more interested and seek for more info on your web pages and want to get more focused content.

    That way, they would get to know you, your passions and enthusiasm. Finally, they realize you care about them and give you more credit. That’s what should happen when you are blogging.

    Darren, in my opinion, you are one of the top experts in blogging and I am really glad you have covered such an important subject.

    Cheers!

    Hooshmand Moslemi

  5. George Hall says: 07/13/2009 at 6:38 pm

    Don’t quit yet, Darren.

    I agree…the blogging medium is evolving. Newer ways to do things, new tools. The occasional new way at looking at things.

    The operative saying here is “evolve or die.”

    Actually, let’s put that more as “adapt.” Adapt to the tools, adapt to the new things, not being scared to try.

    Reinvention is also something to look at.

    But while some platform might say “Blogging is dead,” that doesn’t necessarily mean it is. Sure, someone might say that if they’re trying to sell some alternative to it, but that doesn’t change things overnight.

    People will still want something to read regardless.

  6. I totally agree with you Darren. In my blog I cannot stress how important it is not to give up. I mean like many people think that blogging is a get rich quick thing, but it is not.

    Blogging takes hard work, for many months, you may not see results, but when you do it is very satisfying. Do not give up and just experiment with things, and one day you will find the right technique that works for you.

    For any new blogger: keep trying, find out what you might be doing wrong, never give up and you will succeed!!!

  7. Quit Blogging? Huh? People want to quit blogging? I couldn’t do that. As long as I can make an income from blogging I can’t quit. There’s always someone who will be interested in your content. That should motivate you to continue writing quality posts. Once again, don’t give up. This takes hard work and perserverance.

  8. I agree that you must have a long term view for success. If you want it all right now blogging is not the right venue for you. I am trying to apply that mentality to all my websites not just my blog. Quality for experience for all my users. I have a long way to go.

  9. well,..my home base is built quite good now… my own website, and no spam/banners on it…
    only thing i need; more authors for writing blogs about other types of stuff then psychology and sociology, which is my thing :P

    it’s a good blog again Darren!

  10. So totally agree that all the mediums, strategies and methods people use, have used, and continue to use will serve a purpose if there is purpose behind what they are working to achieve.

    If someone blogs just to blog, then the trail of info or archive will be meaningless. Content must be relevant to a topic or the specific goal of what one has in mind.

    Hopping around from thing to thing based on the whispers of what is the next cool thing will do nothing in terms of building relevance and clarity in the mission and goals established for well-thought out endeavors.

    Janet Hansen
    Scout66.com

  11. Of course you shouldn’t quit blogging, blogging is a good way for people to learn all sorts of things, whether it be making money, fixing a car, or something around the house. I personally dont know what I would do if it weren’t for bloggers. Theres been so many times when I’ve ran into a problem and didn’t have the money to get professional help and I just logged on to my old faithful computer and she saved my life. So keep on blogging and keep on making money.

  12. Like you said blogging is not dead is just evolving,. I personally think that it’s one the most unique phenomenons in the internet’s history.
    So for those who are screaming that blogging is dead… i don’t think you’ll see that day coming to soon.

  13. Blogging has never been more fun than now, I think bloggers that wish to quit really need to refocus n energize themselves with some positivity and rock on with their talented minds.

  14. Actually, let’s put that more as “adapt.” Adapt to the tools, adapt to the new things, not being scared to try.

  15. One thing for sure, blogging is much harder than it use to be in the good ol’ days. It’s harder to get noticed and everyone seems to be distracted by sites like Facebook and Twitter.

    I’ve been very discouraged over the last few months, but I’m not giving up. It seems like everyone’s attention span gets shorter and shorter every day. There are so many choices that a person will land on a site and almost immediately “X” out of it. Even if it is a super cool site you spend weeks or months on.

    The one thing I have noticed right now is that everyone is interested most in things about THEM. Me Me Me will keep a person glued.

    Perhaps a question to ask is…what product/service can you provide that will cater to this narcissistic world we live in?

    If you’re on a shoestring budget it’s extremely difficult to keep up with the big people… but, a good thing about NOT being big is you can serve other areas that a big site can’t.

    Sorry to ramble on and on… just a few thoughts to add :)

  16. I think that this is a great summary of the life of a blogger, as I’ve shared many of these same feelings during the time that I’ve been at it. I agree that taking a break form blogging helps sometimes, and also, remembering that it’s just a blog, and with anonymity comes bravery (for commenters, not myself). If you can stick with it though, I’d say that the rewards definitely out weight the downsides. Keep up the good work.

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