You blog often and spend time writing quality articles, but feel you are not getting traffic or your blogging seems all for nothing? Has blogging become a chore?
There could be several reasons why you might feed blogging is a tedious chore:
- Creating a post takes too much time
- Lack of motivation
- Discouraged because you do not have any blog comments or socal interactions.
- You have no passion for the topics you chose for your website’s focus.
Each of these are excuses! If you want to succeed as a blogger, you need to keep writing! It might take some time, and engaging people, but the reward is far more worth it.
If it has, then perhaps you need to look at your blog’s focus and plan. Much like most businesses have some type of plan in place, a blog should too. If you are wanting to build a reputable site that has at least decent traffic, you need a blog plan in place.
So, back to the excuses. What can you do to stop these excuses? Well, it might take going back to the basics with your blog’s plan.
Your blog plan should include at least these basics:
- The focus of your site. This includes the topics you will write about, any products or services.
- The design and structure of your website. This is what you will use for your site’s functioning in relation to design and development. This might mean if you choose to solely have a blog on WordPress or a total static site, or perhaps choose another content management system.
- How you will reach your audience. You will want to think about whether you want to connect your website to social network sites, do social bookmarking, or even ad marketing.
Your first blog plan for your site can include your plans for monetization, in the case you will solely depend on advertisements, paid posts, and other revenue making tools. However, it should not be put in place from the beginning. Making money on your blog from the first day should not be your goal. You can always make money with traffic, but plastering your site with ads off the bat is a big clue that your focus is not on providing unique and quality content.
It should be reaching out and engaging with people. With integrating your site to post to social network sites like Twitter and Facebook, as well as submitting those articles to social bookmarking sites like Digg and StumbleUpon, you are literally putting out your content to the masses. If you already talk to people online, then they may be open to reading your blog posts.
Now, if you do not have any connections… come on… starting engaging. Unless you spam someone or come off as rude, connecting with people is not hard. Be prepared to listen. As a blogger and person in general, you can learn a lot, and even find topics to fuel your blog.
So, stop thinking of blogging as a chore! Get writing, engage, and have fun!
Hi Nile, Blogging for me is a chore, though its one of the chores I like the most. 🙂
lol.. Blogging is not a chore for me. Chores I consider are something I find tedious. Glad you like to blog. 😀
Hi Nile,
it really takes too much time to draw traffic for your blog. i agree we have to continue with our writing and wit for some good result.
Thanks for this post.
Thanks Prakash! It does take time, but I think people like to give up too easily.
Yes you are right people do the same as you are telling..cause its too hard to deal with it as there are a great competition in this field…..
Yes, you’re right Nile. At the beginnings in the online field everyone does feel the same, as a ‘Chore’ as they feel sad about the low number of visitors, poor or no adsense income and barely any subscribers.
But, you need to focus on your blog and ought to keep on working your way. Nice post, Damn true. Had the same going with me until recently, started grabbing some attention.
Hi Nile,
Blogging always looks easy from the outsite but keeping a blog up to date is hard especially if you are not receiving the traffic you expected.
Not sure if blogging has become a chore for me (I’m relatively new to all this, so time will tell), but it already affects my relationship because of the time spent. And it is getting more and more difficult to explain why I need to do this and do that. Hopefully she forgives me when this blogging madness pays off. Again, time will tell 🙂
sometimes it appears like feeling like that, especially as a newbie blogger, feeling lazy and frustration always arise
Nope,Blogging is still a lot of fun for me…It takes some time for you to understand how to promote your blog and it is certainly frustrating when no one is reading your posts but once you get off the ground and people actually start reading,It’s a great feeling.
With 9 sites to maintain in a variety of niches I can well relate to “blogging being a chore” especially when you’re trying to find a new slant on a topic (eg: weight loss) where hundreds of thousands of articles/posts have already been written.
However, there is always that sense of satisfaction when you publish a post you’ve spent time polishing that gives you the impetus to write another.
The biggest drawback is lack of people to interact with. Also the motivation is much better if there is a team
In another blog of mine, i’ve been blogging but because of low traffic, theres no motivation, so i’ve shifted to making niche websites
Blogging is one of the most difficult task to perform, You have to more and more consistent during blogging! The main reason why most of the bloggers suffers is lack of idea and innovation during posting! You have to generate lot of fresh ideas and innovation for grabing the attention of visitors!
Hi
I don’t negotiate. You need to do your chores. Then you can do what you want. You don’t do your chores then you don’t do what you want to do.
Keep it up.
Thanks
Hi Asad! Chores are a must, but like I said, a lot of people like to associate a chore with something they really do not want to do, but must – they are reluctant.
However, on a note… if you do want to become a professional blogger… you definitely have to keep blogging before you can do other things as that will be your sole source of income.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. 😀
Enjoyed your article Niles. I love my blog, though I do get sidetracked occasionally when I get into “create” mode and it takes me awhile to get back to basics – but I agree it’s about consistency and building community. Thanks!
Hi Marquita! Definitely. I am glad you love your blog to keep it fueled with post. Getting sidetracked can be easy to do… especially if you have family, another job, a household to keep up with, and more. Sometimes blogging might not be a priority. However, if blogging is part of your business and your business is a priority… blogging even at least once or twice a week should be something on your to do list. 🙂
Blogging is not a chore for me. It is a great source of learning and entertain. So go ahead to help us by post new blogging about new topics…
Thanks for the good post, Nile. As a blogger, writing and content is certainly the way to go. Great work.
I don’t think that it’s a chore but more of a habit I guess. It’s a different feeling to generate something valuable and reading feedbacks, well, chores don’t have feedback. I’ll just do them then rest.
Thanks so much for this post. You’ve shared so much insight and information that is greatly appreciated.
Peter
Of course! Not only that sometimes it becomes a chore – it becomes a real labor! However, that doesn’t stop me because I’m aware that every job and every worker have their crisis, so I just work it through and continue on!
I don’t know about chores, but there are times I feel that blogging is like an old marriage. There’s a familiarity that brings with it a certain level of boredom. Blogging needs constant attention, sometimes a little therapy (read posts like this one) and also the urge to do something exciting, which brings back the romance. 🙂 Thanks for the soft reminder to have fun.
I have to be honest, i quite enjoy blogging and reading others blogs…. it all started for me as a back link building exercise, but over time i have learnt that there is a lot of useful information to be found on blogs, so i sincerely hope that people don’t start to see it as a chore and instead carry on sharing their opinions and knowledge with the rest of us!
Martin
I’m afraid that blogging is quite a chore for me – what to say next? It’s ok when we have new products to launch or something similar then there is planty to talk about
Nile, I don’t find blogging to be a chore at all. I wish and need to dedicate more time to it – I know when I am consistent in posting fresh content my blog ranks and gets more traffic.
“Excuses, excuses!” my mom always used to say. You’re right! All of the ones you mentioned really are excuses. The first one is the one that trips me up the most.
“Creating a post takes too much time.”
It doesn’t, unless I am thinking of it as a chore instead of looking around with interest, searching for the spark that will ignite my next blog post.
Willena Flewelling
Hi Nile:
If blogging was a chore I probably wouldn’t do it. 😉
The basics of blogging that you shared are excellent. It is easy to forget the basics when we are blogging. For me, the most important point you made was about engagement. This is so critical to the success of a blog. We can’t take the social out of social media!
Thanks!
Kevin
Chores are definitely something necessary, but people find reluctant to do sometimes. Who likes mowing the law when they could be doing something fun. However, if they do not and live in a city with strict lawn upkeep ordinances, it could be a costly fine.
Blogging is something that you have to be passionate about. Either do it or get out. 🙂 The engagement factor… it is definitely the reward, but it does not always have to happen on your blog… talking about it on Twitter and Facebook or any other social network is just as awesome too. 😀
Thanks for coming by and commenting.
It can be a chore when you have technical or complex information that you need to research intensely before committing to an article. Sometimes these take some planning and can be tedious,…but like you said it does pay off in the long run – so you have to keep at it!
Blogging has not become a chore for me but I do find it hard to find the time to post regularly. I enjoy doing it when I have the time but I am restricted to once to twice a week but I hope that will change soon.
Yes it is a chore to me. A big one!
the problem is that all of my sites are in financial services and that has to be the most uninteresting, the most uninspiring and the most boring topic in the world.
I just cannot motivate myself to sit at the keyboard and churn out regular posts.
I believe that planning the mission and vision for your site, as well as the target audience you are aiming to reach and engage, are powerful WHY’s to keep us fresh with our blogging. I spent some time clarifying the above at the end of 2011, and it made a big difference.
The difference is that you are passion and open minded about what you want to do. A lot of people who are new to blogging have not reached that “zen” point I like to dub as it is when you are just overflowing with ideas.
As others have already stated i would’nt class it as a chore but when starting out in blogging it is easy to lose faith after seeing little results but in the long run it really does pay off.
blogging has become a chore as its a means to an end and not something i even am interested in , but your article helped , but i sure wish there was an automated blog writer lol
Blogging goes awfully hard for me these past months – ithas become an unpleasant chore indeed. I will try to make a blogging plan, hope it will help, I used to like it very much, I do know what happened.
I love blogging the only 2 challenges I have is need in to send the blogs to have them edit as English I am Italian and my English written language may not be perfect…
the 2d challenge is the fact that I would like to use variety in the modality I express what I want ie more videos, more audios, etc etc….
Thanks for this interesting blog, nice content as always…
I don’t think of blogging as a chore, maybe I can say it’s my hobby. I always enjoy blogging, it makes me feel so light!
I love to blog. To me it is not a chore. Usually when I start writing I can cut it down to two or three blogs because I have so much to say.
Consistency is the key. I blog once a week unless something in life comes up. I’ve been doing it for a while now and haven’t skipped a beat!
Thanks for the post
Blessings,
Donna
Great Post.!! Thanks for sharing this great info. So far as I think Blogging as a Chore not for me.
Great post, Nile! I know that there have been times when I have let other projects get in the way, so I think that I am going to work to try to find ways to combine other writing with my blogging, although I do realize that when I start my dissertation, I am probably going to have a max of one or two posts a week 😉
Blogging can sometime feel like a chore, even if you have a passion for your topic. I think even the most creative people occasionally struggle to find topics to write about (if they write and post often), however the rewards ultimately make up for all the hard work. 🙂
It might be a struggle for a lot of people even if they are passionate. After 10 years, I can write any topic thrown at me without flinching. No joke. It is all about approaching it positively, with an open mind and as a challenge to look forward to meeting and beating head on.
Thanks for the tips, it’s really informative. I usually take time writing post so that I can deliver the best information to my readers, these tips will help me improve, thanks
Thanks for the post! Yes I completely agree that we should not look at blogging as a chore. We should enjoy it and have fun at the same time. If we see it as a chore then we will not be able to do it justice. Getting the right information out to our readers is important and blogging will do just that. Let us get rid of all our excuses and start writing!
Blogging should always seem like fun. If it’s starting to seem boring or tedious then you should think about your career choice and just get a 9-5 job. Granted, not everything is fun on the web, but as you mentioned, you need motivation.
My motivation is rather simple. I just think about how LARGE the web is and the opportunities are truly endless. I try to tell this to people that talk to me, but most just give me that blank stare and ask “You can make money on the Internet?”
You have to more and more consistent during blogging! The main reason why most of the bloggers suffers is lack of idea and innovation during posting….
http://www.findghar.com
Blogging can become a chore if you don’t like the topic you are blogging. But if it is inline to your expertise and you have great knowledge about, this could be fun to do.
I agree with many of the people on here. Blogging can be a chore of you are writing about topics you do not enjoy.
It doesn’t, unless I am thinking of it as a chore instead of looking around with interest, searching for the spark that will ignite my next blog post.
How you will reach your audience. You will want to think about whether you want to connect your website to social network sites, do social bookmarking, or even ad marketing.
especially if you have family, another job, a household to keep up with, and more. Sometimes blogging might not be a priority. However, if blogging is part of your business and your business is a priority… blogging even at least once or twice a week should be something on your to do list. 🙂
Excellent points as usual Nile!
And unless you stay focused and constantly looking at the
long term big picture,it’s incredibly easy for you t lose
sight of why you started blogging in the first place!
In which case,you have tendency to start dreading the entire process
of consistently creating quality content, because you’re not
seeing enough bankable results!