IWSG: Is Blogging a Waste of Time?
It's the first Wednesday of the month, which means hundreds of us will be posting about our insecurities. This month's IWSG hosts are Tyrean Martinson, Karen Walker, Denise Covey, and Stephen Tremp. If you're a writer, join in!
I've been blogging since 2006. I enjoy every minute of it. I love reading other people's blogs and having people read mine. But there are a large number of published authors who say this:
"I've never bought a book after reading a blog," one author commented on a blog about this very subject a while ago. Several people spoke up to say they had...and I revealed that almost every book I read either has been recommended by a blogger or by someone on social media.
If I had more time to read, I'd probably read about half of the books I see recommended on a daily basis. There just aren't enough hours in the day.
Here's the thing: 99 percent of those who say blogging is a waste of time don't actually read blogs. They post something and wait for someone to read it...and they're met with this:
So the answer is...yes. If you plan to just post to the blog on your website every day and wait for your "fans" to show up, you're wasting time. Unless you're this guy...
Or some other celebrity. If that's the case, you aren't reading this post anyway! This brings me back to what blogging is. Blogging, like Twitter and Facebook and any other form of online interaction is about community. It's about giving and receiving. Just as you can't join Twitter and wait for people to realize you're there, you can't post a blog and wait for people to start commenting. You have to read, comment, and post great content on a regular basis. That's how a blog can be effective.
Oh...and it can't hurt to join a great online community like this one...
But even then, you must read other blogs and comment to let people know you're there. Read other blogs, support other bloggers, and you'll find people are supporting you, too!
What do you get from blogging?
I've been blogging since 2006. I enjoy every minute of it. I love reading other people's blogs and having people read mine. But there are a large number of published authors who say this:
"I've never bought a book after reading a blog," one author commented on a blog about this very subject a while ago. Several people spoke up to say they had...and I revealed that almost every book I read either has been recommended by a blogger or by someone on social media.
If I had more time to read, I'd probably read about half of the books I see recommended on a daily basis. There just aren't enough hours in the day.
Here's the thing: 99 percent of those who say blogging is a waste of time don't actually read blogs. They post something and wait for someone to read it...and they're met with this:
So the answer is...yes. If you plan to just post to the blog on your website every day and wait for your "fans" to show up, you're wasting time. Unless you're this guy...
Or some other celebrity. If that's the case, you aren't reading this post anyway! This brings me back to what blogging is. Blogging, like Twitter and Facebook and any other form of online interaction is about community. It's about giving and receiving. Just as you can't join Twitter and wait for people to realize you're there, you can't post a blog and wait for people to start commenting. You have to read, comment, and post great content on a regular basis. That's how a blog can be effective.
Oh...and it can't hurt to join a great online community like this one...
But even then, you must read other blogs and comment to let people know you're there. Read other blogs, support other bloggers, and you'll find people are supporting you, too!
What do you get from blogging?
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