Blogging – Does Currency of Information Matter?

2006 July 27
by dorai

Currency of information, probably matters to a lot of bloggers. I have been watching the visitor patterns to my blog. It is interesting to note that some blogs I have written almost 6 months ago are suddenly attracting a lot of visitors.

I myself follow links and read and blog about information that is useful but not current. I know that most of the high volume of visitors like the latest and greatest.

Here are a few things I was told, that I do not believe in, any more.

  • Blog Often, if possible several times a day.
  • Have a predictable frequency (daily if possible)
  • Stay current

Now I blog when I feel like it and that has not altered my readership much. So I do burst blogging (write a few over the weekend when I am in the mood and skip blogging most of the days during the week, when I cannot afford to spend the time)

I used to blog daily and since every day is not the same, sometimes, I used to do filler blogs (a filler blog in my opinion, is one written to just put something out daily). I stopped doing that.

Staying current is not my chief aim, any more. I do not want to rush and cover every Google or Yahoo announcement (I used to do that before). I would rather think about think about a topic and provide some perspectives and ideas.

So If I have to start my blog again, what would I do different?

I think the subjects I pick to blog about and the unique perspective I provide, are more important than just covering the latest and greatest with a couple of sentences and a few screen shots.

  • Blog when something compels me to share my learning
  • Participate in group writing projects, if I have something worth saying
  • Pick a few areas I am passionate about and stick to blogging about them
  • Blog when I feel like it, and have the time
  • Write as few or as many I like, when I like

The one exception to this list is when I blog quotes. Sometimes you read something that touches you so much, you need to share it with others. In some cases, I may provide some context about the quote or how it touched me. Most of the time, the quote stands by itself as a blog entry.This blog is motivated by “If I have to start my blog again..” . I really like the concept of these group writing projects. Whoever came up with this idea, is a genious in my opinion.

The currency of information probably matters for a lot of blogs. But not every one.

10 Responses leave one →
  1. 2006 July 28

    Right, I think if you try to force posts, it doesn’t work, you need to post when you can and don’t listen too much to the whole schedule thing. Of course, I’m not a schedule person, my little guy is very unscheduled, so anything routine is too hard for us anyway!! We also joined in this project if you want to read – http://lilduckduck.com/archive/187

  2. 2006 July 28

    genius indeed! that’s how i find great blogs!

    yeah, as much as quantity matters it’s only quantity of quality that matters!

  3. 2006 July 28

    I think blogging often can detract from the good things that you have to say. Somw sites pump out the psots, and I just don’t have the energy to read them all, often I don’t get past the title in the feedreader, that’s a shame. But for sites that post less frequently, I’ll make sure to open the post and read it, cause I’m interseted in quality writing and information!

    My post for the project is here if you’d like a read!
    http://dcypl.com/if_i_had_to_start_my_blog_again

    Nice post, I noticed that your archive listing has some holes in it, if you could start over would you change that? Keep posting, (maybe once a week) to maintain or build readership?

  4. 2006 July 28

    Ming,
    I like your blog. I love the art and the style.

  5. 2006 July 28

    Lisa,
    Thanks. Curious about the name of your blog.

  6. 2006 August 1

    Karin,
    Thanks. I am glad to hear that.

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