The Responsibilities of Blogging
As you might have noticed, this blog isn’t being posted to very regularly. And posting regularly is one of the key pieces of advice given to those who want to blog well. So why have I not been posting? In a nutshell… Life. Contrary to popular opinion, bloggers do have them. In my own case, I am a single mother with a small child. I am a university student. I am renovating a house to sell and trying to orchestrate a move. I am in the process of setting up a charity. I have real life friends and family who require some of my time. I get sick. I get tired. And so on and so on…
This blog was an unrealised dream for quite a while before I started it, and I started it when I did, not because it was the perfect time for me, but because I was fortunate enough to receive the domain name and hosting as a prize from All For Women, for which I am extremely grateful. But it is still to a certain extent an unrealised dream, because I have expectations of myself as a blogger, of which posting regularly is only one.
This raises an interesting question about blogging, for me at least. When I don’t meet my own expectations as as a blogger, I feel as though I haven’t met my responsibilities.
Why is this so?
Many personal bloggers start by blogging “only” for themselves but once readers come into the picture, the dynamic changes. It took me a long time to get that first reader but as soon as I did, I realised that this art form is not like most others. It is not only interactive: It is social.
And it brings with it, I think, social obligations.
That is one of the reasons why, in my very small blogroll, I list the Reader Appreciation Project. They are all about meeting those obligations: Doing those simple things like replying, like saying thank you. I have a lot of respect for their blogging philosophy and the writers, and other bloggers like them, are what makes being part of the blogosphere so rewarding.
The blogosphere is about giving.
Other art forms are about giving too, of course. If art is a form of expression, it is also a way of sharing; sharing ideas and emotions and ways of perceiving the world. And sharing in this way elicits a response. Few mediums have the ability to appreciate the response directly the way that blogging does. And actor can take a bow to acknowledge the audience’s applause. A blogger has many more options available. But one thing which perhaps doesn’t get discussed so frequently, is that other kinds of artists show their appreciation by performing well.
Obviously, this is a complicated form of appreciation, because it is also it’s own reward and the art is practised for the love of it. But it does generate a responsibility to perform as well, and especially so in blogging where the audience involvement is so immediate.
Other bloggers, with a different character than mine, might use different language to express this idea, or might strike a different balance between the satisfaction of private creation and the joy of communicating, but I do feel it as an obligation, as a responsibility I took on when I decided to communicate this way.
So I’m wondering, do you? Or are you able to draw a defining line between blogging just for the love of it and the audience who rewards you?
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14 Responses to “The Responsibilities of Blogging”
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While my main motivation for blogging is for the pure joy of it, I do find myself getting anxious to give my audience something if it’s been a few days since my last post. As far as other blogging responsibilities and obligations go, since comments are a way of communicating with me, I make sure to reply to all comments and check my blog every day for new comments.
So I’m not the only one! Interestingly enough, when extending an apology for not writing recently over on my personal blog the response was supportive and understanding. It seems like some of us (ie; ME!)put more pressure on ourselves than is necessary.
I recently announced a break at my own blog, and while I’ve posted a few times, it took some pressure off. I’m in the middle of planning a wedding, buying a house, and avoiding a nervous breakdown, so feeling like I had to keep up with my blog on top of all that just added to the pressure. I’m still working on a few things, though, so once we get settled in the new house in a few weeks, I should be back to a more regular posting schedule. I still freak about disappointing my readers, though.
Writing my blog is for me a form of relaxation, however I’d be lying if I said I do it just for myself.
Without the knowledge that someone was reading my blog, I simply wouldn’t bother. This is probably why I’ve never been able to write a private diary for more than a couple of weeks.
It’s a conversation and I look forward to seeing how people react, if they do and what they bring to the discussion.
I write to be read. Just like an author of a book or a journalist. Without the reader our work is diminished.
If a tree falls in a forest does it make a sound if noone is there to hear it?
Lani,
Thank you for the mention of the Reader Appreciation Project. I’m glad you think highly of the site and its writers.
As far as obligations, I find that many are self-imposed. For example, a blogging schedule, or responding to comments, e-mails, topics, guest posts on other blogs, feeds, and other things such as social media. I say, find what you are happy with and don’t overextend yourself. If you can only post every once and a while, fine. Your readership (I believe) can adapt.
I appreciate the insightful post. It’s definitely something I’ve dealt with on my personal blog as well. I used to try to post once a day, but not anymore.
Kirsten, I sure the last thing you needed right now then, was my own personal freak out.
Cellobella, I’ve never been able to sustain a personal diary either,but spent my time writing copious amounts of fiction and poetry. Blogging is an odd medium, with all those immediate rewards and then with the pressures associated with having the audience right there. I’m sure there are people who balance those things with far more grace than me.
Ronald, that these things are self-imposed is such a good point. And I guess each blogger needs to figure out which of them are constructive and which are counter-productive. Thank you.
Lani, freak out all you want! I enjoy reading whatever you write. Also, once I get settled in the new house (we close escrow tomorrow), perhaps I can help you out on this blog with some articles from time to time.
It’s a rare day when I post something that I don’t really care about but do so to keep new content flowing. I’m certainly not saying that there aren’t weeks where I could really not give a stuff and might put something half heartedly up there.
Then other days when I’m really exhausted and I honestly put a post up that all I can do is write whatever random thought or reflection I have at the time have become little gems that people have responded to really well.
So that aspect is that the reaction I get from readers is what I blog for - I love discussing why Spider-Man isn’t Spider-Boy and having people give the history of the character etc. I’d be happy if I only ever had ten readers as long as they interact with me.
So I feel that responsibility to keep feeding that.
Now I have a couple of niche blogs that are for my own pleasure only (one is my gardening blog) and they may not get updated for months and I’m upfront about that because that site is just for me as maybe a companion site to the main blog.
OK I’ve rambled on now…
I doubt very much that people are much interested in your posting frequency, especially with people using readers. If you have readers, it is because you have something worthwhile to say. If that is true, then people will not stop reading if you don’t update every few days. Very few of us are doing this for money so it is hard to expect a defined output from bloggers. There are already too many great blogs to fit into the time available. People should relax and enjoy blogging and reading blogs and try to fit in their real lives when they can :).
[…] two weeks I’ve read a few posts that I consider rather thought-provoking. One was about a blogger’s responsibility to the readers, and the other was about blogging pains. Both expressed confusion for what the future held for […]
Well, I for one am glad you have taken the plunge and started this blog Lani, even if you don’t feel you’re keeping up to any expectations you have on yourself.
I think that fewer, well thought out posts on a blog like this are much more valuable than posts written for the “sake of it”.
I certainly find that I’d prefer to chew over the thoughts expressed in a post like this one than have a new thought to process every day.
Personal blogs are perhaps a little different and I know that regular posting is an attractive feature. But it’s not the ONLY attractive feature to a blog. And once you’ve built up a relationship with your readers, I think they’ll tolerate a lot more than when you’re first trying to establish some kind of readership. I also agree that as more and more people use feed readers, the regular posting is not so important because you don’t need to keep readers in the habit of actually visiting.
I am a big on responding to comments and acknowledging readers because I do think they are an important component of blogging and I want my readers to feel that they are important to me (because they are). I do find responding to them reasonably easy though - it just seems natural to “talk back” to those that are responding to my blog posts. But I have times when I get behind or miss responding to comments as well. We’re all human after all.
Sorry all for the delay in replying.
@ Kirsten - Thank you. And I think that’s a fantastic idea! - I’ll email you. At the moment I’m hoping I’ve sold my house and am waiting on the buyer’s finance to be apporved (hopefully). Once that is sorted, life will be much easier. And there will be less freak-outs.
@ Lee - Ramble all you like. I love your rambles, here and over at your blog. It is “feeding”, isn’t it? Kind of like my childhood memories of the hospitality at my Italian friends’ farms. There was always something to eat. (Now, that is rambling!
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@ Colin - You are right, and I know that that is how I am with other people’s blogs. I happily keep blogs I love in my reader even if they are having a major blog-break. You are far more sensible than me.
@ Lightening - Thank you. {{hugs}} I guess it will just take a little more time to build up the content on the blog than I would have wished. I think you are right that once you build up your relationship with your readers, then you have a more room to not “follow the rules” about regular posting, just as real life friends understand when you’re busy.
very elegant blog Lani …and some very informative posts…
I am an Entre newbie and just dropped my card off here….
Blogging requires balance. Balance between what you ‘like’ to write about and what will engage your audience. Then you’ve got the balance between how much time you have to commit to your blog and all of the other important aspects of your life.