I've entered a new phase in life. Granted, I don't know what that phase is, but somehow my calendar is a little fuller these days ... and my motivation to blog is a little less. Maybe I'm not doing as many embarrassing things worth chronicling - though I doubt that since I'm generally the dumbest person I know. Or maybe I'm just out of stuff to share.
When I started my blog almost two years ago, it was mostly for family and friends. My posts were random and sporadic at best. A year ago, I decided to use it as a writing exercise. I wanted to hone my columnist skills by write FIVE posts a week. So now my blog is still random, but consistent. And my writing has improved, along with my readership.
But now that I know I can do it, I don't really feel such a need to write as often. In fact, I sometimes feel like my posts are really stretching for material, and personally I always prefer quality over quantity. Except when it comes to clothes, I would seriously prefer a lot of cheap, trendy clothes to a small wardrobe of high-quality clothes. Actually, I'd really like a closet full of lots of high-quality clothes. Can anyone make that happen for me?
Most of you don't write every day. Some of you write a few times a week, some of you write a few times a month (if even). I know this because, YES, I do read all of your blogs faithfully even if I don't always comment. And, YES, that does take a lot of time that should be spent scrubbing my toilet. And, NO, I won't be stopping any time soon.
So here are my questions for you because I like to ask questions. I mean, I used to be a reporter, folks.
1. What system do you have for blogging? Or is there no method to your madness?
2. How do you decide something is post-worthy?
3. How would it make you feel if I only blogged 2-3 times a week? (Because, let's face it, many of you are probably sick of me at this point.)
4. What kind of posts do you like best?
5. Would you like to see Hot Topic Tuesday stay or go?
6. Crap! This would have made a great HTT. (Not so much a question.)
11.12.2007
Less is More?
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- acte gratuit
- barefoot in the kitchen
- brooke a la mode
- coast 2 coast
- collecting crust
- flowerchain
- glamma fabulous
- good sons
- la dolce vespa
- la vida steffa
- livin' in the 'copa
- living with the lens cap on
- mrs. dub reviews
- simplehappy home
- jackson 5.0
- the devz
- the r house
- this girl's life
- welcome to haggartown
- a room somewhere
- a unique snowflake
- brookie b.
- elephant droppings
- eli love
- eriksens
- garner family
- happy life
- here kitschy kitschy
- horstmann happenings
- janni, marvin & luke
- life through our eyes
- little bit of gracie lue
- little miss sassy pants
- loco lunds
- michigan bliss
- pictures of me
- ramblings
- the devlins
- the harkers
- the kamae ohana
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- a little sussy
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- according to kelly
- alice's adventures
- alifinale
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- blog con queso
- bougainvillea
- cjane enjoy it
- cole fam
- confessions of a rookie
- cool mom picks
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- emily anne
- funny madre
- green bean ruminations
- grow old with you
- heather bailey
- hilary's happiness
- holly rambling
- idaho laytons
- it's a wonderful life
- jack attack
- la vie est belle
- layton life
- live, love, laugh
- liz
- loudaisy
- mamablogues
- mrs. bennett
- my happy little life
- my kid rocks!
- oh happy day
- olson fam
- our family garden
- pioneer woman
- rowena's rantings
- sibling revelry
- simmons fam
- snakes, snails and tails
- the jet set
- the meegans
- the typical family
- the warehouse
- wonderland girl
40 comments:
you're skinny. wait, what were we supposed to comment about? your skinniness and miss dub's cute cardigan totally side tracked me.
oh yah, blogging. don't feel the pressure to blog everyday. that is hard to do. i usually blog only when i have a good picture to post. not all of us are such fantastic writers, you know. i don't do it everyday. but i try to do it as often as i can.
i think a lot of people would miss htt. it's fun.
i looooove reading your blogs and would definitely miss my daily read. however, i can totally understand you not blogging EVERY day. but i am with stephanie... i would miss the htt. those are the most fun!
i used to be able to think of something to say every day. not so much anymore, hence my cop-out "encyclopedia" posts, which I'm almost done with, and when I am, I have no idea what I'll post. I definitely feel my bloggy material coming to a low plateau in the quantity department. but that's ok. i prefer quality, too. but then, mrs dub, when you see all the people that read your blog daily, don't you feel like you're letting them down if you don't post? i kind of do, and so that's where the pressure comes in. mostly for my other blog, but that is such a good problem to have. i mean really. life could be a whole lot worse than worrying about when to blog and when to stop.
so, no pressure from me for you to blog every day. i do love HTT, but i think you'll have a hard time coming up with topics indefinitely. maybe not? ;)
I think HTT is really fun and interesting. I don't know how you come up with all those HT's, though -- wow! Blogging often fills a creative need for me, so sometimes when I get the creative itch, I sit down to write. It clears my head, gives me a sense of satisfaction, keeps me "connected." I think you should just make your blog what you want/need it to be, and not worry too much about your readers...if it's authentic and genuine Mrs. Dub, we'll read it and we'll love it. (I'm trying to keep mine genuine and not force anything, 'cause I usually end up feeling embarrassed or just dumb about posts that I write when I that "it's been a few days, I better post" pressure.)
My motto is "I'm the boss of my blog, it's not the boss of me." You're the boss of your blog, Mrs. Dub -- just do what you feel good about.
i will miss you, but understand. it will just be a surprise when there is a new post. htt is hysterical--don't scrap it.
and also you're skinny.
and cake.
I have no method. If something makes me laugh out loud or I find it worth telling my husband, mother, or in-laws I'll post it.
I would miss the daily post, but I understand. No sense saying things that don't bubble forth from your heart and spill themselves into the blog.
Count another vote for HTT to stay.
Like everyone else, I would miss the daily post because you're such a great writer. HTT is great and I look forward to it every week.
I love reading your blogs even though I don't personally know you! I look forward to having at least one blog that is updated regularly! I would understand if you decided to cut back though. I try to blog every day but cut back when my husband has days off. I think my mind has turned into a blog! I can be running on the treadmill and I think of something to blog about. I love the fact that I take more pictures because I want to post them for family. I think any random thing is fine to blog about. I think random things sometimes make the best posts! I enjoy the blogs but don't think you should feel pressure to blog...just have fun! And HTT are fun!
I should be scrubbing my toilets now, too. Maybe we should all take a blogging break on Mondays to get our toilets cleaned, and then we could blog without guilt the rest of the week.
HTT is a necessity and if you stop posting as much, at least let us have that to ponder and comment on all week long if we want, especially if it's a controversial topic like George W. vs. Barak Obama (i recently got in a heated blogging argument with my cousin about obama).
i like reading your blog everyday but i so understand pressure. i don't have near what you do but i still get it. i am a systems person. i love them and consistency from day to day or week to week. that doesn't always promote quality.
i like to post when something is going on or i want to share something funny like from youtube. i also like to post a few to several times a week for consistency purposes and my own piece of mind.
you do what works and we will all understand as we all have blogs of our own to maintain. at least you know how much we enjoy your musings specifically.
HTT Topics:
Breast size preference
Gender Preference of kids
Mom Friends
Husband's Friends
Fashion vs. Function
Baby-Proof House/Life?
Toddler/Baby Shows
I can't think of anything but mom topics because that is all I am thinking about right now. Sorry. Good luck!
I have no rules for myself. Some of the stuff I post is just random, and probably not that interesting. But, I really enjoy reading bloggers that post every day (does that mean I need to find some real-life friends?). So I'll miss you if you're going to cut back, but of course I'll understand. Your life is more important than your blog.
When I first opened your blog today, the first thing I thought of was: You look so thin! (I should have followed your example and not eaten so much at the beach) then I opened the comment section, and that's what a lot of other people noticed too! That has got to make you feel good, Who cares about the blog!!!! Not really, the blog is wonderful and so are you. Do what you feel you should do, but as an experienced "humiliating myself daily is my creed" person, I'm sure that you will have many more things to write about in the future!!!
my morning routine is to get the kids off to school and then read your blog. don't mess with the routine, i am now an old lady, i don't know if i could take the change.
Mrs. Dub---you know we all love to hear from you everyday---but we would all love your stuff just the same if it were once, twice, or three times a week. Just make sure that one of those days is Hot Topic Tuesday :)
I try to blog every day too, for the same reasons as you (I'm an old English major who misses writing papers), but I find that some days I really just don't feel like it.
I love HTT--even though I hardly ever comment. I just like reading what every one else says. At the very least, you can start looking at your blog as a forum for everyone else . . .
ugh. i can't lose my daily dose of mrs. dub's musings and misadventures. and just mentioning scrapping htt brought a tear to my eye.
as for my blogging strategy, i'm supposed to have a strategy?! yikes...
oh, and i'm dumber than you. sorry to take away your title.
love the picture!
1. method??? my blog is "supposed" to be about life with little boys. i try to blog things that go along with that topic, and do it whenever i get a minute. most often when the kids are sleeping or dh is watching the kids.
2. blog worthy for me =
a. something i want to remember
b. something the grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. will want to see
c. anything i think is fun or funny with my kids
3. sad, but i'd understand. :)
4. any of them - i read your blog before miss dub arrived
5. love htt!!!
6. you're right, it would have been a good htt. :)
oh, and i try to blog every day, but sometimes life happens to fast to blog it. :)
I feel like I should start this out by saying "I'd like to bear my testimony...I know that musing and musadventures is a true blog..." No in all seriousness I love reading your blog every morning and the consistency is the best part! I never get bored or feel like it's a stretch and I love that you will talk about things that no one blogs about but everyone wants to talk about.
Don't discard HTT. As a stay-at-home Mom I still like to use my brain and expand my brain by reading opposing viewpoints on relevant topics. Debatable issues are usually not the conversation du jour at playdates! So I forbid you to stop those!
Blogging for me waxes and wanes, but generally my blog is all about my boring life (well, boring to others, unendingly interesting and entertaining to me and my family, okay, really just me and my Mom...)
You can always use your blog as a memory touchpoint. I often miss the everyday occurences of my children's babyhoods! I love going back and reading the day to day life we had when I started the blog and how they've grown and changed. I make sure to include things like missing teeth and learning to tie shoes and learning to read and write, etc. Blogging those things is just easier to me.
In other words, do it just for YOU and don't worry about US....we'll still be around!
I love HTT. And will forgive you for not blogging everyday if you keep it!
I need HTT in my life.
Will understand if you decide to post less; it can be awfully time-consuming can't it? Although you should know, even your most "random" posts are easily 10x better than most of the rest of ours. And we all heart HTT, even if the topic is one that most of us end up agreeing on! Always fun discussions & I swear I almost always learn something from the other moms here.
As for me there's no strategy. Some weeks the ideas are flowing, sometimes not so much. Some moments with my kids seem so obviously picture- and blog-worthy, and some weeks those times don't present themselves as readily. Some weeks I have 3 or 4 posts, some weeks only 1 or 2. Sometimes I'll write what I think is a brilliant post (not often) and it barely evokes a response. Although, I really have come to terms with my lack of commentors and I know that I don't need a zillion comments to make the exercise worthwhile; it's really for me anyway. Also, I love reading other's blogs for inspiration. Hey by the way Leslie, your "encyclopedia" of late has not seemed like a cop-out at all; those have been some really great posts!!
And yeah Mrs. Dub, you're skinny. Look at that complete and total lack of double-chin! An inspiration, my dear!
You know I love your musings ... didn't we just "muse" on the phone for a half hour today?
But, let's face it ... for this gramma it's all about the l'il Dub. So you will have to up your pictures on the family blog.
But ... no pressure.
I have grown accustomed to reading your blog daily - but I guess will forgive you for having more of a life than to blog everyday. Just keep it going often, please.
I have no method to my madness and if I waited for something interesting to write....I would never blog at all. I do it mostly to feed my addiction and feel like I have friends (if I don't get any comments my heart would probably stop).
BTW, how is Miss Dub feeling? I am sorry to hear she got sick, fortunately the sippy grabbing done by my E didn't get her sick. Hope she is feeling better!
I love to read your blogs. They are always entertaining. I can understand you not wanting to post everyday but I do look forward to reading them. I usually blog if I do something fun or if I take pictures somewhere. Also, even if it doesn't seem that interesting, I still blog about stuff because I think it will be fun to look back on in years to come. Sometimes if I feel like blogging but have nothing to blog about then I go to my list of random stuff that I think would make interesting and thought-provoking posts. I think of this stuff at random times and then write it down and set it aside for a boring day with nothing else to blog about. I also blog to better my writing skills. You should blog as often as it feels comfortable. You shouldn't force a post because you feel like you have to do it everyday. HTT is fun.
(I know you don't know me but I like to read your blog and thought I would give my 2 cents - although it became a lot more than 2 - oh well.)
I think my world would end if you stopped writing everyday.
However, I finally posted after a 2 week hiatus.
Keep HTT....I love em!
I was struggling with this a few weeks back because I was a once or twice a week poster typically. Then I moved and met some great other bloggers who post daily and I felt pressured to do the same. Then I found myself copying their style of posts which document family activities whereas I typically just ranted on a subject.
It got exhausting and so the last couple of posts have been spread out and moved back to my own old writing style. I don't want my blog to become unfun (my own word).
Besides, I figure the longer I leave posts up the more likely I will get more comments. Because, c'mon, that is three quarters of the fun of blogging is getting feedback, right?
Here are my blog rules:
I feel like it.
I don't blog everyday unless I feel like it.
I try to blog every other day or so, it's a rule that I set up for myself--but I feel free to suspend it at any time and for any reason (because I feel like it.)
I blog about something because I feel like it, and something-something the torpedoes because if I write about it is automatically blog-worthy, because I blogged about it because...this just keeps going in a circle.
That being said, I'll save up a bunch of little things to post altogether if I don't feel like they can stand on their own.
I think it's much better for you to blog the way you feel like it.
HTT stays.
i read your post earlier this morning (as always) and just had to say "i'm not ready to have this conversation right now", so i put it off. i've taken a few deep breaths, had my cry, talked it out in my head, and come to terms with the idea that you might not post everyday anymore. i mean, how can i ask you to do something that even i am not willing to do? no solid relationship can be built on selfishness. if this is truly what you want, then i support you in your decision. it's not you, it's me. or something like that.
just please don't take my HTT away from me. i'll do anything!
Don't discard HTT...I love it (here's an topic I have been thinking about lately: when to stop showering with/letting your baby see you naked?).
As for blogging, it started as a way to update the grandparents who live far away. So what may seem "worthy" to grandma and grandpa, may be "boring" baby stuff to others, but they eat it up and I like a place when I can document what my child is doing (b/c I am HORRIBLE at keeping a journal). And, it has kept me connected with family and friends (old and new).
I don't feel pressured to post everyday, just when something cute happened or I have some photos I want to share. I must admit I did let my blog (blog...kind of an ugly word) get the best of me and had to take a break from it for a while. now I only focus on it for a few minutes a day, and then it is on to scrubbing toilets.
Mrs. Dub,
Keep on keepin' on. I miss reading your writing in print, so at least I still get it online (with a spoonful of Miss Dub). No pressure. I'm also a big fan of HTT. Maybe you should bring in flashback Friday like some of our friends. I sure do get a kick out of those.
;) you're favorite old cranky reporter
ah, the dilemma of blogging...
1. my system of blogging - once a day - it's not hard for me, as I am a fanatic list maker and when I read/see/hear things that I want to blog about, I jot them down for another day's post - there's always something waiting to be blogged about. whether other people want to read about it or even care doesn't really concern me - it's my blog and i'll do with it as i please, you understand. I guess that kind of goes into #2
2. what i deem blog worthy varies - it's all about the stuff I love, so again, if others don't care they don't have to read. Basically I blog about things happening around me and to me that I don't want to forget - whether it's how cute my kids are, how much i love the jcrew holiday line or what i did that day (reference to "a day in the life" series i do) - it's all stuff I love about life and don't want to forget.
3. how in the world could we be sick of you, dear Mrs. Dub?! As for me, I'll take what I can get - when ever you post I'm thrilled.
4. i love all your posts - HTT, the fun experiences that you have and then turn them into literary gems, cute photos of miss dub - really, variety is the spice of life!
5. HTT - keep it - it helps me feel intellectual on some level - we stay-at-home mommies need a great forum and you provide us one each week.
hope this helped - hurrah for bloggys.
Shoot... I was looking on the comments for ideas for a "method" and most people don't seem to have one! I think it is important to figure out a plan, though... otherwise you end up posting too little... sometimes by the time I get around to posting, I think everyone has heard the "story" and most of my readers are family, so I don't bother. Definitely keep the HTT.. my favorite for sure.
I would miss reading your writing, even if I still got to catch up with Miss Dub et al via the family blog. I think daily output is good discipline for a writer or journal keeper, but you may have other ways to do that. Since I am not age, gender, or point-in-parenting matched to most of your topics and readers, I read partly out of familial connection, partly out of parental conceit, but mostly for your wit, cleverness, and topicality. HTT is a nice bit of serendipity--something you didn't really intend that has become tremendously popular with your regular renders and attractive of new readers. I know you dislike the ad hominem and hateful tone of some comments, but I think should keep HTT coming. Even as an old dog for whom new tricks are doubtful, I enjoy your aspirational pieces that animate change while assuring that one is not alone in their imperfections or self doubt. I think the young married- young mother- young adult- popular culture topics and forum are valuable, but ultimately it's your blog and life and only my two cents...you could always scrap the blog and do a web page shrine to the late '80s movies career of the pre-McDreamy Patrick Dempsey.
I was just wondering the other day how you are able to write everyday... so- I think that it would be no big deal if you did it 2-3 times a week (including HTT -'cause that is my fav) I am amazed at your creativity and cleverness- Good luck with your decision!
You look beautiful. So thin. And Miss Dub's outfit is so cute.
As for blogging, don't feel pressured to do it every day. I'm amazed that you do it as much as you do.
For me, I just try to do it at least every third day... although it's usually a little more often.
I'm always impressed when I see what time you posted your blog - often so early in the morning!! I used to be super productive, but since having Eli I am much more inclined to jump back in bed if he goes back to sleep early in the morning... which is maybe why it is 9:30 p.m. and I am still finishing an article due today?!
I don't have a great system for blogging. I tend to go in spurts and do a few posts close together, and then a little time goes by. But I guess my goal would be to blog 2-3 times a week - I tend to think my life isn't exciting enough to have more topics than that. And as for blog-worthy topics... usually it's just whatever I'm thinking /smiling/frowning about, or if it is something I would love advice/input on from friends.
I love reading your blogs every day! But if you cut back, maybe it will be even more fun when I see your link on my blogarithm email. I think quality is better than quantity in this case - I like to read a lot of blogs and really value when they were well written or have a great topic. Or a cute story!
Okay, I have to stop procrastinating and get this article done. Blogs are yet another way for me to put off doing things (like your mention of needing to clean the toilet).
Of course your blog is much more interesting to read about than a clean toilet. But do what you must. Keep the HTT...very fun.
I just finished writing about my stinky sink! Are you kidding me? You can't stop you HTT. I might allow you to drop to 4 days a week, but if it's any more than that, I'll have to up the meds. How's that for pressure?
Yo! Lovin the blog. But if you wanted to scale back to 2-3 times a week that would be A-OK with this reader. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with blogs that post EVERY DAY. I'm like geez people, can you give a girl a second to catch up, please?
As for my posts - they are at best random. I feel good if I'm able to get 3-4 a week. As far as what I post about - for me the main criteria is if I think it's funny or quirky. This means that there are some real oddball things that make it past the censor. I shouldn't be surprised when people call me weird, but I am. (That's my vanity taking over.)
Keep up the good work, slugger! Whatever you decide to do will be a hit with your readers, I'm sure.
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