This is post number one hundred and four this year. It was meant to be my one-hundredth post, but life got in the way (I’m not going to bore you with the details), and my Wordless Wednesday post from a few weeks ago earned the honour of being post number 100.
When you think about it, one hundred and four posts in ten mouths seem like an awful lot. Am I overwhelming readers with too many posts, or do you want more? I’m averaging nine monthly posts, which appears to have become a good balance.
If you asked me, ‘Am I publishing too many posts?’ I’d respond, ‘Do what feels best for you.’ However, we should never forget our audience, so there’s no harm in reaching out and asking. Without you (my audience) reading these posts and engaging with me, this blog would be like arriving on a barren planet. And nobody wants that.
I’d be interested to know how many posts you have published in 2024 and if you’re happy with that number. Let me know in the comments.
Let’s discuss other blogging topics
Did you see my recent post about whole blog posts being shown in emails? No? It’s titled ‘WordPress: Excerpts Are Working Again!‘ It’s worth reading if you only want an excerpt of your posts to show in email notifications and want visitors to visit your blog to read them. Reading posts by visiting a blog is a much better experience than reading them by email, especially since some blocks do not appear in emails, making posts look odd and broken.
There are many reasons to encourage visitors to visit your blog, one of which is that they are more likely to engage with you if they are on your blog (rather than reading from an email). Furthermore, visitors can explore your blog, catch up on posts they have not read, and check any links. This brings me nicely to the subject of engagement.
Are you engaging or comment spamming?
As regular visitors to my blog know, I am passionate about engagement in the blogging world. Recently, I came across an alarming article stating that engagement has decreased to an all-time low in blogging. How sad is that? However, when you look at some blogs with low engagement or, conversely, blogs with numerous non-engaging comments, it is evident that this is happening.
Here’s an example. I recently discovered a writing challenge blog and wanted to get involved. But when I checked out some of the comments left, I knew that participating would not be worthwhile. With lots of non-engaging comments such as ‘Nice one’ and ‘great attempt” being left on stories, nobody wanted to engage with one another. It was a barren planet. I left with a heavy heart.
When I publish a post, it’s the engagement I crave. So when I publish a short story or piece of flash fiction, I look for feedback beyond being told it was a great story. Engaging feedback is critical for all of us to improve our writing.
Do you agree? Do engaging comments help to improve your writing?
Take action if you want engagement
This may seem like a shock-horror move, but I’m now marking comments such as ‘nice’ and ‘beautiful post’ as spam. Leaving short comments all over the blogging world is like leaving spam everywhere. We all know how spam can cause frustration and diminish the enjoyment of blogging.
One main reason readers do not leave engaging comments is a lack of time. However, many who offer that excuse leave non-engaging comments everywhere. They spend the time they could have used to leave an engaging comment, posting numerous non-engaging comments everywhere. The flash fiction challenge I mentioned earlier seems to confirm this.
Some bloggers believe that nobody will leave comments on their blogs if they don’t comment, so they leave short, non-engaging comments everywhere. Honestly, that’s a crazy thought.
Before I finish discussing engagement, I want to reassure everyone that they should not feel obliged to leave comments on any of my posts. I won’t be upset if you don’t comment, but I will mark comments as spam if they are those pesky, non-engagement comments I mentioned. One engaging comment every once in a while is worth a thousand non-engaging comments.
I don’t know about you, but it makes all the difference if somebody wants to engage with me and does so in a way that proves they’ve read the post and are interested. Do you agree?
Please preview your posts before publishing them!
Did you know you can preview your posts before publishing them? It seems that some bloggers do not know they can do this. From seeing upside-down images to posts with a terrible and hard-to-read layout, there is no excuse for anyone not to preview their posts before publishing them. It’s so simple to do.
Before publishing a post, click the little ‘laptop computer’ symbol at the top right of the page on which you are drafting the post. You will be able to see a preview of your post as it will look on a desktop computer, tablet, and mobile phone. Plus, and this is fantastic news, WordPress has now moved the ‘preview email’ option to the same menu for how your post will look in an email.
Thank you for making that option more accessible to find, WordPress.
There is no excuse for sloppiness in ensuring your posts and WordPress notification emails are at their best for your audience.
Finally, how are your blogging stats performing?
I’m delighted that my blogging statistics have rocketed this year. I’ve surpassed last year’s total number of visitors and views to my blog. But to make things even better, 2024 is on track to be my best year ever (in the ten years I’ve blogged) in terms of viewing statistics and engagement. I believe this disproves those who tell you that you must publish posts every day for your blog to be successful. You don’t need to force yourself to blog every day.
A blog’s success depends not on how often it publishes posts but on the quality of those posts.
Thank you to everyone who visits my blog, reads my posts, and engages with me. Without you, Hugh’s Views and News would never have reignited my passion for writing and engaging with others.
How are your blogging stats this year? Tell me in the comments section.
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This is an interesting post. I’m so far behind in catching up with bloggers I follow. But I agree on trying to find that right balance. 100 posts is more than sufficient engagement. I’m realizing that I find it quite difficult to post regularly, and still find the time to engage with other bloggers. I’ve been cutting back, to allow a few days each week just for engaging with other writers in a proper way, beyond just hitting the like button, or leaving thoughtless comments.
As for the stats… I have appreciated seeing the rise in the interaction and visits to my blog, but it came at the sacrifice of other things. Finding the time to build it up this year was challenging.
It sounds like you’re doing a great job. The most important aspect of blogging is to not allow it to become a chore or cause stress or guilt. Read blog posts when you can, leave engaging comments, and forget about leaving thoughtless comments that do not benefit anyone. And never worry or apologise for not visiting blogs because life outside of blogging has been busy.
I appreciate that. Learning that blogging is just meant to be fun. Let’s see what next year brings. Thank you, Hugh.
Hi Hugh, congrats on a great year of blogging and your words of advice on doing what suits you. I just checked and I’m up to 105 posts so far this year so on a similar trajectory to you. Blogging is still a source of joy for me and I’ll continue while this feeling stays. Enjoy your December break and thanks again for always having something interesting and relevant to share with us.
Thank you, Debbie. Publishing any more posts than I already do would certainly put me under pressure. That’s something I do not want.
I’m glad to hear that blogging is a source of fun for you. Whenever I read a post from a blogger who says they’re struggling to keep up with blogging and that it’s become a chore, I shake my head. We all know that blogging should never be like that.
I’m still blogging in December, but I will take a mini-blogging break during the last two weeks of the month.
Great post Hugh and a lovely reminder to do what suits you.
Thank you, Wayne.
Thanks for this! I’m just getting started and find this perspective invaluable. Helping each other has started feeling transactional so to find your blog with these things to consider is refreshing. Oh and congrats on 100!
Welcome to the world of blogging, Sarah.
I’m delighted you found this post so helpful. Don’t fall into the trap of believing you have to follow every blog that follows you or that you have to publish daily. And never feel obliged to read posts and leave comments on them. Read and comment at your leisure.
Happy Blogging.
Congratulations on your achievement Hugh! I have not been around all year, but I think you are posting just the right amount. I do read them all, even if I don’t always have anything to say.
Glad to hear that your stats are so great this year. Mine are better than I thought having been gone so long. I don’t put too much in to my stats, but I am over the moon to have so many of the people I enjoy interacting with are still here and had not forgotten about me.
That’s a great deal to hear. Thank you for the feedback. Loyal readers will always stick around, even during a blogging break. But it’s always good to let people know you’re taking one so that nobody gets worried.
I do agree, mine was not planned so I did not give any notice. But I was happy to see people when I had the energy to go back.
Totally agree. I read my posts out loud several times and preview them before I publish. Then I read them again :)
It’s an excellent idea to read them out loud. I hear it often picks up errors, so I need to do this more often.
Thanks, Josh.
Hi Hugh!
On average, I post one blog a week on Roaming About. And, I’ve done that pretty much all of the sixteen years I’ve been blogging, although my content has changed slightly. It’s a good pace/amount for me, as a lot of time and effort goes into all these photo-heavy travel experience blogs and expense reports.
It’s also important for me to engage with my readers. The comment section is the best part. But, it all takes time. I have no idea about my stats and don’t actually bother or care to look.
My days are chock-a-block filled with blogging, commenting, working, running errands, caring for our dog, daily life chores, driving, researching, photographing, writing, and sightseeing! :)
Thank you for replying to my questions, Liesbet.
It looks like you found your perfect blogging balance a long time ago. And it’s good to see you have kept to it.
Nice post. LOL. I totally get it though. I often leave comments (or paragraphs) in my blog tracks. Makes sense, we follow blogs we enjoy, so if we enjoyed why not engage? :)
Absolutely, Debby. But engage in a way that shows we’ve enjoyed and demonstrated interest in the post, rather than leaving one of those comments just to prove we visited.
Totally with you. :)
Hi Hugh! So far in 2024, I’ve published 90 new posts. I’ve also republished 41 older posts, updated many others, and written 13 Throwback Thursday posts. I’m generally happy with the frequency I’m posting and will likely continue with 2 new posts a week in 2025. Unless, of course, I run out of things to say, but that hasn’t happened yet! 😂
As for stats, for the first time since I started my blog my stats have declined in 2024. Based on my usually November and December traffic, I expect to end the year about 10% lower than 2023 even though I’ve picked up some new followers.
Thank you for responding to my questions in this post, Michelle. If you’re happy with your posting schedule, stick with it, although there’s no problem if you miss a few weeks. Life can sometimes get in the way. And if life gets in the way, there’s no need to apologise to our blogging audience.
I agree. I skipped a few weeks while I was travelling this summer. I’d rather skip than put pressure on myself to write something and then not be happy with it!
Also, when I take a blogging break, I don’t want to publish posts and respond to comments, although I will respond to any comments left on posts published before my break starts.
Yes, it is all about the engaging comments and finding your own “tribe”. Best of all it is the art of being able to communicate our thoughts and lives via writing and the pleasure that brings. If statistics were my motivation I would’ve survived blogged for seven years. I also appreciate your posts though may not always comment. Another thing is how for me I can like a blogger and their blog without even having met them.
You can often tell more about a blogger by how they write, Suzanne. That also applies to the types of comments they leave for other bloggers and how they write those comments.
I have no problem with people not reading and commenting on all my posts. But it seems that some readers and bloggers think it’s a problem if they don’t at least leave a comment, even if they’ve not read the post. They tend to treat blogging as a sprint rather than a marathon.
It can be nerve wracking commenting on the more experienced writers blogs. Though I’m less overwhelmed writing comments now. I try to keep blogging to once or twice a week. I admit to skimming blog posts, it happens.
Your comment that some bloggers don’t know they can preview their content before publishing, came as a surprise. I always do a preview – that’s how I spot formatting inconsistencies and other errors. I’d hate to think of my post hitting the world without being checked
Likewise, I think the problem is that some bloggers consider blogging a sprint rather than a marathon. They’re in too much of a rush rather than enjoying the whole experience.
Congrats on 100+ posts! Your tips are spot on and I agree with all of them, Hugh. 👌 Publishing 104 posts in ten months does seem like a lot, but then, some bloggers post daily, even twice or three times a day, and there’s no way most people can keep up with them! IMO, less often is better, to give your readers time to engage. I’ve been more prolific than usual, with 71 posts so far this year, but am starting to feel somewhat burned out now. A once a week pace might be more suitable for me.
Ah, the commenting conundrum! Yes, those short, generic sentences are annoying, but if they’re from legitimate sources, I’m reluctant to mark them as spam. Some engagement is better than none, or maybe not? The trend I’ve noticed lately is people clicking the like button without saying anything. I’ve done this too, when short on time, but always read the post first. Do others bother reading? Or, do they just go to the WordPress reader (my site is self-hosted and only the headline is visible, plus share and like buttons, no comment form), and press “like”, then move on to the next blog? 🤔 It gets a little frustrating, but, so it goes…
Blog stats aren’t something I pay that much attention to, although I do enjoy seeing what parts of the world people are visiting from. My subscriber count is still low, but I did pick up 34 new ones this year so far. Not a big deal, but still nice. :)
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head regarding giving readers a chance to leave engaging comments, Debbie. Many blogs I see that publish more than once daily generally have many non-engaging comments. And it’s usually the same readers who leave those comments. I do wonder if some of them even read the post.
I’ve had many conversations about the ‘like’ button. I was amazed by what some readers told me. The one that stuck out the most was that clicking ‘like’ shows support, even though I have not read the post. I was rather taken aback by that comment. How does clicking ‘like’ support a blogger without reading a post? Surely, reading the post and leaving an engaged comment is more about supporting the blogger?
I should add here that clicking ‘like’ after reading a post is what the ‘like’ button is about.
Congratulations on picking up some new followers. At least your follower stats are going in the right direction.
A very informative post, Hugh. I post once a day, participating in prompts and my own prompts and wrap-ups. I try my best to leave a comment that relates to what I am reading. I am still gaining new followers, most likely due to my prompt and participating in prompts of fellow bloggers. The key in participating in prompts is to read what others wrote because it’s a great way to engage with other bloggers. We have to support each other and not just leave a ‘like’ as much as time permits.
I like the way you have set up your copyright details in your sidebar. There is a copyright widget that can be added to the bottom of your blog. IMO, it makes a clear statement. You can set it up to reflect details as needed.
Your blog is nicely organized, Hugh, which I feel is very important. Some blogs I visit, I get totally lost.
Thank you for all the feedback, Eugi. I’ll look at the copyright widget and consider adding one to the bottom of my blog. I agree that a blog should have an easy and friendly layout and not too many widgets that can make the front page look too cluttered.
When I began blogging, I participated in many blogging challenges and left engaging comments on other participants’ posts. It helped me gain a following and make good friends in the blog world. I don’t participate in many challenges these days, but I admire the people behind them as I know that much hard work can be involved in organising them.
You’re most welcome, Hugh.