The Pro’s and Con’s of Blogging As You Go
As in… off the cuff, from the hip, and with little or no preparation ahead of time.
After our last post on the pro’s and con’s of blogging ahead, I thought this would make a good follow-up. Blogging ahead of time can have some pretty big advantages, but many great bloggers do exactly the opposite – they blog in the moment or not at all.
The Pro’s of Blogging As You Go
- You get to react to breaking stories and join the real-time conversations taking place on the web.
- You’re far more passionate when you write about what’s on your mind presently.
- People come to realize that you are blogging “presently” and therefore seem more “present” on the web.
The Con’s of Blogging As You Go
- Every day brings the stress of needing material.
- You’re challenged to find a consistent flow of inspiration.
- Vacations and days away create dry spells for your readers.
- Your posts are often a little shorter and more reactive than active.
I didn’t really say anything in the last post about my own approach, but I’ve actually adopted both, depending on the kind of content. When I’m posting something to the showcase at Wordpress for Ministry, I can post a half a dozen at a time that will go live one at a time each morning. But when I’m writing about life in ministry I tend to write as life comes at me.
If you didn’t chime in last time, what’s your preferred approach, and why?
In addition to serving as Editor of Fuel Your Blogging, Brandon is also a Pastor at Saddleback Church and Online Community Coordinator for Pastors.com. He’s also a web designer, blogger, and church communications consultant. Catch him on his own blog or on Twitter.
When I started blogging, I had a “blog as you go” approach. The problem is that I don’t usually have time to write something thoughtful each day, especially as our young family grows. One of the main reasons I maintain a blog is to hone my writing skills and to have a place where I can think out loud about the issues that affect my work as a pastor, but neither of those goals were met by blogging only once a week or so.
That’s why I blog when I have time (about once a week I wake up at 2am and can’t go back to sleep, and a lot of posts get written during that time), then schedule one post a day Monday-Friday. Since I usually write on youth ministry and not on current events, the vast majority of my posts can wait in the queue for a week or two before they see the light of day.
Good post, and something to really think about when you initially set up your blog. I prefer shooting from the hip, but always keep some ideas in draft for those days when my brain does not want to engage. If the topic isn’t something you’re passionate about, you may find that you run dry of ideas sooner rather than later. The best writing always comes from those who are totally engaged– can I write a post about html? Sure, but it likely would be ho-hum and boring, whereas an IT guy who loves it could do it justice.
I agree with the Cons too since I already experience those especially being stressed about material and inspiration. Sometimes it can be difficult thinking about what to write but as soon as I think of something, I put it on my Blackberry notes so I won’t lose the thought.