| Pages in topic: [1 2 3] > | Blogging: how often do you write on your blog? Thread poster: Sara Colombo
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...if you have one!
I would like to know if you use your blog, how and how often?
I have been told I should write on it at least two-three times a week, if not daily. Daily??
Do you really think I should?
I personally find it strange to write on it daily, but maybe more established bloggers have a different opinion.
I am a freelance and the blog presents advices and ideas for all those willing to become translators, it is quite a 'new' project and... See more ...if you have one!
I would like to know if you use your blog, how and how often?
I have been told I should write on it at least two-three times a week, if not daily. Daily??
Do you really think I should?
I personally find it strange to write on it daily, but maybe more established bloggers have a different opinion.
I am a freelance and the blog presents advices and ideas for all those willing to become translators, it is quite a 'new' project and I am considering about writing more often than once a week.
What do you think?
Thanks! ▲ Collapse
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It depends on my spare time. When I am overloaded I write once a month, when no I can write every day.
As an average I write about 1 article per week.
I'm not a blogger to live from this. I write just to keep new content on my site and when I have something to say.
| | | | | Be consistent and regular | Oct 19, 2012 |
Saretta9 wrote:
...if you have one!
I would like to know if you use your blog, how and how often?
I have been told I should write on it at least two-three times a week, if not daily. Daily??
Do you really think I should?
I personally find it strange to write on it daily, but maybe more established bloggers have a different opinion.
I am a freelance and the blog presents advices and ideas for all those willing to become translators, it is quite a 'new' project and I am considering about writing more often than once a week.
What do you think?
Thanks!
Hi Saretta,
Well, ideally yes, but there's no written rule - it is YOUR blog, therefore you do want you want with it. However, golden rule is to be consistent - if you decide you'll update it once a month at the end of the month, you should stick to it religiously because your followers will expect it from you.
Or you can decide to update it twice a month (once every two weeks), for example. Or if you have the time to commit to once a week or twice a week... - it's up to you. It's a time commitment, so this is really your decision.
Just remember that gives a wrong impression is having a blog that's been dead for months (no new posts for 9 months for example).
I hope that helps
Anne
| | | | Samuel Murray 
Netherlands
Local time: 21:52
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| I gave up on blogging (several times) | Oct 19, 2012 |
Saretta9 wrote:
I would like to know if you use your blog, how and how often? I have been told I should write on it at least two-three times a week, if not daily. Daily?? Do you really think I should?
If you want to attract frequent visitors, then daily is the key. However, writing a blog entry isn't something simple and easy, unless you want to churn out rubbish. I think that if you have a daily blog, you should have a week or two's worth of back-up material that you can drop in on days that you're too busy to write.
I find it much easier and more productive to participate in a forum such as this one. I suspect I also have a larger readership, this way.
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 21:52
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| How about a joint blog? | Oct 19, 2012 |
Saretta9 wrote:
I am a freelance and the blog presents advices and ideas for all those willing to become translators, it is quite a 'new' project and I am considering about writing more often than once a week.
Well, if you can depersonalise the blog and get two or three more translators to help you out with writing stuff, you can share the workload, and produce more content (and get more visitors) for less effort. Make each partner an expert on something else, but make sure you all refer to each other's posts regularly in your own posts. Ask the partners to write some stuff in advance, too, in case any of them suddenly disappear on the deadline date.
| | | | Emma Goldsmith
Spain
Local time: 21:52
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
| Sticking to it | Oct 19, 2012 |
Anne Diamantidis wrote:
However, golden rule is to be consistent - if you decide you'll update it once a month at the end of the month, you should stick to it religiously because your followers will expect it from you.
I started a blog six months ago called Signs & Symptoms of Translation. My original plan was to post every two weeks. In practice, I've found that things crop up that I really want to blog about "immediately" (a new software release, a new book, etc.) and so sometimes I post an article one day and then another a few days later. I don't let more than two weeks lapse though.
That's why a regular posting pattern is hard for me to stick to. I did read your advice, Anne, on your blog, and I do worry that I'm breaking your golden rule and upsetting my followers because I don't follow a pattern "religiously".
Maybe blogging is still too new for me to let it fade away; right now I'm really enjoying it. Often when I'm working, I research something and immediately think - wow, this would make a great topic for a blog post - so I read more about it and investigate it further.
So not only does a blog help to share your expertise, it also helps you become more expert.
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Emma Goldsmith wrote:...it also helps you become more expert.
Actually, that was my idea right from the beginning. I started to write my blog to learn, not to educate or share my supreme knowledge I didn't have to begin with.
Cheers,
Hans
| | | | | Don't worry! | Oct 19, 2012 |
Emma Goldsmith wrote:
That's why a regular posting pattern is hard for me to stick to. I did read your advice, Anne, on your blog, and I do worry that I'm breaking your golden rule and upsetting my followers because I don't follow a pattern "religiously".
Hi Emma!
I may have expressed myself in a wrong way in the article, when I read your comment - what I mean is that you should stick to that minimum, but obviously if there are month when you post more, that's fine - there's no serious stats and research on that, but people who follow your blog will always be happy to be notified of more posts than they expected, while on the other hand being notified of a new post every 3 months may be counter-productive.
There are many factors playing a part here and God knows I'm not the absolute guru on the topic: it is known and proven that a blog that's never updated has a very negative impact, but it is more than likely than the other way round (a blog updated more often than expected) has a great positive impact - so keep up doing what you're doing (I love your blog BTW) We have no set pattern for the Stinging Nettle - that is, no number of posts per month. We do however set ourselves a minimum of at least 3 posts per month, and we're way above that minimum.
I'll update my phrasing in the article - when I write I sometimes get carried away and tend to assume that people will understand what is implied, but if I don't say it, how can they - I really apologize for that... mea culpa
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| Daily is useless and impossible | Oct 19, 2012 |
Samuel Murray wrote:
If you want to attract frequent visitors, then daily is the key.
Sorry Samuel but no. You can attract frequent visitors without posting daily if you do quality articles and promote your contents well on social networks. Posting daily is for "professional" bloggers (e.g. community managers, political bloggers, etc.), a translator does not need to do that.
Of course if one wants to post daily, it's their free choice but I wonder how a freelance translator can humanly find the time required for daily blogging while actually translating, doing invoices, etc. Translating is the core and money making activity and the goal of a blog is to support an online marketing strategy, which should be as less time-consuming as possible because it is not a direct fridge-filling, bills-paying activity.
IMO freelance translators do not need to blog daily, not at all. A few times per month (even twice/three times per month!) are more than enough if you A. produce quality articles and B. grow your followers base (which you can achieve with the help of A. and twitter for example).
I know a lot of colleagues out there who update their blogs twice a month maximum, and these blogs are among the most popular in the industry, with a huge followers base and half of the industry on Twitter jumping of joy for the new articles.
You really don't need to post daily, it's useless, it's time-consuming and on the long run, it can affect the quality of your blog. Quality over quantity is key, along with consistency.
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Emma Goldsmith wrote:
Often when I'm working, I research something and immediately think - wow, this would make a great topic for a blog post - so I read more about it and investigate it further.
So not only does a blog help to share your expertise, it also helps you become more expert.
Well-said and well-put. Couldn't agree more!
| | | | Sara Colombo
United Kingdom
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Samuel Murray wrote: Saretta9 wrote:
I am a freelance and the blog presents advices and ideas for all those willing to become translators, it is quite a 'new' project and I am considering about writing more often than once a week. Well, if you can depersonalise the blog and get two or three more translators to help you out with writing stuff, you can share the workload, and produce more content (and get more visitors) for less effort. Make each partner an expert on something else, but make sure you all refer to each other's posts regularly in your own posts. Ask the partners to write some stuff in advance, too, in case any of them suddenly disappear on the deadline date.
Sharing is a nice idea, do you think it would also work as a marketing tool?
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Emma Goldsmith wrote: Anne Diamantidis wrote:
However, golden rule is to be consistent - if you decide you'll update it once a month at the end of the month, you should stick to it religiously because your followers will expect it from you. I started a blog six months ago called Signs & Symptoms of Translation. My original plan was to post every two weeks. In practice, I've found that things crop up that I really want to blog about "immediately" (a new software release, a new book, etc.) and so sometimes I post an article one day and then another a few days later. I don't let more than two weeks lapse though.
I failed to get access to Meta's blog, probably due to the connecting problems on this side, but Emma's blog is quite impressive. All the related topics are clearly displayed to exhibit the professionalism as a medical freelancer. Somehow it might be more effective for marketing purpose than having a personal site, when taking into account the time and efforts and cost that might be involved.
[Edited at 2012-10-19 12:31 GMT]
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James_xia wrote:
I failed to get access to Meta's blog
Don't worry about that, Emma's blog is superior. That is, I can't judge the content - med translations make me sick, and so does Trados - but the lay-out is professional. Phenomenal. And so are the pics, excellent! I wonder where she got them...
Cheers,
Hans (Meta's my daughter)
| | | | Sara Colombo
United Kingdom
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Anne Diamantidis wrote: Samuel Murray wrote:
If you want to attract frequent visitors, then daily is the key.
Sorry Samuel but no. You can attract frequent visitors without posting daily if you do quality articles and promote your contents well on social networks. Posting daily is for "professional" bloggers (e.g. community managers, political bloggers, etc.), a translator does not need to do that. Of course if one wants to post daily, it's their free choice but I wonder how a freelance translator can humanly find the time required for daily blogging while actually translating, doing invoices, etc. Translating is the core and money making activity and the goal of a blog is to support an online marketing strategy, which should be as less time-consuming as possible because it is not a direct fridge-filling, bills-paying activity. IMO freelance translators do not need to blog daily, not at all. A few times per month (even twice/three times per month!) are more than enough if you A. produce quality articles and B. grow your followers base (which you can achieve with the help of A. and twitter for example). I know a lot of colleagues out there who update their blogs twice a month maximum, and these blogs are among the most popular in the industry, with a huge followers base and half of the industry on Twitter jumping of joy for the new articles. You really don't need to post daily, it's useless, it's time-consuming and on the long run, it can affect the quality of your blog. Quality over quantity is key, along with consistency.
Honestly, I find it difficult to write on my blog daily. I am not a very experienced blogger, that 's for sure, but I think it takes time to write a good, informative and original article.
The web is rich in terms of resources, but it doesn't mean I have to write about everything.
I have been told daily posts are useful tools to attract new readers, but I think there is the risk of bore them as well as become too general.
| | | | Sara Colombo
United Kingdom
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | I am not so selfish | Oct 19, 2012 |
Meta Arkadia wrote: Emma Goldsmith wrote:...it also helps you become more expert. Actually, that was my idea right from the beginning. I started to write my blog to learn, not to educate or share my supreme knowledge I didn't have to begin with. Cheers, Hans
Hans, I don't think I want to educate or have a 'supreme knowledge'. I started my blog because I could not have a website and wanted an effective but not too complex/expensive tool.
I like the fact that people can follow me and I can follow them, which means we can share and discuss.
I think if one likes blogging is because he/she loves writing and/or has something to communicate.
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