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What I Hate About Blogging
- 09/29/10
- 49
Admittedly, the title of this blog post is a bit of hyperbole. That’s probably not the best way to begin an article, but I know that far more people will read the first line of the article than the last one, so if I leave the punch line too long, most people will miss it. It’s just reality.
If you’ve been reading this site for any length of time you know that I truly do enjoy blogging; I don’t hate it at all. Blogging is one of the genuine pleasures of my life. Rarely does a day come along when I just do not want to sit down and write something. Yet blogging is not without its challenges and frustrations. Today I want to let you in on just a few of the aspects of blogging I struggle with the most, things that occurred to me recently as I pondered what I do here and why.
The point of this is not to complain about you. I implicate myself as much as anyone here. Instead, the purpose is simply to express some of the difficulties and frustrations of blogging. I want to give you a behind-the-scenes peek, I suppose, to see what I struggle with as I consider what to write here on the blog.
A Fickle Audience
Those of us who read blogs are a very fickle audience (and I include myself in this—I write 1 blog but read 100 or so). This is particularly true for those of us who rely on RSS readers or other means of organizing the content we read. These tools, necessary ones if we are to keep up with the content of more than just a few blogs, give us the ability to quickly filter out the good from the bad and the good from the average. They allow us to look very quickly at the articles generated by hundreds of blogs so we can focus in and actually engage with just the few articles that most appeal to us. So while I say that I read 100 blogs, I actually look briefly at the content of 100 blogs and on any given day read the content of only a few. I am fickle and will read only what stands out to me.
The fickle nature of we, the blog readers, have led to several adaptations by bloggers. In the first place, generating titles has become something of an art. When we look through the many articles in our RSS readers, we will be drawn primarily by a title. And for this reason there is a lot of skill in crafting just the right title (though this is a skill that has largely passed me by). This leads people to rely on this kind of a format: # adjective noun that [or from or with or by or…] noun (7 Awesome Books by John Piper, 5 Spectacular Sites for Web Designers, 144 Groovy Movies Starring Canadians, etc). This is also why many bloggers have a photo near the top of each blog post—the photos draw the eye and makes it more likely that a person will pause to read a little of the article.
The fickleness of blog readers is an ongoing frustration to me, even as I act just as fickle as everyone else. If a person really wants to succeed as a blogger, he will need to cater to some of these realities. Those of us who are stubborn and do not want to adapt, who do not want to stick an out-of-context photo at the top of each post and who don’t always want to rely on hyperbolic titles, will necessarily lose potential readers because of it. As you and I read blogs we want to be impressed, we want each article to wow us. Sadly no blogger can write a wow kind of post every time, any more than a pastor can preach a wow sermon every week or you can give your spouse a wow kiss every morning.
This puts a lot of pressure on the writer and especially so if he keeps his eye on site statistics. When he does, he can see immediately how the audience regarded his article—how they chose to read it or ignore it. Though the content may have been profound, biblical, wise, it will be missed because the audience did not make the effort to actually understand what it was.
A Skimming Audience
Those who do choose to read the articles on a particular blog are increasingly simply skimming those articles. More and more studies show that skimming is quickly becoming the dominant form of reading online. Yes, we have always skimmed books; in fact, most programs that claim to make us better readers encourage skimming as an initial way of encountering the content of a book. Yet never before has skimming been so prevalent. Today we skim more than we read.
Once again, blogs have been forced to adapt to this reality. At least the blogs that really take off, the ones that gain huge readership, have adapted. They have responded by keeping articles short, by trying to express anything in just a few hundred words. This pragmatic approach leads to very dry, uninteresting writing. The words become entirely utilitarian. Bloggers have also adapted by making their content skimmable, which means that they rely on lots of headings, lots of bullet points, and other means of allowing people to glance at the content in just a few seconds.
Generally speaking, those who read blogs read for information, not for wisdom or understanding. Whatever we read on blogs, we want to gain all of its benefit within just a few seconds. We want it fast, we want it direct and we want it to be straight to the point without anything standing in the way.
I hate writing in this way. I like words and I like to use them. I like to make the kind of points that can’t be made in 200 words. And this necessarily means that I lose a lot of my readers along the way.
[Note: 75% of the people who began reading this article have already stopped by this point]
It’s Lonely
It’s lonely being a blogger. What I find difficult about it is that I get very excited about the blog and love what it has become. But no one else is really able to meet me there and get excited about it in the same way. I am the type who always longs for someone to join me in what I am doing, someone to share the experience with, to bounce ideas off, to brainstorm with. But for those of us who write blogs like mine, single-author blogs, there is no one to do that with. I suppose it is much the same with a one-man business. Though I may have a passion for my blog, the simple reality is that others enjoy it, they use it, they may benefit from it, but they don’t have the passion. How could they, really? And so as I dream of the future, hoping some day to be able to give far more time to the blog, even to make it a kind of vocation, I have to ponder it alone.
Am I complaining? No, not at all. I’m simply expressing one of the realities. Blogging is a lonely hobby. The blogger does his writing alone, he creates the ideas on his own, and he dreams on his own.
We’re Cheap
And finally, we’re cheap. Those of us who read blogs demand the highest quality at the lowest price. We want to read articles that give us just the information we want, we want to read content that moves or entertains us. And yet we do not want to pay for it. And again, I implicate myself here. We are people of the web, or people of Web 2.0 at any rate. What we read online we want to read for free (just like what we watch online we want to watch for free and what we listen to online we want to listen to for free). This poses a significant challenge to bloggers who want to monetize their blogs and receive some financial reward for their work. A few have succeeded well; most have not. “The laborer is worthy of his hire?” Not online, he’s not. Not in our understanding. I can’t even remember the last time I clicked on another blog’s banner ad.
So there you have it—the challenge of blogging. I read through these words and it sounds like I’m whining. I hope you don’t see it that way. These are simply a few of the challenging realities of blogging; they are challenges I cause as much as they are challenges I face.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Comments (49)
I hear ya!
Tim, I also don’t like the fact that blogging is so linear or sequential. You could write a really quality post and in 3 days it is yesterday’s news. Granted, you can link back to it or others can link to it. But, the nature of blogging (and people reading on RSS feeds) is that posts are soon hidden.
Hey Tim,
What RSS reader do you use?
yip, I fully agree with you, as will, pretty much, most bloggers. It drives me into self promotion and self analysis, I get absorbed with myself because I am so worried about the audiences skimming, fickleness, etc.In a general sense, I love and hate blogging for the same reasons; the problems and the solution to those problems.
Phill
The problem with blogs is that there is too much content that is not substantive or helpful. Readers are drowning in information and it is hard to sort through everything. Blog rings or groups of writers blogging (such as the Gospel Coalition) avert this problem somewhat. But ultimately, who has the time?
Being a cartoonist and illustrator, I work better in isolation. Blogging is a lonely hobby. If it weren’t for comments, I don’t think any of us would continue for long. No comments equals intensified loneliness. You don’t get the response like you do on Facebook. Some have abandoned blogging the very reasons you describe.Thanks for your tireless efforts. May God continually bless your ministries.
Interesting point of view. I wish I enjoyed blogging as much as you do. I find writing to be work (thus the name of my blog…’blogergism’…a double on monergism and a literalism meaning ‘blog work’). I like communicating ideas, but doing it in writing is hard work for me.
Keep up the good work!
I’ll admit. I skimmed until I got to “Skimming Audience.” I love what you write, Tim, but I subscribe to too much. Your lengthier posts are valuable, but I find myself skimming or skipping them. I try to stop by every day to see if there is an a la carte; and, to be honest, if you stopped that feature, I would likely stop by a lot less. a la carte brings me to your blog, then I catch your other content.
Yes, yes, yes! With all this in mind, it’s hard to focus on true success in blogging (honoring God, pointing others to Him) and not the numbers game. Balance is needed!
Thanks for sharing. I feel your pain. The fickleness of readers has been my biggest frustration. I think I have written an article worth reading, but it isn’t the most well read. Sometimes it just does not make any sense.
The second frustration for me (as I’m just getting started) is being able to share my passion with others. My close friends listen but I wonder at times if I am just annoying them.
http://www.studyyourbibleonline.com
I loved this post. And, though by default a skimmer, I read it all. Like any consumer - especially in our fast-food nation - I need to learn to be discerning about what I sample, what I chew & digest, and what I pass by completely. For me, this was worth some savoring. Thanks.
Amen, sir.
These are many of my own complaints about blogging, that if you’re truly a writer, the limited medium, the reality of skimming, etc. means that all those words that are so beautiful to you, that are so thoughtfully crafted, mean very little. Yet people who learn the rules well will succeed despite writing that is mediocre at best (Gigi @ kludgymom.com wrote a post about that last week), and I’m always a little taken aback my that. Why read something that has no juicy content just because it’s short and has a catchy title or a nifty picture?
So I am totally in your camp with this one.
Being a Reformed (Theologically) blogger is even lonelier. lol
here here! Was shaking my head the whole time.
Ha! I totally hear you on this Tim.Unfortunately, I realized that I wrote my most recent post while catering to those fickle audience needs. Picture on top (it’s related though!), a few bullet points, etc . Guilt as charged.
And the cherry on top: my blog psot showed up right above this one in my Google Reader. Ha!
Yep, I agree on most of this. I have resisted a lot of the advice/tips for having a successful blog, which shows in my readership. I write because I love it. 200-400 words is difficult for me. I am more typically in the 600-800 range. I am not a bullet point or headers kind of writer. And, I definitely am not talented or creative with titles at all.
While, I have stubbornly resisted the tips…I still feel the pressure. I write because I love it, but also because I want to share it. I do want people to read and be encouraged. But, because I resist the tips, my readership is low. Sometimes, I think blogging may not be the best venue for me, but I love the immediacy of it. So, I have a love/hate relationship with it. But, I mostly love it.
As far as reading, I will typically read shorter blogs. However, there have some bloggers/writers who I have come to love and find their content profitable like The Gospel Coalition, Kevin DeYoung, etc. I will choose to read those over some shorter blogs because the time spent is worth it.
Obiously, I can’t even write 200 word comments. Enjoyed the post!
I wanted to read 144 Groovy Movies Starring Canadians, but I couldn’t find it in the archives.
I second the commenter who said that they come for a la carte and occasionally catch the other content.
I’m not sure that skimming is so bad, especially if you are good at it. I read this article in about 45 seconds, but I’m pretty sure I could show 90-95% comprehension of it, if tested.
Also, how could you possibly know that 75% of readers stopped reading by that point?
The world’s most famous Christian blogger who is (in part) earning a living by and through blogging can probably buck up under the stress of the fact that people reading the internet have limited attention span and a very low price point.
If anyone has ever seen Tim make a point in 200 words (or less), e-mail me a link.
As to “loneliness”, that’s a choice, not a natural consequence. Writing is what it is, and it’s not a group sport, but many very good and widely-read bloggers are not inherently-lonely — because they live life and blog as an actual hobby rather than as a lifestyle.
I don’t buy it, Tim. I think the problem may be your approach to blogging rather than the medium itself and the natural audience for it — and I say that as a guy who likes you and what you’ve brought to the blogosphere over the last 7 years.
Hi Tim
I don’t skim and I don’t “RSS”. Everyday at lunch I read you, Justin Taylor, Pyros, and Denny Burk. I pretty much read all the way through all the new posts. I really like that. I just don’t seem to want to see all that other stuff. I can’t even imagine looking at stuff from 100 places. Four is almost too many.
I also regularly look at the Manifold GIS forum and a SQL forum (sort of work related). I also regularly look at WUWT just for fun.
I have a Yahoo email account for all of my internet stuff. Like when I need to give a blog an email to make a comment. My home email account is just for family. Sometimes when I log off my email I read some of the news items on the Yahoo home page that comes up. It’s really frustrating because they interpose real news with junk about Britney Somebody and Paris Hilton, and DWTS and a bunch of other really useless stuff. A lot of times I just skip reading it.
Your blog is the first thing on my list everyday and one of the most edifying. I read what you are thinking about and then skim the ALaCarte. Thanks for all that you do, I appreciate it.
At my blog, I notice the fickleness too. They love you, then they forget ya!
Was it something I said?
Davidwww.redletterbelievers.com
I suspect the things you highlight are both universal and felt far more thoroughly by most of the commenters here than even you yourself. I have been blogging since 2005; my site has about 25 regular readers. (On a good day.) Some of that is the type of content, some of that is irregularity, and some of it, well… the vagaries of the internet. Suffice it to say: if I put up a post like this, my comments in response would probably max out in the 0-2 range.
At this point, I keep writing because I love writing, and I learn from writing, and occasionally people do respond.
The online magazine/blog/publication that I run with a friend (which is the website I linked here) is doing a bit better almost a year in, but we’ve been very focused content-wise, very intentional on our article size limits, and very regular. Even so, after a year we have about 50 subscribers via RSS, and on a really good day, maybe 70 hits to the site. It’s slow, hard work to build an audience, because so many people are trying to and so many people are much better at playing the game—we just don’t have that many lists (though unsurprisingly, the ones we do have get clicked through to a lot from Google).
It’s the upside and the downside of the fact that quite literally everyone and their grandmother can have a published voice now.
Yes, I’ve been writing book reviews and find it extremely difficult to really interact with what I’ve read in a short paragraph but realize that few will read anything longer…not that I have many (if any) actual readers.
I year ya. I hope to soon start writing online. In fact, I write a lot of articles for other people. I understand how to write for the web, and I do it well.However, I also want to write stories. The web is not the place for that. The best advice I can give to anyone about that is: “deal with it.”Don’t ever cross the line between the two, if you’re aiming to please your audience. If your audience can handle long posts, Not broken up into palatable chunks, then serve them that. If they can’t, fix your writing, and find another place to give outing to your linguistic lusts.It’s always about the reader.And banners that are not clicked, are either not well placed, or too boring.Jill whalen bemoaned her lot in an article the other day. She said that she’d always advised people to focus on great content, and not on shady marketing techniques. She went on to say that these days, it seems shady marketing is sadly the way to go; much in the vain of “if you can’t beat them, join them.” I say poppycock! Up the ante!
But always make it about the reader.
I’m not surprised to see eddie eddings hang out here. Eddie’s one of my Blogging heroes. Talk about great content! Hi eddie!
I skim through a lot of blogs, but there are just a couple of blogs for which I read every word of almost every post. One of them is yours, Tim. Keep up the great work!
Haha…so true! :)
For what it’s worth, to me, quality of writing is king when it comes time to prune my blogroll (something I do a few times a year). I’m glad you like words and I’m still here because you do.
About the it’s lonely part…since blogging my friends call me far less because they feel like they know what’s going on in my life..but one post is a tiny glimpse into my life…:(
One of the reasons for the problems you cite, Tim, is that readers tend to stay in their ghettos. As a result, they hear the same basic message every day repeated by the same voices. How could this not get dull?
People need to read bloggers who have different opinions and understandings from theirs. It’s the only way one grows. And people who are seeking to grow don’t skim, because the material they are reading challenges their belief system, so they read more intently.
I try to read across the spectrum, especially those quality writers who say things I don’t like, because every now and then they say something I don’t like but which exposes my own lacks and narrow thinking. Then I need to consider what they may be teaching me.
If blogging is suffering, it’s in part because readers have gathered too many sycophantic voices around themselves. While that is human nature, we need to be aware of it and challenge ourselves to thoughtfully engage those with whom we do not agree.
I disagree with “It’s lonely being a blogger. What I find difficult about it is that I get very excited about the blog and love what it has become. But no one else is really able to meet me there and get excited about it in the same way.”
I think many of us would enjoy talking to you about your blog, your posts, your design, people who comment, etc. Just as I am a fanatic about Starbucks or North Point, I am the same about Challies.com.
I’ve become even lonelier just reading these comments.
Hi Tim,
Some readers get the shape-up God intents for them through the writings.
That should be really encouraging and counted as reward temporary while the bigger reward comes later from the Master (Jesus)
I believe if those talented to blog make it plain that they intend to earn a living through blogging, the needed support will come over time especially if the articles is not intended to denominate God’s people
Skimming and or skipping are rampant with the word of God (Bible) much less blog articles.
You have done well Tim- if the focus of the articles continues to mirror 2 Tim 3:16, I believe your blog audience will not dwindle but if it does, it will only reflect the growing disinterest in authentic stuff these days.
All that said, Christian bloggers need avoid unnecessary entertainment because they will not replace the experts in that field (the news media)
While we’re at it…
NOTE to Commenters: No one reads your comments if it’s more than 100 words!
(unless it’s Frank Turk, I guess.. then we can stretch and go the 150)
What I Hate About Blogging?
___________________________
Really? Those are some of my favourite things. What I don’t like about blogging is mostly the name. It sounds like a fellowship of the upset where everyone has two fingers pressed to their lips in being just a wee bit too close to getting sick on me. But, now that I mention it, I notice that’s quite a lot of what blogging genuinely seems to represent, being overtly negative, and some of us seem not too polite about it (present company excluded).
My blog’s no different I suppose, but of course, like that most magnificent of quirky heroines, that fluffy puff ball of sunshine, that Who-hearing Horton’s scene-stealing sidekick Katie, at my Reformed blog, everyone is a pony and they all eat rainbows and poop butterflies. It’s beautiful… in a really weird way. Ahhhhhhhhh….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx6QliaetKk&feature=related
- grit
Brian —
It’s because most people know the punch line is worth it.
There’s a lesson about blogging in there someplace — and in fact all short-form feature writing.
Hey Tim,I like your blog. I’m a SKIMMER so as you know I only read the first couple lines and the the BOLD words but I am glad to know you don’t hate blogging. The title worked…I normally only skim your A La Carte! Keep writing my fellow blogger.
Tim, thanks for this. I totally agree, and especially in light of having thought these things over the past few weeks, it’s comforting to find a community of people who feel the same. We need some more blogger support groups.
I am tired of being inauthentic, though. I feel like I have been trying to live within those constraints for the past few months in order to build a breakout blog, and it ends up seeming false. The joy I used to feel drains away and the blog stops serving the purpose it was supposed to in the first place.
A friend of mine is a world-class violinist who says that if he doesn’t practice for a day, he can tell the difference; if he doesn’t practice for a week, his wife can tell; and if he doesn’t practice for a month, his audience can tell. I think it works the same with blogs. You can get away with it for so long, but sooner or later, if you’re being false, people will notice. It’s a labour of love at the end of the day, like all the best things.
i find that yes, i am drawn to certain posts by the titles or description given on fb or twitter (i don’t use a feed reader)… but what keeps me coming back is when i find i relate to the voice of the writer. and the more i connect with a particular blogger, the less i skim, and the more in-depth i read.
one could say, create the titles/description of a post to capture initial interest, yes; but write the content for those who then find the value of reading what you’ve written in depth. for the ‘return customers’, rather than the browsers, so to speak.
i am a return customer. i don’t catch everything, but i come back often! :)
..mmm 38 comments on Tim’s post on blogging and 3 comments on his post on Continual Repentence…..
Maybe Tim you need to review your own reasons for blogging: http://www.challies.com/personal-reflections/blogging-my-story.
My plea as you struggle with delivery of content is don’t dumb down your blogg.
I like what Frank is saying. I usually do.
There is a difference between a story and a short story.
When you blog, you are writing for people who want/like/expect short stories.
Personally, I have a Laissez-faire approach to blogging exactly because of that. I literally will not blog to appeal exclusively to my desires to post long, well-thought out, but unengaged posts or my reader’s desire to read short, puff pieces. I do what I want.
Tim,
I have to admit perplexity at your post. An immediate gratification should not be expected to bring much satisfaction. Is it too cruel to say that blogging is kind of like fast food? You share your thoughts, frustrations, plans, and feelings day to day; yet the sum total cannot compare to thoughts that have had to marinade until time and other commitments permit pen to grace paper.
I am not yet a blogger, but I hope to someday be able to use blogging as a ministry to other women. I do enjoy visiting your site and a few others for useful and biblical information. Over the past 22 years I have figured out how to weave Scripture study and writing about my findings throughout a life of homemaking. My most intense thoughts and insights are usually not recorded immediately, perhaps days or weeks after the thought occurs. Which means the thought has to be really good to ever get written down. My computer work space is between the cat litter and the clothes dryer, which is also convenient for our four kids to use. Zoning out with warm running water at the kitchen sink after a huge dinner cleanup is my best muse.
I think the thing that perplexes me is that bloggers seem to write for a reaction or to develop professional contacts. Writing as a business, not an art. Which is perfectly legitimate, and may be necessary to pay the bills.
When I started writing about 8 years ago it was not to attract or wow anyone. It was to search the Word and try to figure out the biblical meaning of womanhood. I was doing this with no one else’s knowledge. It was just what I had to do for my own sanity living in a small town, stuck in a not very well led church, and surviving long winters. Due to lack of technological savvy I didn’t and still don’t, know how to talk to people on the internet without wasting precious time. I couldn’t count on many Christians around me to be interested in my portraits of Bible women, so I kept writing at strange times or when kids were at school or lessons. My point is, writing was and is a spiritual journey for me. Similar to study of Scripture in that I ask God to speak to me from his word, and I will write whatever he reveals to me. The readers are in my thoughts as other women needing to hear truth from God’s Word, like me.
Perhaps there is something inherently shallow and political about blogging when one is always having to focus on wowing the reader. And on the sponsors, the well known authors who want you to review them, and the potential invitations to speak at conferences. I use to envy the life of a blogger, but then maybe it would only hurt my writing. I guess I am going to have to be content with the hope that someday one of you guys will remember my humble little Holy Women of the Past and review it. In fact, looking out for the newly published but unknown, and non platformed authors out there might make bloggers feel like they are really doing a good deed:)
Blessings,Barbara Gardner, Holy Women of the Past
Wow, it felt really weird to come to the part about skimming while I was skimming through this post!
When all said and done - probably a lot of navel gazing.
Well said. So True. I am guilty of skim reading. I did read yours…every…single…word! and liked it!
Thank you.sorry, this is a test for posting comment directly in PIMShell.
@ kevintest to reply
I appreciate your post, Tim…enough that I’m commenting (yay, me). I’ve read your blog for a couple years…most often in detail and often skimming, etc. I’ve recommended your blog easily a hundred times. But I’m really guilty for not commenting or interacting. And, while I realize that fact, I am not sure I’ll change a lot…but I’ll try some. I appreciate your wisdom, insight and of course I can’t leave out discernment :) I appreciate your writing ministry very much.
I echo your statement Tim:
“I can’t even remember the last time I clicked on another blog’s banner ad.”
The more ads on a blog, the more likely I am to leaving that site. I appreciate simplicity, not clutter.
By the way Tim, you are a rarity here in the blogosphere, in the sense that you actually have substance to your posts. So many posts around the blog world are “Hat Tips” from another site or worse, just plain terrible writing.
Keep bucking the trend of short [shallow] posts with clever titles and appealing pictures. Your efforts are not in vain.
I usually do read Tim’s stuff straight through. People have self-tinted lenses in their reading glasses.