Search This Blog

August 29, 2013

BLOGGING: IS IT ON LIFE SUPPORT? By Kathy Ivan

I keep hearing blogging is dead. Can this be true? I read as many blogs as I used to, I just don't have the time. I rarely have time to write a comment, either. The number of blogs I read has gotten smaller, but I still read some. Especially ones by people who post things I enjoy reading about.

VARIETY: I like a variety of topics when I'm blog hopping. Yes, I want to know about your new book when you have a new release. But don't overdo it. Share it at couple of places, and I'll check it out. But not 20 or 30 or 40. There's only so much information I want to know about your book. If you give away too much, then what's the point of reading the story? I'll know most of it from seeing so many blog posts.

ENTERTAIN ME: I like to be entertained. If you tell me a little bit about yourself or something that you’ve been participating in, or someplace you've visited, chances are good I'll hop over to your blog and check it out. Tell me about your dog or your cat. Tell me about your closet full of handbags (Vicki). Give me a reason to keep coming back to your blog.

PICTURES: Definitely put up pictures on your blog. Break up all the paragraph after paragraph with pictures pertaining to your subject matter. If you've been on a trip, stick a couple of photos up. It makes what you've said come alive visually. After all, don't they say a picture is worth a thousand words?




BREVITY: And for goodness sake, don't be longwinded. Brief and to the point is more entertaining and likely to get people to show up than long paragraphs droning on and on, beating a subject to death. Keep it short and sweet (KISS). Yep, I know KISS stands for another saying we writers use, but that's the lovely thin about words, they can have multiple meanings.

No, I don't think blogs are dead. Just take a look at the Plotting Princesses. We are alive and kicking and continuing to grow. So I'm going to take my own advice now and shut up. 

Kathy Ivan is a writer of romantic suspense with paranormal elements and contemporary paranormal romance. Her latest release, Losing Cassie, just released and is available in e-book and paperback. She is also a participating author in a 9-author box set (for $0.99) releasing on September 1st. She's currently busy working on her latest, a romantic suspense, plotting ways to get away with murder.

13 comments:

Sylvia said...

Hi Kathy,
Excellent post. I don't think blogs are dead, but there are now so many of them that a reader has decide which one do I follow? I could spend my entire day reading blogs, I don't have time. So I read a few. I follow a few and I comment on very few. It's just like our blog. We probably have a lot more traffic than we do actual commenters. It's easier just to read and move on to the next one. LOVE THE NEW BOOK COVER!

Kathy Ivan said...

Thanks, Sylvia. I do agree most people who read blogs now don't take the time to comment. When you look at the statistics of page views we'll have hundreds and yet only a handful of people comment. It's nice to know that although people aren't taking the time to write something, they did take the time to read what was posted. :-)

P.S. I love the new cover too. Fingers crossed people will buy the book. :-)

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

Hi, Kathy! I don't think blogging is dead. Here at the PP, we have lots of people visiting, but not everyone has something to say about the topic. That's okay. In real life, we don't always have anything to say. Your elements for a good blog are spot on. And thank you for the shoutout about #HandbagMonday. LOLOL. I do have great fun writing it.

Patricia said...

I only read blogs these days with posts that entertain me and tell me something new and different. I shy away from promotion and interviews because I want to get "away from the publishing world" and have some fun, perhaps learn something new.

Jeanine said...

I learned pics and brevit this year. It makes a huge difference. Thanks for the post.

Melinda B. Pierce said...

Great post :) I can agree with every point.

Thanks for sharing!

Melinda

Unknown said...

I always like something different. That's why I tell my guest bloggers to have fun with it. Run with your article. Be free. It doesn't have to pertain to writing. Sure, promo your books too, but write what you darn well feel like it. So much more interesting.
I don't think blogs are dead, but yes, I agree, we can only support so many.
Nice post.

Nina Pierce said...

I used to love writing blog posts, but it seems I spend my creative energies at FB. It seems there is more interaction with people there.

I've been rethinking my own blog and how often to post. So hard to know what the right answer is.

So glad your own blog is thriving. But you do have great content.

Angela Adams said...

I receive dozens of blogs via newsletters to my "inbox" each day. I don't scrutinize them all, but I do each one. I go through them while I'm having my coffee.

When something jumps out at me as an item of interest, I'll leave a comment.

Melissa Keir said...

I'm wondering the same thing. It seems like blogs have an ebb and flow where they are popular and then not. Thanks for sharing your insights. I find most of them to be important to me too!

Kathy Ivan said...

Well, it's great to see so many people feeling strongly about blogs still being viable and important in today's world.

As long as we have good content, interesting posts, and impart information to the reader in an easy, concise fashion, they'll keep reading.

Thanks so much for everybody dropping by. Forgive the group thank you but I'm at work doing the day job and can't post individually. But I love that you all dropped by for my blog post. (((HUGS)))

Unknown said...

Hi Kathy,

There are so many emails, tweets, blogs and other promo biz details to take care of as a writer, there is ever less time to enjoy most of it. Finding balance is becoming quite a knack! I don't think blogging is dead, it would be a great loss.

Taylor Bara said...

Do you know how to write about yourself? This https://essaydragon.com/blog/essay-about-yourself is what you need!