Here is what I’ve concluded. True, some of what we perceive as our best posts are ultimately going to get buried after enough time goes by. But, this is just an illusion. As bloggers, we must make our next post the very best one we’ve ever written. I used to want to save my best posts for some future date. There may be a place for this on rare occasion. But I finally realized, who am I kidding? My blog no matter how unpopular or popular it is, is going to demand excellence. When you lack popularity you necessitate great posts to gain it. When you already have the popularity you seek, it is required that you continue to write great posts in order to maintain what you’ve achieved. No matter how you look at it, excellent posts each and every time are going to be demanded of you. Yes, blogging is the ultimate challenge! One I feel privileged to take part in.

Bamboo Forests last blog post..Being Happy for Others: Something to Truly Aspire to

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Barbara,

I was thinking of this the other day when comments flowed in about Jake and his remark, “My penis is peeing right now”.

I thought it was simple, funny and easy to talk about. It took 5 minutes to write and scan and post. Other times I’ve literally spent hours on a post and people barely glance at it.

One thing I feel is pretty sure is that people really don’t want to read more than 200-300 words. I certainly don’t unless it’s really compelling or informative. If it’s just saying the same thing then shorten it.

I hear you Bamboo, about the saving the best for later. I feel this as well. I think- when people really come flooding in then I’ll break it out the “good stuff”But the thing is you can always reintroduce a subject and expand on it, paraphrase or repost. I will read a similar article over and over if I like the content.

Dr.Casons last blog post..Have You Found Your Get Away Location?

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I’m the hardest on myself. The thing is I can always improve there is no doubt about that, but I know that I give value. Sometimes I have to remind myself that blogging is a learning process, it’s like no other type of writing. We get almost instant feedback from our readers, which I love. No other writing medium has such instant response.

Sometimes I over edit and I’m working on this habit. It reminds me of a post from skelliewag.org. She talks about not needing to be perfect, but as long as we get our point across and do it in an entertaining way that’s all that matters.

Karl Staib – Your Work Happiness Matterss last blog post..7 Awesome Lessons from Bill Gates – Love Him or Hate Him, He is a Genius

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You are right, results usually come unexpected. I think this is because of the changing needs and attitudes of readers.

So, I usually put my best and try to learn from the results I get and the critiques I receive from my readers comments and emails.

AxeCitys last blog post..Successful Blog Design

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I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading through all the comments.

I think I’m my own worst critic. But what I like about blogging is I can experiment, kind of like cooking. Some things I say will appeal to some people, but not to others. You just never know.

I really think you have to write for yourself. You have to love your writing, or no one else will.

@Dr Cason – Haaa! That is the funniest thing! Now I have to go see what’s up with that.

Ellen Wilsons last blog post..What are You Fishing for?

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Of course I am my worst critic.

I think it was Skellie who said, that people don’t READ online – they quickly SCAN the page for ideas. So, in many cases, a well-crafted post is not as important as a great idea that makes people think and sparks a discussion.

Vereds last blog post..Are Bloggers Allowed To Have A Life?

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Hi Dr. Cason,

That was a funny post, and definitely inspired others to comment.

It’s hard to know what readers “REALLY” prefer, and although shorter articles are quicker reads, often you can’t put all in you need to say in less than “x” number of words.

Hi Natural,

That post made me laugh too.

Being ourselves is one key. If we try too hard, often we lose our essence, and the our loyal readers can tell.

Hi Karl,

Isn’t that amazing, knowing our words “go public” so fast and others can (and do) respond to them, often in a matter of minutes. Once we hit that “publish” there’s no turning back.

Hi Hunter,

I agree that editing is VERY important as it’s easy to be redundant with our words.

Long posts are usually filled with value, but do take a lot longer to read. Often those are the posts I save until later as I want to read them completely, thus I may not comment right away.

Like you, I look for typos, but everyone once in awhile, a few slip through. That’s why I like that you come and visit as you’re a good proofreader and (thankfully) point them out to me.

Hi AxeCity,

Yes, putting our best foot forward everyday is important, and learning from our readers/critiques can take us far.

Hi Marelisa,

I can tell you put a lot of thought into your posts. They are longer than most, but they’re also value packed. For me, they are always great read.

Hi Ellen,

Everyone who has commented have great ideas, don’t they?

THAT is a key. You do have to love what your writing about. If you don’t, it gets to be a drag, and the results will show.

Hi Ann,

Measure the success of a post is a tough one. Usually a commenter will shed light on that by saying you helped them, saved them time, made them laugh, made them cry, inspired them, etc….and sometimes it only takes one comment to reveal that.

Hi Vered,

Yes, bloggers often scan posts and don’t read every word. It can be disheartening knowing that, but like you said, if it sparks a discussion, than SOME of the words served their purpose.

Hi Catherine,

You hit a nail on the head. We can’t please everyone no matter how great our post is. For whatever reason, there are those who will pick it apart.

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Yeah, I’m my own worst critic, but with blogging, I feel a lot less pressure. When writing for a specific client or publication, I know I’ve only got one shot. With blogging, there’s leeway. Not miles of leeway, but a healthy shoulder.

I’ve definitely had the classic experience of thinking I’ve got a winner, only to have it bomb. And releasing it on the same day that a ton of other people talked about a related subject, making it a double yawn. At other times, my intuition is correct. The posts I write on the spur of the moment tend to get the best reactions, and that doesn’t surprise me.

And Hunter, your time spent proofreading is not wasted. I always appreciate good grammar!

Saras last blog post..Weekly Links: Gone Swimming

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Wow! Okay, now I’m starting to think about my posts being best posts, and good posts, and not so good posts…I wasn’t rating them. I just write what makes me feel good and brings a smile to my face. I do re-read my posts probably too many times, although I really only make actual edits to it once, before I hit the publish button.

I do agree with Vered about questioning what makes a post successful. It is gratifying to see volumes of comments (good for the ego), but if I spark one really good one, such that I know I’ve made the person smile, laugh, or really think, then my post was truly successful

Urban Panthers last blog post..Francophone Fridays

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“To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world.” Anonymous

This quote came to mind as I was reading your post and everyone’s comments, Barbara.

We can’t please everyone with every post — so to some people our posts may just be “average,” but if our posts (or as Vered says, our ideas) strike a chord with just one person, that feels great!! (Hopefully they’ll comment, so you get the positive feedback! LOL Barbara, you’re great at that!) That’s definitely one of the reasons I’m writing my blog.

No one is perfect in their jobs 100% of the time, so how could our posts be? Some will hit, some will miss, but we just have to keep going.

Cheers!

Linda Abbits last blog post..It Is Better to Laugh Than to Cry!

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Hi Urban Panther,

Writing what makes you feel good, says to me you’re following your passion. If we stay true to ourselves, undoubtedly others will see/read that and find value in what we’ve written.

Hi Linda Abbit,

I love that quote.

Comments are great (I know I love the ones I get), but when we start blogging, we may not get any ( I remember those days), so we write to our imaginary audience and visualize others being helped by our words.

Yes, it is important to just keep going.

Hi Debbie,

I remember when we discussed this subject before, and it’s almost like a mystery. We have hits and misses but as long as people show up (commenting or not), it helps to keep us motivated to write.

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Hi Barbara,

Like you I have written was I was sure would be an award-winning post only to receive no comments on it. I have then written something I wasn’t quite sure my readers would get and received a great deal of comments on it.

I think that as writers, and not just bloggers, we need to write things that speak to us. I don’t think we can worry about the audience. Some people will appreciate our thoughts, some may not. There is no sense worrying about it.

Chase Marchs last blog post..Different Roles We Play

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