7 Tips to Keep You from Killing Your Own Blog

by Jan Geronimo on July 11, 2009

: Image by jilldoughtie via Flickr

In my previous post, I asked my readers for blogging advice so that SS DD Boy, a blog maintained by Lio Loco, gets a stay of execution. Lio is not your typical blogger who keeps a day job and blogs at the same time. He also studies for CPA review after work and then does additional reading deep into the night to supplement his knowledge.

That’s why Lio is seriously thinking of shooting his blog in the head. But being goody two-shoes, you and I have been unanimous in saying Lio should keep his blog. So what helpful ideas do we have for Lio? The following is a compilation of your best ideas for Lio and other bloggers who may be struggling to keep their blogs alive.

Readers suggestions

Advance posting. Rob Angeles suggests making full use of advance posting feature in WordPress – Blogger has this feature, too – and write several posts when Lio finds himself in a zone. These can be scheduled to be published one at a time.
Writing in batches: Brad Shorr, George and Elmot stress the value of keeping a notebook for post ideas. Says Brad, “My goal is to have from 4-8 posts in draft form at all times. That way, if I get busy, I don’t obsess about writing more posts.” This also means making full use of down times to write your future posts.
Guest Post: Novz raises the importance of inviting readers to write guest posts for Lio’s blog. The advantages are two-fold. One, it will lessen the blogger’s work load, giving him more time to his other priorities. He gives exposure to his guest writer, planting the seed of blogging friendship and future collaboration.
Photo Blogging: Novz recommends refocusing the blog to photo blogging. Earthlingorgeous says mobile blogging is a nifty way for very busy bloggers to update their blogs. With mobile blogging, one can take a picture of anything, write a couple of lines to go with it and post it in minutes
Time management- Ulla, Chris, and Julius stress the importance of matching your passion with proper time management. If you’re passionate about something, you’d find the time for it.
Take a break – Dee offers an insightful perspective. You get more things done by taking occasional breaks or rest. A rested brain and body are more receptive to learning and accomplishing even the most difficult of tasks.
Post Less – Take it from Roy who has 13 blogs. Readers will not leave you even if you update your blog only occasionally. Make up for it by posting thoughtful and well-written pieces.

My advice to Lio

One helpful time management tip: Conduct a personal audit of how you spend your time. Write down every task you do every day. After one week, study your list. You might be surprised you may have engaged in a lot of time sucks: unnecessary preoccupations that do not take you a step closer to your goals. Give them up or assign a reasonable block of time to doing some of them, if you must. But not a minute more.

Be selfish

It’s not enough you’ve rid your schedule of time sucks. Anything that takes your attention away from your priorities: day job, CPA review, and blogging – deal with them ruthlessly. Guard your time jealously at all times as if it were family heirlooms. Be a selfish bastard. That’s the long and short of it, Lio.

Call us for help, if you need assistance. We will help you. Just so you don’t shoot your blog in the head.

Have we convinced you yet? If not, I’d be forced to seek the expertise of Ax. He has nifty ideas about using the art of water-boarding just so Lio can be “convinced” to keep his blog alive. Tough love huh ? Aren’t friends like Ax and Uncle Jan the greatest inventions this neck of the woods?

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Tagged as: advance posting, blogging tips, guest post, time management, writing in batches

MUA In Scrubs

Thanks for this post. I can relate because I almost shot my blog in the head. I didn't have the time to maintain it, no advertisers were coming in, no people commenting and the renewal for hosting was expensive. In the end, I decided to keep it because it served as one of my portfolios for writing projects. I am thankful that I changed my mind and gave it another chance. A few months later it won me an award.

I'll keep your tips in mind in case I decide to give up on it once again.
jehzlau

Hmmmmm.. I should apply no. 1 to 5 in my blog. :D Mukhnag no.6 and 7 lang ako dito. :D
jangeronimo

Jehz, come on! You're the master and supreme tactician. Own up. Ahehehe.
Thanks, my friend. :)
Millionaire Acts

Panalo talaga itong blog mo Jan! Daming comments, tweets and visitors palagi. How many hours do you spend everyday for blogging activities? Anyway, I really commend you with the way you write things in this blog. You are really attracting a lot of exhalers.
juliusorias

This is not a surprise to everyone that Jan is a unique and very creative when it comes to re-posting a blog. He is a very deep thinker eka-nga :)

Cheers,

Julius
jangeronimo

Thanks, Julius. :)
Kikit

Ei, I love the list. I don't have any plans of shooting my blog in the head but I sometimes just ran out of things to write. The list you gave is truly helpful. What I'm practicing this time is the 7th suggestion. :)
MinnieRunner

Those were truly brilliant advice not to commit blogicide.

Thanks for the info.
jangeronimo

Oh, a new term for me - blogicide. Thanks, Madz. :)
MinnieRunner

Welcome Jan :)

I just got that term from my blogger friend David Funk. He formulated blogging laws and terms :D

You may find a whole lot interesting blogging terms in his post here: http://www.basicbloganomics.com/2009/04/new-blogging-laws-and-terms.html
jangeronimo

That's great, Madz. Thanks for the info. I'm going to check it out. :)
reyjr

lol@blogicide.

how about if a blog was resurrected? :p hmmmm....
ceblogger

i killed one of my first blogs. i deleted from the blogosphere. it has my name on its domain plus the blogspot on its tail. but i did not quit blogging. as a matter of fact, i buried one and created 6 others. i saved some of the deleted posts for some future entries in some of my future sites.

but now, the frequency of my posting is so unlike before. 3-4 posts in a month wherein before, it's 2-4 posts a week. by the way, thanks for the link jan. I have not actually tried asking someone to do guest posting for me while i'm away.
Guest

Yeah, killer schedule sucks! Nakakasira sa pagba-blog! *lol* :)

But kidding aside, Lio Loco should not kill his blog. Blogging kasi is a good outlet for anything. Lahat ng emotions, mabubuhos mo sa pagsusulat.

Snow
Dear Bloggery
jangeronimo

Ahehehe. I love your term. Parang familiar. lol. We're too late, Snow.
Lio has decided to leave his blog for a while. He's going on a sabbatical.
Don't what will happen to his blog - will he delete/kill it altogether? Or
he'd let it be and go back to it when he's regained his passion for it. I'm
afraid to ask because I don't want to hear he'd be shooting his blog in the
head.

It's not a mortal sin, killing your blog. But I hate to see his blog go.
Sure it's an emo kind of blog. But his is a different kind of emo blog.
Highly entertaining, his blog. Hope he'd get back to it eventually.

Thanks, Snow. May tampo ka na ba sa akin? Pasensya na ha? lols
reyjr

Sayang, we did not convince him to keep writing. But be hopeful, when he feels the urge to blog, he will. I went through the same thing. :D

ps. that's why I'm trying to think what to call a resurrected blog! hehehhe!
lemuel

i have been squeezing time to keep my blog alive because just like Lio Loco, time is very precious for me. i maintain a day job from 9am-7pm mondays to saturdays and i only have sundays left for my family which includes going to church and visiting my mom and my sister's family. weekday nights i am too tired to log on and i spend time to play with my son. i post at least twice a week and try to visit my friends between posting. i agree with your suggestions like advance posting and photo blogging. it adds more posts with less amount of time to think of what to write. when i had internet connection problems, i was constantly thinking of you guys who have been to my site regularly and it wouldn't be fair if i don't inform you what happened. blogging is a part of my life now and i guess a part of Lio Loco's life too that he would miss a lot if he gave up.
jangeronimo

That's a killer schedule you have there, Lemuel. I can't breathe just
thinking about the schedule you keep. 9am to 7pm? Why not work for yourself
na lang? Your own business? Ah well, we do what we ought to do. Writing
in batches on Sundays might work best for you, Lemuel. Write them in blocks
of 3-5 hours and queue them up to be published for the succeeding two weeks?

I'm happy you acknowledge that blogging is part of your life now, Lemuel.
That's very reassuring. I don't want to lose any of my friends here,
especially you - because you've been with me at the very start of my
blogging life. :)
lemuel

yes, i have been trying to put up my own business and unfortunately i have not been successful to this date. it is really my goal to work for myself and not to be employed forever but i have yet to find my niche. i know that once i find it, i will definitely put a lot of effort and investment since it is my own.

it is really nice to be a part of your blogging life and i learned a lot from your posts since the beginning. and i also gained a lot of friends through your site, writingtoexhale is really a nice "community" to belong to.
jangeronimo

That's a marvelous goal, Lemuel. Having a business of your own is great.
And because you a lot about blogging, you're ahead of the competition
already. You can have a separate blog for your business. And you can have
a Twitter account for it so you can keep tabs of the customers concerns
about your business. Wow. The possibilities! And you can count on us to
help you with promotion. :)
DaveLucasNotes

Here's my comment:
http://dave-lucas.blogspot.com/2009/07/7-blogging-tips-that-didnt-work-for-me.html
fedhz

huwat? @roy has 13 blogs!! waaah!

yeah, a friend told me to write everything I do everyday so I would know if I spend so much on something unproductive. My gawd. can i just skip washing, cleaning and ironing? LOL

got my day job back. I think I'm more productive with that cuz I still can't write even if I have a part time job or not. LOL. A mommy blogger said to me, it's just about goal setting.. and yeah, time management. If you want something done, just do it. No more excuses.
jangeronimo

That's for not getting out in the sunshine. You're not updated. FYI, make
it 14 - he has a new blog - finance blog or something.

Assigning a large block of time exclusively to writing is a good advice,
Fedhz. I will try it every Sunday. Half a day maybe. Then I will schedule
then for the coming week. That's a lot saner tactic.

And the good thing is - you still have time to update those queued for
publication. Perhaps you find a new info, a good link, a better picture
perhaps. Right? You'd feel more relaxed and not always under the gun.
More mistakes are made when one is under a lot of pressure to publish.

Take my word for it, I'm your lolo - remember? Ahahaha.
badudets

As long as the posts are sensible and timeless, it doesn't matter if the blog doesn't get updated. Readers and search engines will surely find their way to a blog.

And when there's a will, there's a way.... =)

You're included in my list: http://www.badudets.com/my-top-10-emerging-influential-blogs-for-2009/
jangeronimo

You're right. Exactly. That's the value of writing timeless content. They
don't get stale. Now why did I not think of that. ahahaha. Thanks, buddy.

Hey, thanks for the nomination. Will check it out right now. :)
jhongmed

Hi Jan,

Thanks for the very helpful tips. Me too, I'm trying to fit this passion for blogging with my busy schedules.

BTW, Jena recommend you for my top influential blog for 2009, and I took the liberty linking your site. :P

If you have time, I would appreciate if you could participate one of my polls.
http://qlickblogs.blogspot.com/2009/07/poll.html

Jhong Medina

P.S.

I just notice you have no ads on your blog, you must be really passionate with blogging...
jangeronimo

I"m just familiarizing myself with WP. I plan to put up ads here. But of
course I will not plaster the walls with them. I'd exercise caution. :)

You linked to me? Wow, that's nice. Thanks a lot.
jhongmed

At first, I did not notice how many comments you have ! Wow, with this post alone you have already more than 70 comments. I really admire you passion for blogging!

Hope I could accomplish the same.

Thanks for commenting on my humble blog...

Ciao!
jangeronimo

It did not start this way. I used to have no readers. Guess, it's a
blogger's right of passage having no readers at the beginning. I'm glad I
kept on writing. Otherwise, I'd still be playing DOTA and taunting
opponents half my age, "You noob! you suck!"

But of course it's the other way around - I'm the noob, and I suck at online
games. I read somewhere that 24 is a ripe old age for serious online
gamers. Can you imagine? Bastards!

Good I found blogging - a bit late, only in December 2008. But hey, I can't
complain. I love it. Gives me energy and a whole lot of excitement. Makes
up for dreary days. It's a great equalizer, blogging. Oh no, we're all
created equal in the blogosphere, Jhong.

Unless, of course, if you bring coffee here every time you visit - then
you're one of my special people na. No waiting in line for you. Ahehehe.
Thanks!
monzavenue

Lio Loco is really a great loss in the blogosphere. He has this unique sense of humor and angst that I've never seen from any other bloggers. kaya lang medyo may controv na nangyayari between hin and a girl-blogger. parang medyo related sa love slash heart issues. i'm not gonna talk about that further. i'll sip my mouth na. by the way, the tips are great!

anyways, Mr. JanGeronimo, sorry i missed visiting your site. i'm not sure if you still remember me. hehe. as for me, i still remember your sensible comments at my blog. i'll try to do some catching up with ur blog. hehe. bawal kasi sa opis. kaya limited lang nadadalaw ko dun.

anyways, may pa-contest ako sa blog ko and i am inviting you to join. you just need to create a post about love and include the T-shirt image design in your post. i am also inviting you to be a sponsor if you want. or you can be both. hehe

Please visit my blog for more info. Haba gr8 Day :)
jangeronimo

Hi Mon,

Of course, I remember you, Mon. Not every blogger forgets to put on a shirt as he or she makes the rounds, right? Ahahaha.

Well, Lio is set on leaving. He said he will be back. Maybe he will. If indeed blogging is his passion he'd be back.

Not everything can be put to a vote on a blog and that includes matters of the heart. In that sense, he's right to regain his bearings away from online distractions.

Oh a love contest in your blog. Thing is, love is a foreign concept to me, Mon. Tinubuan na yata ng taliptip puso ko. But of course, I'd check it out and see for myself. Thanks for visiting, Mon. And adding me in your blog list. :)
monzavenue

nga pala, i've added ur link to my bloglist oridi, under Domain-ers.

http://monzavenue.blogspot.com/2009/07/can-love-really-kill-or-is-it-too-much.html#idc-ctools
nobe

lio loco is one lucky blogger. andami niyang fairy godmothers, when it comes to his blogging career. :)

i just wanted to say hi jan! :) great post by the way.

love,
nobe

www.deariago.com
www.iamnobe.wordpress.com
jangeronimo

Thanks, Nobe. Fairy godmothers. lol.
Tumblemoose

It's great when a community comes together to help someone out. The responses to the article were tremendous. More importantly, consider the concept. Dozen of people were willing to lend their encouragement for someone most of them probably don't know.

That kind of caring from the blogging community should be enough to encourage anyone to continue in their blogging journey.

George
jangeronimo

Honestly, George, I just want to give some sort of continuity to my posts. I'm a little worried I've been stabbing at the dark for much too long. Just needed to build upon something I've written before.

But what a happy discovery that that sort of thing can be a vehicle for helping somebody each in the community hardly knows. You're right. The concept of creating a culture of helpfulness is a great platform for any blog.

Thanks, George, for this insight. That's what I meant when I said before that comments can be the star of the show. You proved it as well as the others who shared their best ideas.

Sadly, it's not a question of time, or lack of grounding in matters of productivity. Lio would still go on with his sabbatical from blogging. In matters of the heart, we can only look worried and say our best wishes for Lio.

We can't presume we can help him mend his broken heart now, can we? That's what we're up against. What's the sign that used to hang in one of the shops in New York?

"We mend everything - except a broken heart and the crack of dawn."

I rest my case - although, of course, I hope others who are similarly conflicted can find some value in what I've cobbled together from readers' suggestions.

Life goes on! :)
Kelvin Servigon

Meron din akong notebook for drafts ng posts ko. Usually, gumagawa ako ng drafts ng post ko kapag vancant sa school and walang ginagawa... With that, hindi sayang oras ko.. :)
jangeronimo

Hayan, ibang email ginamit mo, di tuloy lumabas un gravatar mo. lols. I'm just curious, Kelvin. How many students in your school keep a blog? Do you know of any? That's interesting to me. Do they know you're an influential blogger? Ahahaha. Go tell your Dean, Kelvin. :)
Kelvin Servigon

ahaha, eh panu, kapag ung primary email ko ginamit ko, kailangan pag maglogin dito sa disqus, bsta, hehe,

may isa akong kilalang blogger, na nasa school namin. pero hindi s'ya gaanong active sa pinoy blogosphere community. I'm interested, too, na makilala (kung meron man) yung mga bloggers na sa BSU. Sana nga meron eh.. ^__^
jangeronimo

I don't get that, Kelvin. Remember your other blog? You have Disqus
implemented in that blog. Why not use the email you've registered there sa
pag login mo dito. Di naman nangangagat ang Disqus e. Ikaw talaga. lol

Really? That's good to know. Get to know him or her. Dagdag asset natin
un sa network of friends, di ba? Hehehehe
Gem

For now I have not updated my blogs for the same reason - freelance work kept me so busy to even attend to my own blogs. By the time I get to have a little time to write a post, I realized that I was too tired (from my freelance gigs) to even think clearly.

Probably one suggestion that was also missed out is that some bloggers hire writers to update their blogs. As a freelancer who tries to grab jobs from freelance sites, I regularly run into so many blog posting/commenting and forum posting jobs. Unfortunately these blog posting tasks are NOT under the name of the person hired to do that task.

I tried many of the things above, such as advance posting, notebook for post ideas but they did not work. Perhaps posting less is something that might work for some of my blogs.
jangeronimo

Hi Gem: that's a nice point about hiring blog writers. That's a problem, however, for us beginning bloggers. We don't have online income, or if we do, we're talking of cents here and certainly not dollars. :) But this is a nice idea especially for bloggers who are more established since they can spare something for outsourcing content.

You've not tried assigning a large block of time for writing, say any day of your choice like Sunday, and write several posts at one go? That's a lovely idea, but I have yet to try that one myself. But I see the benefits - I can have one day of hard work and 6 days of fun in twitter. Just lovely. Ahahaha.

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule, Gem. Appreciate this very much. :)
Julius

A very nice article and might I say quite eloquently put. And thanks for the link, my friend. With two posts overstuffed with precious and sensible advice, I think the point has already been driven home to Lio by now.

I agree with Roy on occasional but quality posts. Readers, especially those who takes genuine interest on your blog, won't just leave you if you post less frequently. In fact, on certain times, this would only whet their appetite for more quality articles and would tend to anticipate on what it is you're going to write about next.

It happens to me on the blogs I frequently read, and I know it also happens to people out there.
jangeronimo

I quite agree. Posting less creates a sense of anticipation for the next post or article. It's every blogger's dream, I suspect. :)
Julius

Yes. It's my dream, in any case. Sino ba naman ang ayaw ng reader na naglalaway sa kahihintay ng susunod na isusulat niya? (forgive the phrase... lol!)

Seriously, I have been thinking of setting up another blog for quite some time now. A mixed-variety one where I could vent my emotions and frustrations. Lio, his blog and issue, and your articles, both inspired and spurred me to give it a go.

Thanks my friends!
jangeronimo

That's a nice idea - you get to write to exhale, too. :) Just exercise a little control so the blog doesn't seem like a print version of telenovelas. Oh no, go for it, it's your blog anyway. I am just venting against telenovelas. :)
Julius

Dalawa na tayo... venting on the telenovelas, I mean. Hehehe... I already set loose my new project, yun nga lang isang post pa lang. You could visit it if you want (kronikeld.blogspot.com). :D
jangeronimo

Aba, kita mo nga naman. Congratulations! Ahehehe
L

uncle jan, i will be back.

soon. and hopefully how. there are just some things that i need to sort out on my own. i never expected blogging could be so powerful and influential. it led me to hurting someone without my knowing it, apparently. and i got hurt as well. double jeopardy.

hence, my apologies for leaving you and everyone else behind so suddenly.

i'll be hovering over this blog without you knowing it. seeyah around, uncle jan!
jangeronimo

Lio, I'd remember that "promise." Thanks for commenting here. This relieves my mind a little. Okay, have a blast, enjoy yourself. Wreck some furniture - lols. Get back in shape. And when you're fit for the human race again, please come back.

See what you've made me say here? It's your fault. You've put me into a wringer with that post of yours. Darn! Ahahaha.

Okay, be good now, you hear? :) Ei, by the way, I've already sent the book I promised you via 2Go this morning.
Justin Germino

Very good article, I do many articles in similar theme to help bloggers maximize their blogging time efficiently on my primary tech blog. Quality of posts is always better than quantity.
jangeronimo

Thank you, Justin. You're right - quality should take precedence over quantity. Readers are sharp. They surely can tell when we're just winging it, or posting for posting's sake.
Brad Shorr

Hi Jan, Great tips - collective wisdom is powerful and I hope Lio can make use of it. Thanks for including me, and best wishes to you and all your Exhaling readers.
jangeronimo

Thanks, Brad. When I asked for readers help and you guys contributed your
best suggestions, I think the best way of paying back is to compile these
ideas into a post and promote it into the front page. It's the decent thing
to do. :)
Trna

What a beautiful example of bloggers helping each other, well done!
jangeronimo

Thank you. We only pass this way once. I say we do the best we can to help
each other. Funny, every single one of these guys I have only met online.
But I consider them my friends and most of them I feel I've known all my
life. And for a friend you'd help out. It's the decent thing to do.
DiTesco

Oh well, I am sorry I missed the previous post about your request for tips. The 7 tips here are all great and very good advices. Another way to "maintain" your blog when you do not have the time is to "republish" some articles on the various "article" directories available on the internet. As long as you abide by the Terms Of Republishing, there should be no problem. Obviously you are giving someone else a credit, but then again, you are keeping your blog alive. It is not the best option, but there are always very useful articles around that one can use. Also, free PLR articles can be an option.
jangeronimo

It's all right, Ditesco. Free PLR articles? Wow, that's news to me. I know that there are sites wherein you can buy articles from, but free? That can be helpful, I guess. My only concern is that how sure can you be that the article you choose has never been published elsewhere. Google is still strict with duplicate content, right?
DiTesco

Yes Jan. Free PLR articles...Just Bing it, lol (Google it) and see for yourself.

Now let us elaborate on that. First. You are not guaranteed about the uniqueness of the article as it is free and has probably been published elsewhere. That is why, I recommend to spin the article for at least 30% to make it as unique as possible.

Second. If you go to GoArticles or Qassia, for example, you are allowed to republish articles as long as you do not change any of the content and give the credits to the author. You can always make it look like a guest post:) Hunting for great written articles and publishing it on your blog has also it's value.

Third, duplicate content is a myth. It is a policy, rather than anything else. What Google does not like is the same article published over and over again in the same blog/website or a network of websites that belong to the same IP. That generates duplicity and you will get penalized for it. So duplicate is only on the same blog or website. If you publish your own article and submit it to various article directories, that is not considered a duplicate content. Imagine what will happen to all of those article submitters if they were penalized:)
jangeronimo

This is very interesting: "Third, duplicate content is a myth. It is a policy, rather than anything else. "

Have you written something about this in your blog? That's a very nice blog post idea, my friend. Something you can polarize the blogosphere with. I'm seeing controversy here. lol
DiTesco

Hi Jan. I actually did write something about it some time ago. You can find that article here: http://www.iblogzone.com/2008/10/duplicate-content-taboo.html

It might need some updating though but in essence that is what "duplicate content" is. Let me have your opinion and tell me if you think it needs to be revamped. As you said, this could easily be another good blog post idea:)
jangeronimo

Reread it, Ditesco. You know me, my friend. I defer to your expertise.
It's not for me to say if it's still relevant or not. Thanks for the link.
Gosh, I haven't read that before. :)
Badong

I think Lio should ask himself: Do I really LOVE blogging? kasi kung oo, hindi niya iisiping pabigat yung pagba-blog sa kanya. siguro naman may iba pang mga bagay na pwede niyang i-drop. btw, nice Jan! pwede ka ng magtayo ng Jan Geronimo Blogging Firm. lol
jangeronimo

Exactly. We have so many things we do that we don't exactly love that much. Playing online games. Holing up in Facebook as it were a part time job or a compulsion. We cut loose from the less important things and what do we have is more room for the things we're really passionate about... Badongskie, I don't know about the blogging firm. Dami ng ganyan - a dime a dozen eh. Well, siguro pag marami na akong alam. :)
ever

dmi ko natutunan..panalo!
jangeronimo

Thanks, Ever. Complete na ba ang line up mo sa Top 10 influential blogs?
No pressure, Ever. I'm just curious. If you're reading this in your inbox,
you can reply in this email and it will get threaded into the comment
section of my post. Cool huh? Ahehehe.
Luke

Great tips, Jan. This post can help not only Lio but also others who find it hard to keep up with blogging. You be helping a lot here.
jangeronimo

Thanks, Luke. Jena suggested badminton. That's correct. And yeah, even cameratographer, too.

I chuckle every time I hear and read Doc Z's fascination with badminton. Roy will understand what I'm saying. Right, Roy. There's a post somewhere in here wherein I listed Doc Z's passions. The last passion I did not mention - I was a very kind blogger friend then.

Guess what happened? Doc Z commented - and at lightning speed at that - that it's about his passion for badminton. Roy was amused. I was, too. But we kept it to ourselves. Ahahaha.

What's the point? I recommend Lio to play badminton. Keeps the body trim and the mind sharp. Right, Doc Z? Tawa naman diyan. :)
zorlone

I don't know if that's my cue to reply or not. Of course, I haven't been playing as passionate as before.

These tips are applicable to a lot of things. But it will still be up to the person whatever he decides to do.
ceblogger

Doc Z, our passion for badminton should not die down. when ba talaga tayo maglaro? intramuros is fine with me. saturday na?
jangeronimo

Safe answer. But that will do, Doc Z. Me and Roy we're just looking for something to amuse ourselves with. :)
zorlone

I understand. Don't worry, I know you meant well guys.
Ulla Hennig

Jan_Geronimo,
thanks for the link love!
I think the important thing with blogging is that you really want to do this. If you think you should blog, but you don't really want it because you want other things more, than you should stop it. I blog because
1.) I want to tell other people about my city Berlin - in words and photos
2.) I love to communicate with other people across the word, and my blog is one tool to do it.
3.) I love to write and to play with words and photos.
By the way, I very much like the communication going on on this blog - so many great comments! Even if I don't understand the comments written in your native language...
jangeronimo

Hi Ulla,

That's very helpful, Ulla. One should really ask oneself hard questions: Is blogging really for me? Can I live without it? If I can't - how then do I realign my priorities so I can maintain a healthy balance for my day job and my passion - blogging. Lio is a bright young man. I think when Lio finally gets to choose which road to take the main consideration as you explained it is to ask where his passion lies. That will clear a lot of things. And any foreseen hardships are just more obstacles begging to be overcome. And with passion as his driving force? It will be a walk in the park for him, maybe not now but eventually.

Isn't blogging a wonderful thing? We get to reach out and experience a lot of things through our blogs. I visit your blog and I get a sampling of the wonderful places you've been to through your photographs. I visit George of Tumblemoose and my faith in blog writing as a new genre is restored. Hes the man.

Could we have experienced this the old fashioned way? Nah. Only through blogging. Thanks, Ulla. Nice connecting with you. :)
Ulla Hennig

Hi jangeronimo,

thanks for visiting my blog!
And yes, blogging openend the world for me as well. Getting in contact with somebody from the philippines would have been out of discussion before the time of blogging. Blogging gives me the feeling of being a world citizen.
SpikeTheLobster

I would add a bit to number 7, posting less. If you're going to post less, post on a schedule. Even if it's only 1-2 posts a week (or month), if they know WHEN they'll get updates, they're more likely to visit.

It might even be worth considering post length. I mean, it's a blog, not an article directory: it doesn't matter if the post is 50 words long, provided it says something. Not everyone posts 700 words every time!
jangeronimo

Hi, Spike. Thank you for this advice: "If you're going to post less, post on a schedule. Even if it's only 1-2 posts a week (or month), if they know WHEN they'll get updates, they're more likely to visit."

It's very important to keep your end of the bargain by showing up on the appointed hour. In real life, we hate it when our dates stood us up. Same thing with blogging - we have to keep our date with our readers at the appointed hour. Thanks, Spike.
Rob Angeles

"Even if it's only 1-2 posts a week (or month), if they know WHEN they'll get updates, they're more likely to visit."

I agree with you on this one Spike! People need to know how consistent a blogger publish posts. Or he can ask readers to subscribe to Feedburner to receive the latest post in their Inbox.
zorlone

Okay, I missed out a lot. But I am not discouraged and these things take a lot of time. I just couldn't give any advise last time since I don't have any organization whatsoever on my blog.

I do hope that our new friend Lio Loco has figured out what he really wants to do to his blog.

(Hi Lio, I'm Zorlone, we haven't met officially. )

Out of the seven tips from the comments of the previous post, it sounds like a plan is at hand for your blogging career. I'm sure you still have some "alone" time, you might be able to squeeze in a post or two and just post them at your own leisure.

Whatever your decision is, "suportahan taka!"

Z

PS.

Jan, I so envy your blog! I do hope I get some help soon in transferring mine to wordpress.
jangeronimo

Doc Z: You're selling yourself short. I always wonder how you do it. You have your career as a practicing doctor. And then you write poetry for your blog. And your work also appear in:

1. Helium
2. Associated Content
3. Plotdog
4. Guest Posting elsewhere, but not in my blog.
5. Monster blog commenter - leaving poems as comments, go beat that, anyone?
6. Jedi master and retweet artist
7. Singing and dancing career, with due respect to @reyjr.

Did I miss something, Jena? :)
zorlone

Is that your version of the seven deadly sins? whaaaa!!!! I like that list a lot. hehehe. Not too long, not too short, just right. Seven, i even like that number. Okay, before I obsess about that number and how my name is composed of seven letters, I just want to make one thing clear.

I don't dance LOL, not in public that is.

About that number 4, well, I am working on it. I shall start with my journey in search for the courage and the right words to use on your majestic blog.

Z
jangeronimo

I understand, Doc Z. We all have too much on our plate right now. It can wait a little more. Don't worry. :)
zorlone

You know what has been eating me the past few weeks? This thing we got ourselves into! You know... hay... wala lang nakikitambay lang at masyadong malungkot sa blog ko.

Z
jangeronimo

That deserves an email, Doc Z. We're sent into the wild blue yonder in
hyperdrive. It's hard to catch our breath - is this what you're saying? If
it's something else, you know I'd appreciate an email.

You have another visitation from your mysterious what the ef reader? Do you
want me to cut him/her in half with light saber? Your wish is my command.
:)
Roy

"4. Guest Posting elsewhere, but not in my blog."

lols... got the hint Z?
zorlone

number 4 - check, err, uncheck.

List of things to do:

1. Get inspired.

2. Write Jedi code.

3. Go ask Jan if code is okay.

hmmm...

Go back to number 1.

Z
Jena Isle

Doc Z,

I was just wondering, the dumbo that I am in sports. Is tennis the same as badminton? I have a ward who plays tennis and wants to challenge you. Remember Jehlz?
zorlone

Ah! That would be interesting. Will be looking forward to my trip to Angeles
for sisig and a badminton game. I'll wait til my car is fixed. It would be
too bothersome if I'd commute with my gear. LOL

Z
jangeronimo

I can only drop some hints, Roy. I'm deathly afraid of the man's badminton
racket.
zorlone

@Jan,

I remember hitting a player's racket once, it broke. It wasn't even a smash. Imagine if I hit it stronger?

LMAO
Luke

Hidden cameratographer pa di ba?
zorlone

Man, the world doesn't have to know that. Oh, wait... it's already out! LOL

Z
Jena Isle

Jan, you forgot something - badminton. His second love, second only to poetry. Or is it the other way around?
zorlone

@Jena,

Yup, you got that right! Right now, I am trying to be more of a poet than a badminton player. One reason, I have a tennis elbow. he he he. I need to rest it for a while.

Z
Roy

first, thanks for the link ;)

was surprised to see another trackback for moderation

second, I agree on the selfishness thing... you won't accomplish anything if you don't think of yourself... remember the song? - "The Greatest Love Of All"

you can't give to others if you don't have it yourself... so have it first! lols (does it makes sense?)
jangeronimo

Crystal, Roy. There's a time for play and a time for serious work. And serious work sometimes demands we be incommunicado with the rest of the world. Internet unplugged (I can't though - I need Google search), twitter off, doors locked, mobile phone off. Funny thing - I can't for the life of me turn off my mobile. When somebody sends me SMS when I'm in the middle of my writing, I fly off the handle. Curses reverberate in my room. But then I count to ten and I still read the message and shoot a monosyllabic reply. Ahehehe.
Jena Isle

That comment scares me Jan, so I need to ask permission to text you...lol
Jena Isle

Hello Jan,

You're indeed a writer. Biro mo, you wrote another post about your previous post and it sounds like a totally different topic - a synopsis - kung baga..Wow.. you never fail to amaze me, Master Jedi.

I noticed no one suggested re-posting old posts, those that were posted a year ago, or more than a year ago, or even several months ago. You would be surprised to learn that your readers then would be different from your present readers. Proofread and spice it up a bit and then re-post.

You might have had only 3-10 readers then, but when you re-post articles, more people will benefit from it.

Kahit nga pelikula may ma remakes - like Darna, Captain Barbell....okay, okay,- Superman, etc. or puede ring part 2, part 3. etc.

Blogging is a healthy outlet and should be retained as much as possible. You know why? because you may rant, cuss, cry, laugh, lambast, and do every unimaginable thing to your blog, but it would still be there after the dust would settle down.

Jan, I plan of closing my 6 blogs, what do you advise?...he he he...kidding.
jangeronimo

Jena, you're absolutely right. Reposting or updating post is a very good option. You get to highlight an old but very useful post. We usually get readers every day. New ones don't have the time to dig deep into the archives. So that's a good idea.

What's the matter with me! Darren talked about this in his 31 Days to Building a Better Blog. And I forgot! ahahaha. One other benefit to this is you get to check your old posts for URL errors. And you force the Google bots, I think, to crawl your posts again. That's great SEO move, right?

Selling your six blogs. Hmmm. I think that's like selling your children, if I still read you correctly. :)
Badongskie

Agree! I'm actually planning to re-post an entry oneof these days. Kasi like Lio, busy-busyhan na rin ako dahil graduating na ko (if I accomplish my requirements on time. lol). That's a very good option. Tsaka it's good kasi he might find himself disagreeing with his opinions before.
jangeronimo

@Badong: Bat di nagso show gravatar mo dito?...Hehehe. I like that - nagbusy-busyhan... That's true, I have posts too that I today I'm in complete disagreement with. So perhaps I'd have to post one of those things in the future. Time indeed has a way of making us rethink our perspective. Nice point. :)
Jena Isle

Rather," I plan on closing my blogs"...whatever. Keypads.lol.
Rob Angeles

Great post Jan! I absolutely agree with the other guys and you. Time management is essential here. I too have 2 blogs. SMP and my coffee blog where I ahve to lurk around walmart and target to see coffee makers and accesories. I have a full-time job, a part-time job and studying for my certifications. And living here in the US is a pain since you have to do everything from laundry to cooking to cleaning the house hahaha.

Passion fuels blogging too..
jangeronimo

Hi Rob, A coffee blog! You did not tell us. How come?

Wooh, I think Lio should listen to you more. Look at that: a full-time job, a part time job, studying for your certifications, blogging and tweeting! Ahahaha.

Rob, I think my ideal job is tweeting. I would love it if someone pays me to tweet. Nah, I'm not talking about tweeting for Britney Spears. Ano bah. Ahehehe. Seriously, I will not mind tweeting as a full time job. It's so enjoyable. Awts, unless of course, I'm asked to take care of customer complaints. lols
Rob Angeles

Yes, a coffee blog, You will some of my Tweets in HootSuite saying "Do you love coffee?". That coffee blog is harder to do since I need to do shopping, coffee tasting and the likes. Plus I write a review. Been receiving goodies from coffee junkies too. I'm waiting for the Nescafe Dolce Gusto brewer this week courtesy of Nescafe for me to review. I love it!

Here in the US, you can earn 55K/year to be a ghostwriter, a twitterer and to maintain social media profiles for a company. I know many who are doing this for a living.
jangeronimo

It maybe a harder blog to keep, Rob. But hey, you get to go out, have coffee out there in the real world, lurk (ahahaha) in some places. It sounds like you're in the cloak and dagger business. Fascinating. And coffee goodies. Yeeha.

Maybe in 10 years time those kind of job goes mainstream in the Philippines. The only evidence of that I see here are those in the employ of politicians. Ugh.
Crisiboy

hayy amen Jan! sana nga maconvinced si kuya lio loco sa mga advises sa blog post na tohhh

ill stick with my advise...i guess the most important in the 7 readers suggestions is proper time management. Lets remember the saying na..maraming paraan pag gusto..maraming dahilan pag ayaw!

nice follow up post Jan...galing mo talaga!
jangeronimo

Hi Chris, speaking of time - I think it's about time I added you to my post on my group of twitter friends. You really deserve to be there... And thanks for liking this follow up post on Lio's problem. :)
Crisiboy

Thank you so much jan..and ill add you up also sa blog ko..

La lang nakakatuwa lang magbalik balik dito sa blog mo and makisali sa talakayan..

You're definitely a very good writer!
aksoriyalmo

tumpak si crisiboy. time management lang.

---

stay awake. you'll be sleeping with eternity when you die.
aksoriyalmo

i'll be needing 3/4 of the ocean water then for the water-boarding if worse comes to worst! yay.
jangeronimo

Hi Ax, may pag asa ba tayo na mapakinggan ni Lio? Ahahaha. I think, you're a good candidate to help Lio by writing a blog post or two a month for his blog. What do you think? :)
aksoriyalmo

have you read his latest post? tsk. tsk.
jangeronimo

Ax, you're very cryptic. Is it bad news? Okay, I go check it out now. :(
earthlingorgeous

I agree with you we should be selfish sometimes and definitely it's time management.
jangeronimo

Thanks, I included that because it's very hard to excuse yourself from the company of friends. We have work to do - a blog can be such a need little baby - and yet we feel a little guilty doing what we have to do, which is to pull out from Facebook, Plurk, and Twitter interactions and focus on what needs to be done.