Here’s a video answer to a question I was asked on Twitter a few days back on whether it’s good to have more than one blog or just to concentrate on one.
About Darren Rowse
Darren Rowse is the founder and editor of ProBlogger Blog Tips and Digital Photography School. Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
I’m kind of annoyed by so many blog posts being posted videos now. You guys get that not everyone can view videos or listen to sound at work, right. And that they’re rough on bandwidth for some people.
Plus, I just think they’re lazy.
For starting involving in blogging just focus for one blog,and when get the tune, can proceed to another blog to generate more and more income from blogging
I like the way you pointed out that by blogging on all of your diverse interests you ended up alienating those that didn’t share the same interests.
That is a really great point for choosing a niche for ones blog message. A message that I share with my coaching clients who also are coaches.
The temptation for many coaches is to think he or she can coach anyone about anything and end up not really connecting with anyone.
I consider a blog to be an excellent hub for dispensing the coaches message to their “ideal” coaching prospect.
Thank you point well made – I may use this video as an example of that point on my blog.
As a new blogger, I’m focusing on one blog at the moment. There’s a learning curve and I wouldn’t be functioning well if I tried to do too much all at once. I can imagine reaching a stage where I might be ready to let my current blog take secondary place and put some effort into a new blog. However, once downside to trying to write for multiple blogs is that you can’t be as thoroughly engaged in the subject matter of either blog. Right now, I’m enjoying the research, the writing, the reading of other blogs, and the sharing within a niche. If I try to write two diverse blogs, I won’t be able to immerse myself as completely into either one.
Food for thought. Thanks.
I have a suggestion for people who like to blog on more than one thing without ‘alienating’ readers – have a ‘place blog’.
My niche is very precise – ‘Norway’. At first I thought it would be hard to get readers coz let’s face it… Norway isn’t the most popular topic to blog on. But as time went on I found I was capturing many types of readers – people who were interested in travel, photos, recipes, language, living, immigration, culture, sports, politics, – in Norway. Writing on so many topics dramatically increased my readership and authority.
So… I get to concentrate on building one blog that caters to different ‘niches of people’… lol.
I say that makes some sense.
The thing is that I have a job so I spread myself thin as it is with just two blogs.
I think it is basically based on how well you can write and how you are with your time.
Basically, I think it would be a lot easier to just go 100% on one blog and with one niche.
@needmoney.com,
Sometimes videos and most importantly audios help us from sitting at desk which causes pains after sitting for long hours. We can also listen to audio at any time and save time while traveling etc. to make more time in our life!
Interesting video! With my current endeavors, I’m trying to build up my one blog, and then once it is fairly self-sustaining, I’ll move on to my new project. I’m thinking this is a pretty good method, but time will tell.
Needmoney.com – videos take more production time than writing a post does, and they’re more personal. Also, shouldn’t you be working at work?
When I first started out blogging about 2 years ago, I imagined I’d be running 2-3 blogs by now.
However after putting in a lot of blood and sweat: blogging, promoting, networking, more networking, more promoting etc etc… I could not imagine running a 2nd blog right now. Tho in the future I still would like to eventually expand to more then 1 blog.
I feel the best time for me would be once my current blog has reached a point where I could find another main blogger to take over (maybe co-blogger?) And then start the next one.
I did think about running a few sites but as one of hte above commentor has said it is really wearing one thin. Especially if there is no co-author to help out. I too will be sticking to 1 blog and do most promotions and branding activities for it.
I have 1 blog that I am really concentrating on. but 1 more for just anything. a blog that is so personal that I don’t necessarily want others to read. i like the idea of ‘alienation”. One topic might alienate those readers and put them off.
I have more than 40 niche blogs where the aim is solely to grab organic SEO traffic either to sell at Amazon or getting leads for affiliate offers. Some gets 5 visitors a day, some 500 at least. Overall, the scheme is working for me. On the other hand, I have to spend 80% of my efforts to only 3 selected ones which generates nice income. If you are a fast keyboard typer and useful information hunter why not to try on micro-micro niches?
I should also state that a blogger strictly needs a writing schedule (with good unique content is the key rule) even if it is one post a week, otherwise having more than one blog will surely result in nightmare. I suffered this before I got my lessons, especially losing RSS readers, Google Sandbox was a common problem.
Well for me one blog is enough right now. My boy wants to make two at the moment but I’d like to focus and get it right. But then I’m still so excited checking back on my stats page every 5 minutes to see how many people have been to my site… Well I think it’s fun…
Start with one and make it the best out there. I am just starting out but I think it will be fun
I have been questioning myself on this topic. Ok, If I am the sole writer then having two blogs is not a good idea. But if I am having staff writers, should I have 1 blog and focus on it (like marketing, content ideas etc.) or can I have two blogs?
If you did not get me… let me put it this way…
I already have a blog with 2k readers and I have some money to invest, should I invest it in the same blog (expand marketing, content and add new features like forum), or should I start a new blog?
Deepak
I, like alot of the commenters so far, have one blog that I’m concentrating on a lot.
I have a problem though. I’ve noticed a lot of traffic is coming in on a few posts that I wrote that are only fringly (if I can have the liberty of creating a word) related to my blog’s core focus.
I’m toying with the idea of splitting this into another blog as it’s got promise as a topic on it’s own.
Any advice, Darran?
Are there any key things I should be aware of when doing this?
I found maintaining my meta blog quite time consuming which is why I turned direction and made it an “all in one guide”. This has actually proved successful and I have got some positive feedback since making the move.
Elsewhere I setup “static” blogs that are directed an answering a specific question, these bubble along making a few dollars a day each – doesn’t sound a lot until you realise you have 100 such “blogs”.
I also have a core community site that takes up most of my time, this is my passion and my main interest. This always comes first.
And finally there are a few experimental blogs that I’d like to see “take off” but they need attention if they are ever to get there. I consider these “parked” until I decide to change direction or finally get to give up the day job!
Great tips.i personally love your video blogging.Blog marketing is one area where things get really difficult when you manage more than a blog.You could also spend up more on multiple campaigns, not to mention you attention being distracted.
Managing multiple blogs is like running multiple horses with a single rope!
Flippin fantastic video. Getting really excited about diversifying my blogging, thanks!
L-Jay’s comment above is a real good one. Also, think lifestyle or demographic instead of niche.
Great video, thanks for the input! I was thinking about starting a second blog actually so this is great info.
As for the first comment about posting videos as oppossed to writing articles… well, it’s the future of the web! I think a decent mix is fine.
Very cool video Darren. Thanks.
I was pondering this very topic as I sat on the train earlier today. What a timely post…
I find that posting on an extra blogs does not add too much overhead.
It’s the setup time, and marketing overheads that really eat up time for me…
Cool stuff dude. Thanks.
I like what you had to say on one bloh or many, I am currently running two blogs right now and even I have noticed that it is effecting my writing just a liitle bit,
Of course this all started because I simply just wanted a name and url change and since I have advertisers, thats almost impossible to do. Changing a name and url that simply doesn’t work anymore, but is known to a new name and url without traffic and PR is a nightmare especially with advertisers.
Personally, running one blog is better in my opinion, that blog is the best of what you can do, but I will say that when it comes to a resume, two or more is better, so I guess that hold true to blogs as well.
But does the name and url of your blog play a huge role in what topics you write on and who will visits?
Very helpful. It is really time consuming to manage and maintain several blogs all at once. It is very tedious to keep posting articles or blog posts daily with several topics.
Good video post. I think its definitely best to create one successful blog first, then use it to leverage any future blogs you create.
Currently have three blogs, the two I generate content myself and outsource content for the other, however I’ve just released that I’ll need to let go of the other blog that I currently manage myself, because honestly I don’t have enough time to focus on it…which means I’ll recruit a freelance blogger to contribute content and pay them a monthly retainer.
I currently have 4 blogs and I’ve found that it’s simply a time management issue
I think that the quality of writing and content in the blog is the most important thing – and diversity when used right, can help keep the blog interesting and also get a wider group of readers involved
I blog on information security and I think that the stuff I touch on music and technology keeps the edge on
Like I told a cousin once – You’re really weird I think – and she said yes, of course I am – that’s what makes me so interesting!
Danny Lieberman
Good advice. But one blog is hard enough to promote!
I love videos, btw.
You don’t have to produce a blog at 50% effort. You don’t split the level of attention that you give your children, do you?
If you have great monentary goals, I’d say have several blogs of your interests.
Or do one blog, when it gets successful, start doing spin off blogs.
Whatever blog that you are working on at the moment, give it 100% effort. It will pay off.
I currently have only one blog, and since I’m just getting started I don’t really see myself creating any new blogs for the moment.
I believe that trying to embrace too many topics will result in an overall decrease in quality, and after all, what matters most is the quality of your writing.
Hi Darren,
That’s been the main problem with my blog – it went in too many directions for a few years. Now I’ve decided to simply create 3 mini blogs and link from older posts to them because the topics most commented on tells me it would be better in the long run.
My strengths are writing and researching in specific areas, and the blog I have now does ramble into other areas.
Thank you for posting this.
that’s my plan actually, to have atleast 3 blogs.. infact right now I’m almost done planning on my next project. But before doing it, I see to it first that the main blog that I’m currently working on will produce good results.
i personally have more than just one blog . i think it’s more practrical to have many.
however, this depends on your needs. if u feel that the topic you wanna discuss is different and take your blog astray then, you’d better start a blog for each niche.
Could someone please write up the video articles as being deaf means that I cannot understand them. Cheers!
I think it all depends on how efficiently a given blogger can write and how many interesting things the blogger has to say.
http://www.smartwallet.org/
Darren, I really appreciate the time you take to video record your messages (advice and opinions). Thank you for helping the rest of us learn to be better bloggers.
Gina.
I think more than one blog provides a nice change of pace and helps me from going stale. The question I have is how many is too many? I seem to have a new interest everyday and it seems harder not to start a new blog than to start one.
Personally, I see having more than one blog as being two much work. But then again I am new to this. And I feel that having more than one blog affects the quality of you content. I spend almost all my time promoting my single blog and it’s plenty of work already.
The thing is that I have a job so I spread myself thin as it is with just two blogs.