Hello and welcome to yes another weekend roundup read! WordPress tells me this is number 41: what a lot of ground we’ve covered this year!
Plenty of these articles made me ponder the state of affairs (and my blog) more than they did teach me how to blog better – but I think some re-evaluation from time to time is a good thing. No point flogging a dead horse, as they say!
I hope they help you similarly reflect on where you are and where you’re going.
Social Media is Not a Strategy | Art + Marketing
Gosh this one made me think. We do get told that we all start on social media with zero – but is that truly the case for every marketer? And what about influence > numbers?
Why You Should Produce Less Blog Content | Ragan
In the days where everyone is feeling stretched too far, this is welcome advice. So is repurposing your content. But what I was most interested in were the stats that people are reading fewer blog posts (and consuming more social media) – this has felt the case for a long time but was wondering what the data was to back that up.
What are your thoughts?
The 30 Commandments of Working For Yourself | The Middle Finger Project
I love Ash. She does not muck around! Some of the things she said bluntly in this piece were so what I needed to hear.
Creating a Course That Works: Episode one | Sam Nordberg
If you’re considering creating a course for your audience as part of your income strategy, Sam has just launched the first in a series of videos to help you start with your best foot forward.
Looking for the Trick | Seth’s Blog
Can’t agree with this more! Wise, wise words.
Getting Out of the Way: How to Invite Growth, Engagement, and Collaboration in Others | Work Like Humans
Collaborating can be amazing for blogs and small businesses just starting out or who want to take their online presence to the next level. This is some great advice for helping you make the most of working with others.
Publishers Tweak Their Approach to Facebook Live | Ad Age
So many publishers, digital and otherwise, jumped on the Facebook Live wagon as it was new, and Facebook was promoting it heavily in timelines. Well we’re a few months in now, and it appears changes are being made to keep up with both demand and ability to create.
Is Facebook Live still working for you?
Did Your Google Ranking Change Overnight? | Mumbrella
New Google Algorithm Penguin 4.0 is here – find out what it means for you!
Google Algorithm Update: Targeting Pesky Mobile Popups | Milk It Academy
And of course with the update comes this info that I know worried a lot of my blogger friends. Will it have an impact on you if you have a pop up installed on your site?
What caught your eye this week?
>the stats that people are reading fewer blog posts (and consuming more social media)
Yup, and it’s only going to get “worse” as the social media sites begin to offer more types of content and adding features that keep the user on the social media site such as Facebook’s Instant Articles. No point in worrying about it though, just gotta adapt.
Yep, you don’t last long in this industry if you don’t evolve!
Hey Stacey,
The world is increasingly interconnected, churning out massive amounts of data and limitless, fast-moving competition. Technologies are growing exponentially, meaning what we learn today is destined to be obsolete tomorrow. Our traditional frame of cause-and-effect thinking is breaking down in the face of too many causes and too many effects interacting in a global system.
It is the approach behind most of what we’ve accomplished in collaborative endeavors from business to the arts to science. It is a hard frame of mind to pry ourselves from because it puts us so firmly in the captain’s chair, deftly moving others around the chessboard of life. Eventually, thanks for sharing these informative thought with us.
With best wishes,
Amar kumar
Thanks Amar!
Hi Stacey,
The less content post seems good for me. I pulled back months ago. Less is more in many ways because spreading yourself too thin only dissipates your energy. And lessens your impact. Focus instead of creating helpful content and get offsite! Comment on authority blogs. Guest post here and there. Make friends. Make friends. Make friends. Build connections with new friends. Power up connections with old buds. Get off site/blog to make things pop with your campaign. Publish less. Connect more.
Thanks for sharing Stacey :)
Ryan
Sounds like you’ve got the balance nailed, Ryan!
Love Ashley’s authentic nature, even if it is a bit PG-13 at times :P
yes she’s not for everyone!
Less content depends on the subject and what audience it is directed to. I find when I add great images and a video I get a higher response rate and more engagement.
Social media works because there is less text, more immediate gratification and usually an image to attract the attention of the reader.
I just read your blog from 2013 https://problogger.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-leaving-comments-on-blogs/ there is still relevant information there
yes it does depend on the audience! for sure.
Hi Stacey,
The less content post seems good for me. thank you for this amazing article … :)
Good luck!
Great post Stacey! I believe too many bloggers focus too much on the technical aspects of blogging (seo, keyword density, post length, post frequency), instead it’s better to put more focus into relationship building. Sure the technical stuff is important but it only gets you so far…
My two cents worth: I think the less annoying (= photo-cluttered, memory-hogging, messy-looking) social media are like an index. Blogs are for the good stuff. I have a blog feed that gives titles and the first few words, which I use to decide which blogs/articles to read, and then there’s Twitter, which gives links when someone has found or posted something worth checking further *and* the option of just a greeting, status message, or picture for those who don’t have the time to put up a real blog post.
Of course people need to be clear about what their blog is for. If it’s just for their business, unless their business is books or music and they post a review every day or week, they may want to have only a few posts that they rework every year. If a blog exists just to promote a lawn care business, and the same people stay in the same place running the business, how much do they really want to say?
And, about pop-ups: lose’m. Not even the New York Times can keep me reading around pop-up ads and distractions.
My preferred format is:
* whole post/article on one “page”
* small pictures work on some computers I use, but they’re optional
* NO moving images
* NO sound
* make sure the display stays in one place unless I touch a scroll button–I hate sites like Blogjob and Niume where you see the beginning of the actual post and then a lot of site clutter pops up and you have to page up and down to find your place again, so try to keep the ads and pictures at the bottom
* if you must show a video, please provide a full transcript of the words, which are all I’m there for–I don’t have time to watch a video and would fall asleep if I tried
* I’m not the one who has a problem with referral links, as long as you’re honest about what you’re linking to
* text can be PG-13 or even R-rated; images, if any, need to be G-rated
* black letters on a white background are ideal
much less content depends on the situation and what audience it is directed to. I locate once I add exquisite photos and a video i am getting a higher response rate and greater engagement.
Social media works because there may be less textual content, greater on the spot gratification and generally an photograph to draw the attention of the reader.
hello Stacey,
The much less content publish seems properly for me. thank you for this remarkable article … :)