What are you doing with your blog over the holidays?
As the end of the year draws nearer I’ve been pondering what to do with my blogs over the Christmas/New Years break.
In the past I’ve done a number of things including:
- Blogging on as normal
- Getting a Guest in to cover the blog over a week
- Running a special series of ‘lighter’ posts
- Running a variety of guest posts
This year I’m going to do something I’ve not done before – take a break from blogging for a whole week.
I will be putting up a few posts over the week that are wrap up posts looking back at the year that has been on different topics – but these will be written in advance and set to go off so that I can have a break from blogging between Christmas and New Years. I won’t be having the week off completely though – I have a couple of other writing commitments that I need to finish off so will use the week to tackle those.
What are you doing with your blog over the holidays?
I’m gonna leave my blog alone, because I won’t have regular internet access during the holidays.
I’m keeping up my daily posting schedule, but I’m writing all of my posts ahead of time so that I can relax and spend time with family.
A few “lighter” type blog posts and one or two ‘end of year round up’ types.
Then start again in earnest 2 Jan.
Andrew
I will be working hard at my blog. I have a pretty big competition I am setting up to launch my blog so want to be posting right through.
The goal is to use the holiday time to stockpile posts, probably several months worth which I can use as risk management so that if I ever get sick or am forced to take a break I can do so without worrying about disappointing my readers.
I fall into the “carry on as normal” category, so I’ll blog through the break, but take lots of bursts of time off as well.
Thanks Darren for another terrific year of help and information, and have a great Christmas!
When I’m on Holiday I usually carry my laptop and post an every todays atleast, but when I’m not at all able to blog i’ll tell my friend to write a post. This is because my blog is in the startup stage and leaving it unupdated will cause loss in traffic.
When I’m on Holiday I usually carry my laptop and post an every todays atleast, but when I’m not at all able to blog i’ll tell my friend to write a post. This is because my blog is in the startup stage and leaving it unupdated will cause loss in traffic.
http://dumblittleblogger.blogspot.com/
Write a 2009/2010 post. Do some research for posts in 2010.
I’ll be working on my new blog project with my team during the holiday. Happy holiday Daren!
I’ve just begun this blog so I’ll keep to my normal schedule of 3 or so posts per week. We don’t normally travel far over Christmas so that should be doable. If I’d been at it longer and had a lot of loyal readers though I’d probably take a week off as well!
I programmed posts till mid-February :) So I can rest and think of what else to write.
Blogging as normal :) In fact, blogging more than normal! It’s the perfect opportunity for me to get all of the time I need to write ton of posts :)
I’ll be doing the exact same thing as you are… lighter posts – wrapping up the year – while I enjoy time with family and work on a different writing project.
I’ve found that traffic really drops off between Christmas and New Year’s so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me to post a lot at this time. Recharging is more important to me as I start the new year!
While on Holiday, I have written posts to carry me into the next year..gotta love scheduled posts. Will also be re-evaluating current blogging strategies and hopefully starting new ones.
I just started my personal finance blog on Dec. 1st of this year, and I was wondering what do during the holidays. In the end, I decided to stick with my Monday-Friday posting schedule. But since my blog is about money-life balance, I am going to have a series of posts this week that lean more toward the quality of life side of things in the hopes of putting people in the Christmas spirit.
Next week, I will look at thoughts on the 2009 economy and look ahead to 2010. Thanks for all of the great ideas here.
I am busy making chocolate and writing on my blog
I don’t blog on a daily basis so what I’ve been doing is scheduling the posts in advance…
Anyway, a good reminder! We do have several alternatives, don’t we?! ;-)
Have a great holiday, Darren!
Saludos from Argentina,
Vicky
Well, i’ll keep blogging as normal, got time and ideas for that.
I also have that in mind. I think I’m going to have an advanced post. I would schedule that post on a certain date in between those breaks so I won’t be worrying about connecting to the internet on holiday. It can also be a surprise post for my readers. Enjoy the holiday!
Merry Christmas and a Peaceful New Year!
As our readers, that take time off, bloggers shouldn´t be different, we deserve it after all, don´t we?
Anyway, new posts on my blog will stop for the holidays, but the background work will continue, i need to finish a refreshment of the template and try to finish an ebook, for the first anniversary of my blog in the end of January.
Guess we can never stop messing around with our blogs. :-)
Merry Christmas for you Darren, and enjoy your time off with your family.
Regards.
This is good post in a way as I myself am confused to what to do . I am sure the visitors coming and surfing are very low …. so not yet decided ..Mostly do a post once a week or so for this week from 25 th to Jan 1 .
Thanks for input.
I’ll figure a out a new design, pre-write a few posts, then embark on a huge promotion campaign in January. Hopefully this will kick my tiny little personal art blog into something successful. Happy holidays!
Just going to write more light-hearted posts…. PERHAPS! :)
Best Sam
“take a break from blogging for a whole week.” I encouraged everybody at TheBloggersBulletin.com to do that for the recent Thanksgiving holiday a month ago. I said I’d do most of the writing for that time period. It’s a long story, but the strange thing was that this maneuver caused a kind of delayed backfire — after the holiday was past, certain dynamics emerged that led us to institute a far more regimented schedule.
I’ll be stockpiling and scheduling a few posts – I notice traffic dip anyway over the holidays(assuming people are not home or spending time with family). I think depending on your niche you can get away with not having to post constantly, and I think most people recognize and respect the fact that everyone deserves some time off. If you’re a news niche or a site that people really depend on for constant information then I don’t really think you have a choice, for everyone else I think just leaving a few posts(especially if you rely on your blog for income) is a smart idea.
I will be blogging as normal with my blog.
When I want to break form blogging in the near future, usually I will write the posts in advance.:)
I don’t think many people will be reading, so I’ve decided to take a break between Christmas and New Years. If I have the time and inclination to write, I’ll save the posts for 2010.
Great discussion – thanks for asking the question!
I am going to continue with my routine, posting posts every 2-3 days.
Before New Year I am going to post about the ebooks I found most helpful to me in my beginner journeys at this whole online business.
I don’t know how is the traffic over Christmas and New Year, but I guess I will have less visits, because everyone will be celebrating somewhere.
But, I can find time to spend 2-3 hours a day in front of screen, at least.
My husband (a teacher) and kids are off school, so I’m off work too! I committed to doing the #best09 challenge, so I’m going to predate those. I will be enjoying my family – as a “mommyblogger”, I don’t think that there is a better way to enjoy the break. Happy Holidays!
Sounds like something all writers should follow. It’s good to take a break sometimes.
I’ve already written and scheduled posts to be published during the holidays. Even if there are less people reading during that time, I can always “revisit” them in the future.
Other than Christmas Day which I will take it off it will be pretty much business as usual for me, especially when it comes to creating a back up of articles for future use.
I’ll be blogging as news comes up, but there is an anticipation that there won’t be much news between now and New Year’s. I also tend to do a lot of “Klassic” posts, to fill space and keep the community engaged. Another thing I tend to do during traditionally slow times is to post polls and create posts that specifically ask questions and encourage feedback.
I actually am running posts almost every day. I actually have been fortunate to have a whole crew of up and coming bloggers who have agree to guest post at my blog, which has been a really nice thing. It will give them some great exposure and has enabled me to further develop relationships with people out there in the blogosphere
I’m thinking of writing a very long, possibly controversial article that will draw comments over a week or so. But yeah, it’s time to take a break.
During the holiday’s this year, I’m going to work on my blog as I can. I don’t do blogging on my job, so although I’m definitely going to spend a lot of time enjoying life with my family, I expect that I’ll still have enough time to blog and network at least a little.
I’ll be blogging as usual.
Rita blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide
Blogging on as normal
I don’t think it would be a good idea to do anything else. At least for me (2 posts per week is my schedule).
I plan on taking a retrospective look at the past year and some of my favorite posts along with some of the things I’ve learned throughout the year and the people that taught them to me. It should be a good post.
I started a short series of Christmas posts, featuring links to great holiday stuff online.
On Christmas day itself I am considering doing my 1st video post. I know my toddler will do a little “happy dance” when she sees her gifts under the tree.
I am thinking about doing a prayer post on Thursday, for kids fighting cancer and other life threatening diseases. It would be universal (not affiliated with any particular religion).
I’d love to take a break and focus on building the new hosted WordPress site, but I’ve got so much backlogged content that needs to be posted, I’m afraid I’ll have to continue on with my regular posting schedule.
Going to be blogging as usual, even though I will be undertaking a road trip.
I will be taking a week off. I have a notice post prepared for the 23rd that says I will not be posting until January 2nd. I have noticed my readership slowing down so I don’t doubt that they will be taking the same break.
I may catch an hour or two working but I won’t post anything till after the holiday break.
I will be featuring The Twelve Days Of Blogmas! Starting today (Sunday where I’m at) and going through January first I will be posting the best post from each month of the previous year.
I’m with you, Darren, I’m taking a break. I feel like I need it–and that my blog will be better off for it! During the time I am taking off, I will still be writing posts, but banking them for January. I just needed to take the pressure of performing off for a little while…
Taking a week off sounds just about right and surely well deserved for you! Happy Holidays.
I’ve take two weeks off starting December 21st. I’ll be using some of that time to refresh my blog design and bang out those posts that I never coudl quite finish. I should have about 5 posts to start off the new year.
I’ve got a series I’m calling the “Twelve Days of Tips-Mas” lined up over at Social Photo Talk – on each of the twelve days of Christmas (December 25-January 5) I’m posting a quick social media tip or trick for my readers.
All of the posts will be queued up and released as scheduled posts, leaving me free to enjoy the holidays relaxing or working on more in-depth pieces for publication at a later point.
I’ve taken two weeks off from my business to relax and I’m going to be posting on a lighter schedule than usual over the holidays, but and going to be working on completing a few new projects to launch on my blog in the new year. Happy Holidays!