Published by deborah.woehr on 08 Jun 2006 at 07:09 pm
Successes and Failures in Blogging
I’ll start off with the failure because I like to end on a good note. You may have noticed that the link for Americana Dream is no longer in my sidebar. I just couldn’t get it going in the right direction. And the more I tried, the more of a struggle it became to write on this blog.
John came to the decision this weekend to pull it. See his post on blog funerals as well as Darren’s post How to Kill Your Blog Successfully.
I saw Americana’s demise coming, but it didn’t hit me until Tuesday. I was in a funk all day Tuesday, and I wasn’t sure why. I’ve flopped with several of my own blogs, whether it was the time factor or not knowing enough about the material to continue. My attitude was stupid and self-defeating.
I churned out my latest post on Numinous off and on all that day, wondering if my direction was on or off the mark. Then I decided to forget about it for the time being and focus on Supernatural. Since it was 6/6/06, I decided to surf the web to see how people were reacting and wrote 666 Around the World.
Last night, I almost fell over when I check out the stats on the blog, which had risen sharply. Today, the stat count has doubled. Not only that, but my post on the Waverly Sanitorium received a bunch of comments from people who had watched the show last night. I was in the middle of writing and had forgotten about the show.
So, it looks like my timing was right not once, but twice! I’ve learned several things here. The Number One (and most important) thing is that reader feedback is essential to me as a blogger. I’ve come to rely on my reader’s comments to gauge whether or not a particular blog is working. Stats aren’t enough, and they’re not always accurate.
Not only that, but I enjoy building friendships with people who share the same interests as me. With that, I’ll close by saying thank you to those who have visited, commented, and/or linked to this blog.
John (Syntagma) on 09 Jun 2006 at 12:36 am #
I think anyone would have struggled with that blog, Deborah. It would need a Steinbeck (Travels with Charlie) to make it zing. The alternative was to fill it with journalistic interviews with people who have made it. That would take a lot of time and effort and be disproportionate with the returns. That’s why I closed it down. The subject wasn’t suitable for a commercial blog - personal one, maybe, for the right person.
As for Supernatural, it’s perfect for a commercial blog. You can have fun and make money at the same time
michaelm on 09 Jun 2006 at 2:00 am #
Deb-
I sometimes wonder where you find the time to run all these blogs. I can’t even handle one, for God’s sake.
I can tell you that here in the NE folks are sharpening their axes; out of the past 36 days it’s rained on 31 of them. It does something to the spirit.
You sounded very restless. Maybe you found the cause.
I’m off to check out Supernatural and Numinous…
~m
fredcq on 09 Jun 2006 at 4:42 am #
Not every blog is going to take off. I have tried several myself and have had to drop a few along the way. I’m kind of glad that I just settled on a single blog where I just post whatever I feel like.
I started watching that Waverly Sanitorium thing but fell asleep on it, lol. What did you think of it?
Melly on 09 Jun 2006 at 7:14 am #
Deborah, I hope you’re not fretting too much about the Americana blog. You have to give yourself a break and not stretch yourself too thin either.
Way to go on Supernatural
deborah.woehr on 09 Jun 2006 at 7:55 am #
John: Thanks for the kind words.
Perhaps I’ll start a travel blog when the kids grow up and leave home. There’s so much of this country that I want to see. I’m enjoying the Supernatural blog very much, as ghost stories are right up my alley.
Michael: I don’t have a day job, so that helps a great deal. It’s just a matter of time management and finding stories worth writing about.
It sounds like you’re having our March/April weather. My family and I practically ran for the southwest on Easter because the constant rain was draining our spirits.
Fred: You’re right. I’m feeling much better now. As for the Waverly show, I missed it because I started writing and forgot all about it. Hopefully, it will come out on DVD so I can see it.
Melly: I’m over it now, and you’re right. Thanks for the kudos on Supernatural.
Marti on 10 Jun 2006 at 4:39 am #
Hi! Haven’t had a cghance to stop by many places lately, so I wanted to say hello real quick LOL
Blog writing should be fun and entertaining - if it gets you in a tizz, depressed, concerned, worried or irritable, it’s not worth the grief. You’re a terrific writer and can cover any topic well.
deborah.woehr on 10 Jun 2006 at 2:27 pm #
Hi, Marti! Thanks for the kudos.