I use to, but not anymore. I fear not getting new readers more than loosing old ones. Loosing readers is like filtering your readers pool. Those who likes your blog will stay back, those who find your blog good enough for them will stay back. It’s the number of people who stays back that counts, not the number that leaves.
Blogging and bloggers are a funny combination. When they start their blogging journey or adventure is you want to put it that way, they will meet and read a lot of blogs with articles that are so refreshing to them, never seen before in the mainstream media. They bookmark every blog site that offers them something new, hoping to go back later to read more. Think back, were you like that when you started blogging your first blog? I certainly was. I had a long list of bookmarks that I will click from top to bottom every morning.
Then somewhere along the line, these blogs slowly looses their novelty. What they wrote does not seem so fresh anymore and you delete the bookmark from your list or you just leave it there never ever clicking on it anymore. That blogger just lost one of his or her reader. You. The remaining blogger’s links in your bookmarks that you have kept just gained another loyal reader. You again.
What Made People Loose Interest
Repetitions is the biggest culprit. No not a complete repetition, but a repetition of your blogging style. Who on earth would like to come to your blog to hear you rant everyday. No doubt you might feel you are ranting about different things on different days, buy hey, a rant is still a rant, how different can it be? It can be appealing to first timers. In fact it will be an eye opener for first timers. They will be in awe, “oh so that is what I can do and write in my blog!” will be their reaction, but if they keep reading you rant for months to end, they become immune and they will start to find you boring.
What Are the Questions Asked Before Clicking on Your Link.
When I hover over a link in my blog-roll, I ask myself, “what has this blogger got for me today?” If I can answer that question without a second thought, I will skip to the next link without clicking and ask the same question. Your blog has become too taken for granted and there is no element of surprise in your articles anymore. I know you will be ranting about your kid. I know you will be complaining about your boss. I know so I don’t want to know anymore.
If I hover over a link and I can’t figure out what will be the blogger’s post for that day, I will want to check them out. Even if it is just to satisfy my curiosity. These blogs are those that goes up and up and away. They have their readers eating out of their hands by giving them something different and useful every day. Okay, never mind useful, but at least it will be different that no one can guess what it will be unless they come and see. I actually feel an eagerness in going to those blogs because I know they have something in store for me.
This is part of the cycle of blogging.. when you’re around long enough. Honest, from the beginning of my blogging journey, you and 2 others are the only ones from my early blogging days.:-)
I stopped blogging early this year becos I want to quit. Then I started again in June or July.. I lost all my old readers. I’m happy now I got new ones. Not as many as you of course, but a new network.
This is especially important becos some ppl dun like bloggers doing paidposts. My new group came to my blog, AFTER I’ve started paid posts. So, they know what to expect and I’m happy I dun have to please them.
You know, I think this is a great post and food for thought. I try not to let slow readership bug me and try to get new ones. For me though, a personal blog is just that - personal so one shouldn’t expect too much of it. If you have another blog that’s made for the masses like I do with My Women Stuff and All about Shopping! then I’m more minded to find new readers. Btw, I don’t have this site on my RSS feed because I like dropping by to be pleasently surprised
Ha, it was the same for me in the first few months. Nowadays I don’t worry about readership that much, just concentrate more on writing than worrying
This is a great article
Of course, I’d love getting loads of readers to my blog, but then again, as what you’ve said, easy come, easy go.
The reason for repetitions might they might have lost interests in blogging. I delete blogs in my bookmarks frequently just because they are not having a fixed blogging frequency.
This is a good post, thought-provoking, and gives notice to bloggers especially newbies that blogging has its ups and downs. Constant changes in thoughts make blog posts more appealing. People will want to come back and read you up again. That’s the way to go. Just DON’T tell us what you had for breakfast and why you’re changing your window curtains from green to pink!