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Not eveyone appreciates effort/time spent on blogging

  1. maidiebike
    Member

    Without getting bogged down in details, it shall suffice to say that some people don't have a good idea how much time a well written blog requires...even if it's only 500 words, combined the effort of shooting/choosing, formatting and embedding photos in the post.

    It makes me steam ...a bit. But the good thing is that I do enjoy doing it.

    I did track for an organization, how much time I spent to do 1 blog post that I wrote from scratch, chose,etc. and embedded 5-6 photos. It can take....several hrs. and that's already with photo I have on hand. Never mind other people who do not have extensive digital photo collections like we have taken over the years. So they have to go out and find /shoot those pictures.

    The blog I need help with is cyclewriteblog.wordpress.com.

  2. raincoaster
    Member

    No kidding. I'm constantly offered the opportunity to "blog for the exposure." The most recent offer came from someone with an average of 36 hits a day. People die of exposure.

    I'm also approached by people who want to pay $5 a post. When I say no, they say "lots of people will blog for that," to which I reply "yes, but you'll get a blog post by THEM, not a blog post by ME."

    Good work takes time and care.

  3. carrieslager
    Member

    I definitely agree. I publish book reviews every day, but does anyone know how much effort I have to put into those? Of course not. Writing enough book reviews for 5 days takes me over 3 hours and that's just actually writing them. Nevermind adding pictures, links, typing it up (thank goodness for being able to type 80 wpm) and revising it because I wrote it at one in the morning. And when I actually write articles on the latest YA news? I have to check over 50 different publisher's, author's and reviewer's sites just to get enough news, check my sources and try to get the news before most people do.

    "People die of exposure." Amen to that, raincoaster. If you spread yourself out guest blogging for every single blogger that asks you to, then you're going to die of exposure. Just like if I reviewed every single book every self-published or unknown author asked me to, I'd never be able to get off the computer because they send them in e-book format.

  4. maidiebike
    Member

    For you carrielager, you should partner with your local public or school librarians' assocation to put your stuff to the best use in the way you intended and at the same time, there would be people in those organizations that would know the true value of your work.

    It would also add value to your "volunteer' resume section to have endorsement of such established organizations, if you don't get an honorarium for it.

  5. maidiebike
    Member

    In the world of professional journalism, it has to be $1.00 /word. That's right: forces one to write succintly and correctly --with flair.

  6. maidiebike
    Member

    Before I blogged, I did write selectively for free to professional organizations of which I was a paying member. Belonging to a profession, does imply in terms of career-growth and networking with colleagues, to volunteer to write on topics of timely interest to the membership/those similiarily trained in the same profession.

    Well, yes absolutely under those circumstances one does have to be a bit tactical on what one chooses to write to their work-related peers.

    I haven't blogged yet on topics related to my paid profession because I know it will demand more of my personal time to carefully ponder topics and express them with care. Then blogging won't be as fun and free-spirited in thought and expression.

  7. carrieslager
    Member

    @maidiebike: I've actually been looking into your suggestion, but unfortunately my little village doesn't have a website for our rather pathetic library. I call it pathetic because I own more books than they do. But I've been looking in to a public library association. Unfortunately, they don't take teenagers very seriously. At least with my own blog, I am my own boss and don't have to deal with the 'teenagers are so dumb' nonsense I do elsewhere.

  8. absurdoldbird
    Member

    @maidiebike - Yep, definitely agree with you. It eats a lot of time out of ones life. I had a long long break from blogging since I deleted my last blog and realised that I miss it - badly. So, despite it eating time and life, I shall probably return to it soon with a new blog. :)

  9. maidiebike
    Member

    Hope when you return to blogging, absurd, that it will be with refreshed new eyes. You probably are greatly underestimating how much it would mean to family members and good friends: it is expression of you.

  10. turnthrice
    Member

    I completely agree with you maidiebike! I feel like the effort bloggers actually put into their blogs is often taken for granted. It was only after starting my own blog that I came to think "Hey, for all those months I've been following so-and-so's blog, I had no idea how much work goes into a single post!"

    I now have much more respect for people who post on their blogs as often as once a week... even more for those that post once a day such as carrieslager!

  11. absurdoldbird
    Member

    @maidiebike - I take your point. Though those friends and family have to be able to see and read the blog first. A lot of my family (old folks - yep, older than me!) are still lacking computers let alone internet. I find it best with a lot of people just to print stuff up for them.

  12. scientifican
    Member

    I have a grand total of about 4 blog posts, but I wouldn't be surprised if my tallied number of hours spent creating this blog was in the mid-teens. And I don't even have pictures!!!

    I was going to create a drawing for my latest post ("Bella donna di morte") but I already spent 2.5hours creating the post (and a day or so figuring out what my topic would be) and I didn't have the time to create a hand-drawn image. Maybe next time.

  13. tearlily
    Member

    Well I can see how you all are fustrated. In the end all that is important is that you are enjoying yourself while doing it and that you have people that enjoy reading/looking at all of your hard work. To me it's just a nice way to relax.

  14. dovesgold
    Member

    The most time usually is in the making and writing by hand of the poems for blog 1, after that I've found it's easier to cut and paste them into the post, which is faster, and more accurate, then it all depends on how quick the picture uploader is working, which varies from day to day.
    Blog 2 is easier to write most of the time, as it's my wafflpg and mostly I've no idea beforehand what I'm going to write :)
    Agree with 'tearlily' that it's for the joy of it; it's not fun otherwise :)

  15. becomingcliche
    Member

    I saw an job offer once for a penny a word, and they wanted multiple posts in a day. Thanks, but I'd rather not. Their ad said "There's plenty of work!" I would imagine that's true. No one wants to do it for what they're paying.

  16. maidiebike
    Member

    Penny per word --ridiculous.

    Admittedly I could not blog nearly daily and expect myself to churn out good quality blog posts each time.

  17. tearlily
    Member

    @Dovesgold
    Wow I can understand how poems would take a lot of time and effort to write. They take me quite a while and sometimes I have to leave them be for a day or two and come back.

    haha penny per word. As if anyone cold really live off of that! I would enjoy it if it was 5 dollars per post or something. Are those ads for real or fraud?

  18. scientifican
    Member

    Wow, a penny? Clearly they value writing?

    In other news, I just posted a hand-illustrated (watercolor, no less!) post on a random piece of interesting biology. I am not an artist so these illustrations are not professional by any means, but I hope my limited reader-base will appreciate the time it took.

  19. pacifictheme
    Member

    I had someone comment me to tell my blog was boring and needed pictures. I wasn't offended as I don't think he bothered to read anything I'd written but I don't have the time to upload pictures, plus I want to remain anonymous on my blog.

    But I found it strange that he would bother complaining about it, when I look at blogs that don't interest me, I can at least appreciate the time that the person spent on it.

  20. raincoaster
    Member

    My advice: it was probably spam.

  21. timethief
    Member

    I agree with raincoster. It's spam.

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