| Ten Reasons Why You Don’t Need A Blog Posted: 10 May 2011 03:45 AM PDT  The number one question I get asked is, “Should I have a blog?”
Hm. I don’t know. I think you should floss every day. You should tell your kids you love them. You should have that mole checked. But my gut tells me you don’t need a blog. Here’s why. - You feel like you have something to say but you’re not a strong writer. Um, yeah, you don’t need a blog. You need a twitter account.
- You can’t write every day. Good blogging means that you make an appointment with an audience — and you show up with flowers and chocolate. Blogging requires commitment. Unlike some of my ex-boyfriends, you can’t show up just when the mood strikes you.
- Not every opinion needs to be expressed online. You have a real job. Blogs get people fired.
- The minutia of your life is boring. Every time I think about blogging about my life or my cats, I realize that I blog because I’m trying to escape my life and my cats.
- Blogs don’t make any money. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you otherwise.
- Blogs aren’t a creative outlet. Need to do something to stimulate your life? Try needlepoint. Take a woodworking class. Enroll in Zumba.
- Blog traffic is overstated. People read CNN and MSNBC. They don’t read The Cynical Girl and they probably won’t read your blog.
- You will not sell products & services through a blog. Sure, you’ll build a brand. But there are easier ways to build a brand than blogging.
- You know who’s famous? Not bloggers. I once got recognized at the gym as the woman who has a blogging cat. Wow. Why, yes, that’s me. I am amazing. Uhm, no. Bloggers feel famous until the moment they meet a famous person. There’s real celebrity and then there’s everyone else.
- There are no original thoughts. Everything you say has been said before. I started writing this blog post and my good friend, Joel Cheesman, sent out a newsletter where he talked about the pros/cons of blogging. Now I look like a copycat. And some dude is thinking, “Hey, Joel just took my ideas.” Nobody is creative. Everybody is derivative.
After seven years of blogging on a near-daily basis, and with over 999+ unread blog posts in my google reader, I am sure you don’t need a blog. If your dream is to blog, I’m right behind you — but I am shaking my head and hoping you’ll learn from my mistakes. And if you decide to start one — especially if it’s about your difficulties being a working mom, your wine hobby, or politics — let me know so I can pretend to read it.  |
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