Ricky’s Online Business Blog

I don’t know about others.  But ever since I started to update my Facebook status actively (almost daily), I seldom update my blog any more.  Anyone share such same experience with me?

You may think I have become lazy to write articles.  You may think I have taken easy way out by microblogging using Facebook isntead.  But I suspect I’m not the only one.  I venture to say that microblogging using Facebook and Twitter has won over the heart of some conventional bloggers like me.

Now I suppose conventional blogging is not for everyone.  Not too many can write, want to write, care to write, or have the time to write.  Some of us took up blogging a few years ago due to reasons such as peer pressure, or it was the “in” thing to do at that time.

But as time goes on, we start to find out who can blog, and who better not waste time blogging.  You may call the blogs of former as high quality blogs, or the latter low quality blogs.  But I prefer to think that blogging is simply not the cup of tea for these latter group of people. 

Some of them blog because they have a need to express themselves.  But it can take too much time sitting in front of computer to write, and or too much stress to think what to write.  But now with microblogging, it serves their need to express perfectly.  They can just shout anytime they have something to express!

I’m talking about the bloggers who have “expressive” need to express themselves.  I’m not talking about other reasons for blogging such as to contribute to body of knowledge, to attract web site traffic, to promote a company, product or service, or to make blogging money.

Moreover, by microblogging we have ready pool of friends on social media who can read our status updates.  We don’t need to worry about attracting search engine traffic to our conventional blogs.  Well, not too many people know or care about search engines and online marketing.

But don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying blogs have no use any more.  I’m saying microblogging has taken away some conventional bloggers like me who blog primarily to express and to shout.

And you are welcome to express and shout your comments below

Are you a blogger?  If you are in one of these situations, perhaps it’s time to consider stop blogging, or at least adjust how you do it:

• You do not know why you are blogging.
• You do not know what to blog about.
• You do not know who your target readers are.
• You do not know what you can offer to readers.
• You do not feel happy and at peace blogging
• You blog because others do, or others asked you to.
• Your blog is just a copycat of another more established blog.
• Your blog is not serving what you intend to achieve.
• Your blog conversion rate is too low.
• Very few people read or subscribe to your blog.
• You find blogging eat up too much of your time and energy.
• You find blogging become more important than other things in life such as your job and relationships.
• You find blogging working against your life objectives!
• Do you have anything else to add?  Please feel free.

Actually this is a checklist for myself.  I started blogging since years ago on Google’s Blogspot.  Since then, I have stopped and restarted a few blogs.

During my previous blogs, I could easily answer yes to many items in above checklist.  When one blog was not working, it’s time to take a hard look!

At last, I settled down with this blog since April 2008 and it’s been one year plus now.  Hopefully it will stay long this time

Some time ago, I was asked to join a closed group of fellow bloggers for a new startup.  It is a blog portal consisting of a few columns for different sub-topics.  Each fellow blogger is to blog for his or her own column.

I was initially skeptical of the business model.  The idea seems old and uninteresting.  But after getting to know that the startup was to be backed by one of the most visited web site in Malaysia, my perception changed.  Its very high traffic is going to spill over to the new portal and bring advertising dollars to the new business.

In fact, though the idea is not new, I think the startup is going to work.  Those who joined the group are going to earn, not only financially, but in reputation and authority as well.

But unfortunately, I am unable to fulfill their requirements.  Each blogger is to blog at least one post per day.  So it’s 7 blog posts per week, 30 blog posts per month, at least.

Not that they emphasize quantity over quality.  But the founder said most successful blogs have something new everyday to become successful, though it may not be long essay everyday.

I can’t join because I can’t commit myself to blog everyday.  Currently I’m blogging only once or twice per week.  I’m not a full-time blogger or problogger, but rather an occasional one.  I even consider myself still quite a newbie in blogging.

Furthermore, it’s going to be like a full-time job to blog everyday.  It’s not only the time spent to write, but it’s the time spent to read up, research, think and organize my thoughts that is going to consume most of my waking hours, every single day!

So it’s going to be a job for me to work in rather than a business, and it’s a pretty hectic job.  My personal mission is not to create a job for myself.  My mission is to create a business.  Otherwise, I might as well work for others.

When an opportunity knocks, no matter how great it is, one may still need to think whether it is in line with one’s life mission or not.  In this case, the blogging job is really not for me.

It’s a pity for me not being able to join this startup.  But it’s OK.  Opportunities abound on the Internet.  Our job is just to be ready when they come

One year ago, as a volunteer work, I created a blog for an event.  The good news is, the organizer didn’t have to fork out a single cent for Internet presence.  The bad news is, the blog challenged the way they thought how a web site works.

I was helping to blog regularly for the event.  As you know, whatever we blog now comes up at the top.  I remember being told not to blog any more for time being, because the last blog post was so important that it had to stay at the top of the home page.  In another case, the committee chairman told me a post had disappeared!  It had “dropped off” the home page after a few newer posts were put up!

With the advent of World Wide Web, we became so used to the way how a web site organized itself, that is, hierarchically with menus and sections.  But blogs changed the way how a web site works.

On blogs, the latest piece of information comes at the top. Then as we put up more posts, the previous post will “drop” down in the home page slowly to the bottom, until “disappearing” into oblivion (actually hidden from the home page).

Frankly, when I first started to read blogs and publish a blog, I was not so used to how it worked too.  I thought it was not “user-friendly”.  But as time went by, I started to see the logic and got familiar with blogs now.

Instead of an almost dead hierarchical web site, a blog site is just like a live person who changes from time to time.  Rather than just looking at the same old and cold content, a blog gives a more personal touch, a plus point for businesses.  It encourages more interaction with the users, through links, search box, comments, widgets and others.

But there are still many who think blogs are not the best way to organize information.  As “the customers are the kings”, we must not be so proud to assume that blog is the best architecture for a web site.  But just like other technologies, I believe blogs will evolve to be even better and more useful.