I had the opportunity for another guest post to be published over at Michael Hyatt‘s blog titled 3 Blogging Experiments that Might Make You a Better Writer. It was somewhat of a different type of post that he typically entertains but one that we both hoped would prove to be valuable to his community, especially since it’s a community of writers and bloggers!
As you know I’m a big fan of being experimental with your blog. In fact, I list 5 reasons why you should take on more experiments here! So it shouldn’t surprise you that I’m again challenging you to attempt one of the three experiments listed on Mike’s blog!
Let me know which one you do and feel free to share it with some of Mike’s community in the comments as well!
One Experiment to Avoid
As usual I wanted to add an additional thought to my guest post here on my blog and I want to make you aware of one experiment that you need to avoid, as best as you possibly can, and that is the experiment of being too experimental, especially when it comes to multiple blogs.
One of the biggest pitfalls of any passionate writer and blogger is that they feel like they need more than one blog to entertain all of their interests and passions – this can be one of the worst decisions they can make as it ultimately dilutes their effort, their community, and the quality of their writing as they spread themselves too thin.
I see it time and time again:
Hey John, guess what? I’m starting another blog (and this time it’ll stick)!
It is far better to experiment much on one blog then to experiment with multiple blogs. Your goal, especially if you’re trying to build a successful blog and/or successful platform, as Michael Hyatt explains, you’ll go further, faster if you focus your efforts into one main idea or passion at a time.
Dedicate yourself to one blog, grow it to a sustainable pace, and then add another as you see fit – but do so with extreme caution!
I totally agree with your comments, John. I tried to manage two blogs for a short period of time. I thought my head would explode! Both suffered.
I like the old Chinese proverb:“Man who chases two rabbits catches neither.”
i saw you tweet that as well… for sure! totally agree.
Great proverb Michael!
Good word man. I tried recently and yeah, the other is suffering fo sho.
doh! will you retire it?
I feel like you are quoting me there! I seperated my personal blog into three and I feel like it has given me greater focus on which I actually want to pursue instead of just having one where I spew out whatever I feel like talking about on that particular day with nothing linking one post to another.
However, I would say that, two have suffered in the journey as I now only update the one that I have found is the true passion and I probably could have figured that out a better (and quicker) way – you know, like actually giving it thought!
I’ve also been toying with the idea of doing a Vlog – maybe your challenge is what I needed to actually hit record……….probably closely followed by delete, but God loves a trier, right?!
Yes, try it! Why not put your video posts on one of your other blogs?
i agree with this idea.
you have to try to understand the challenge, for sure!
Great advice! I used to have 2 blogs and couldn’t keep up with both of them. Quality over quantity is definitely the way to go!
jenni,
what did you do with one of them?
Well said. But this also depends on how many hours you can put on blogging. If you are a full time blogger, it is not uncommon to maintain two or more blogs.
simon, this is definitely true. thanks for the clarification!
Thanks for confirming my suspicions. I don’t own as many domain names as you do, but I’m tempted to start multiple blogs. I just KNOW I don’t have the time.
it’s true! i’m tempted all the time… i started a new one last week…! ahhhh!
I couldn’t agree more. For the creative type (like me), it’s easy to spread oneself too thin with the whole blogging dealio. But those who’ve succeeded in this realm all share a common attribute: perseverance.
focus is everything. you’re doing a great job with that at your one blog!
I am so glad you posted this. I write humor, fiction, and life adventure and have them in tabs on my blog. I had wondered if I should separate them with different blogs but it is hard enough to get traffic on one let along more!! Now I know I am on the right track!
susie,
great! at some point you might split it… but perhaps not now!
Sounds like good advice! But… I was just reading something else you wrote recently (was it at ProBlogger?) about improving your pagerank by focusing on very specific content, and not getting too broad.
how do you recommend balancing dealing with diverse ideas while not spreading yourself too thin?
yes… and isn’t that what i said in this post? don’t spread yourself too thin?
Lots of wisdom here.
I’ve learned firsthand the difficulty in running two blogs. I have one blog around career stuff (singing jazz & writing) but started a second one for my political rants. I have strong political opinions & didn’t feel my first blog was an appropriate platform. So, I started number two. While number two had some steam for awhile, I am finding that it’s very difficult to stay on top of both of them. Consistency is key. If I’m focused on one of the blogs, then it seems like the other suffers. Readership falls off, etc. Maybe someday I can manage both successfully, but right now, I feel like I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.
awesome! lesson learned? check! me too!
This is a good point. I was thinking about potentially starting another blog, but you’ve got me seriously reconsidering that!
Yeah. Starting 2 blogs is just too time consuming. One blog is enough (I mean a personal blog…not something you contribute to every once and awhile) for one person.
Great post, John!
thanks brandon!
if your first blog isn’t at a great pace yet… then wait.
I tried this too. I had five blogs. All five suffered. Now I am scaling back and focusing on just one. Of course, I am only a part-time blogger.
John, don’t you have three blogs or so?
yes. but i’m a professional blogger and do this full time. there’s a slight difference.
Yes, I believe you are correct…both here and at Michael’s blog. I’m a newbie blogger myself, trying to find the appropriate “niche,” which is a bit more challenging than I expected.
I actually thought that posting consistently would be my biggest challenge, but finding my “topic” is what’s really holding me back. I want to blog about what interests me, what I’m passionate about, and that already isn’t already being done in the blogosphere a thousands times (and better than I could ever do).
I’m getting closer, however……
……. sweet! give me a hint….!
I’m not trying to make a living blogging. I’m doing ok as a technical writer, but I have diverse interests that I write about in my blogs. I don’t know how I could combine this overflow into a single blog and not defeat the purposes of the separate blogs.
Not many readers are as schizoid as I am, and I do write to be read.
haha!
haven’t heard the word “schizoid” in a lonnnnnnnnnnnng. time.
Great stuff John. I had debated starting another blog but I opted to spend my time on the one so that I do not get distracted. I’m glad I did!
awesome eric!
I loved your article over at Michael Hyatt’s blog. I tried my first video blog this week. It was my personal testimony so I felt very vulnerable but I had great feedback! Thanks for all your help as I try to figure out what I am doing in the world of blogging!
awesome! i’m going to check it out!
I have tried it too , but couldn’t manage it because of time. It is better to be successful in one rather than failing to do it in two.
this is very true sandeep.
Now, I have been thinking of creating a blog all about guitar gear and effects along with a few people…?
What do you think of that?
why not try it?
If you had a nickle …
Hi John!
I really like this concept. My husband and I have been back and forth about this many times. I totally agree with the fact that you will spread yourself too thin and lack quality content.