“People hate blogging, yet there is money in it”, one of my customers pointed out. Yes, it is a reality. Many people would wish to have a blog. But very few can blog. Some blog for a short time and eventually get stuck. Their blogs become inactive. Why? Everyone has their reasons.
I have gone through many challenges and experiences through several years of blogging. I have learnt that tens of thousands of blogs are created every day, with over 62 million new posts every month. According to Wikipedia.org, Tumblr alone hosted over 205.9 million blogs by 5th October 2014. That sounds great! Not so? But it is so disappointing to hear that less than half of those blogs are updated every month. The truth is that there are so many inactive blogs on the internet.
Before I jump over to why people hate blogging, let me share my own story about blogging.
Here Is The Story
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“I started blogging in 2007. At that time, I was with SOS Children’s Villages, Uganda. One of the senior staff at the Regional Office in Nairobi contacted me and asked me to manage a blog for the SOS Children’s Village Gulu project. She had earlier reached several other coworkers at the managerial level who were hesitant. I accepted this additional task since I was heading the Gulu project. I could write good stories. But I did not have any blogging skills. I submitted the blog posts to a lady by email for proofreading. It was only her to post the stories on the blog, which was an extension of the official SOS Children’s Villages website. I had to write them following the policies and best practices of the organisation. I submitted the stories I wrote with photos. So I had to learn to take beautiful pictures as well. It also necessitated me to be everywhere in the project and in every activity to have the stories I could tell. There are times when I could not. I requested my juniors to assist me. Most of them shied away. They gave excuses of being too busy. I got disappointed on many occasions. I ended up doing it myself. Writing two stories per week was demanding. A Blessing in DisguiseAlong the way, I realised I was becoming famous and popular in the SOS circles. I became noticeable online. Once, I participated in an international conference on child rights. Everyone could instantly know who I was. They had seen my picture and read my stories on the internet. It inspired me to write more stories. What I was doing as a job requirement finally developed into a passion. The stories I wrote helped raise money for the construction of the Gulu project. Using the blog I managed, the organisation fundraised a lot of money in Europe to construct the project. I felt good. I participated directly in achieving something. After some time, I left the organisation to start my own business. Surprisingly, no other person has taken up that responsibility since I left. The blog currently has only stories I wrote myself. Since 2011, nobody has updated it. Why? People hate blogging”. |
Why Do People Hate Blogging?
With the above background personal experience, let me now share with you some of the reasons why people hate blogging.
1. People Hate Blogging Because They Don’t Want to Think.
Most importantly, thinking is part and parcel of blogging. Writing is not like talking. A written piece of work involves a lot of thought. Why? You write for others to read. There should be some essence in what you are writing. People hate blogging because of the thinking bit of it.
2. Research
People hate blogging because it requires them to research. The information does not come to you if you don’t look for it. The information you give must be based on facts, spiced up with your opinions, feelings and experiences. You have to look for information to sustain your blog consistently. It’s not easy for most people.
3. Lack of Humour
People hate blogging because they cannot write engaging blog posts. Humour plays a significant role in attracting people to like your blog posts. When people get taken up with your humorous posts, they follow you. You also get energised to write more.
4. Not Having the Right Writing Style
Writing is hard. It is not like talking. Putting down the information in a way that compels internet users to read it is an art. Not everyone has it. It takes a lot of practice to acquire it.
5. Lack of Time
Blogging consumes a lot of time. To become a blogger, you need time to research and think. Secondly, you need time to look for photos for your blog posts. Thirdly, you need time to draw graphics for your posts and produce videos for your blog. There is no shortcut. You have to find time to handle all that. Not once. But every time you write a new blog post. Failure to create time, therefore, makes people hate blogging.
6. Laziness
People hate blogging because they become lazy. Consistent blogging is not a joke. Often, you get attracted to other issues, and you become lazy. I have set up blogs for many people. But few of them have succeeded in making regular posts. Blogging is not for lazy people.
7. Persistence
Failure to persist makes people hate blogging. You have to publish posts weekly. Most of the top bloggers post frequently and regularly. They don’t relax at all. Never. They write article after article. But is it easy to write persistently without breaking? It is never easy.
8. Failure to Get Followers
Failure to have followers makes people hate blogging. When I was still blogging for the organisation, I had many followers. It energised me to write more. But if you make a blog post and nobody turns up to read it, it blows out the energy in you to write more.
9. Poor Mindset
Most people hate blogging because they have a poor mindset. First, they think it is hard. Secondly, they believe it is for people who know English and have time. Such in-built feelings hinder would-be successful bloggers from hating blogging.
10. Lack of Passion
People hate blogging because they don’t have a passion for it. Love is the driving force behind any success. I wasn’t passionate about blogging when I had just started. It was a job that I had to fulfil. I was earning any money for it. But after a period of serious blogging, I began seeing positive results. I developed a passion for it. You can build love over time if you have the right mindset.
11. Lack of Knowledge – Information
Lack of information makes most people hate blogging. You have to be with information to share with others in your blog. You have to be knowledgeable about your niche. Successful bloggers are so much conversant with what they write for their audience. They never get short of what to write.
12. Skills
Not having blogging skills makes people hate blogging. You could be a good writer. But blogging is much more than just writing. Continuous writing is for people who have mastered the techniques involved in it. Business blogging requires skills in online marketing. It also requires having expertise working with the blogging platform you are using, i.e. WordPress. Without them, one gets worn out.
13. Scepticism
Some people blog for leisure. But the majority of contemporary bloggers have the ultimate aim of making money. To make money from blogging takes time, persistence and skill. Most people blog for a while, and when they don’t earn any money, they become doubtful about the possibility of getting income through blogging.
14. Innovation
People hate blogging because they are not innovative. They think blogging is just about writing and posting articles to their blogs. But it is more than that. It requires a lot of innovation to attract people to your blog. Failure to be creative makes many would-be successful people hate blogging.
15. Changes in Marketing Strategies
Many once-popular marketing methods are now outdated. What causes it is usually the advancement in technology and search engines like Google. When such changes occur, the impact on blogs and websites is significant. Many lose their search engine rankings. Eventually, they get disappointed.
Final Thought
In conclusion, blogging is a science that successful bloggers have mastered. Once you choose to be a blogger, you have to consider it a job. You have to give it time and be passionate about it to succeed. Are you a blogger? What other reasons do you know that make people hate blogging?
I think people also hate blogging for having the fear of being criticized. After all, not all comments that we are going to get on our blog will be positive. As a blogger myself, I can feel this.
Yes, but one of the biggest hindrances to success in our endeavours is FEAR. It’s one of the business obstacles I wrote in one of our blog posts “Business Success – Obstacles Ugandans Must Avoid to Succeed in Business.