How To Split An Atom

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At the beginning, middle and end of the day I am a blogger. I’ve tried to deconstruct what that means, and over the years I have come up with a short definition: We like information, we like sharing that information, and we like the feedback that comes from knowing someone else is reading the information that we are sharing. Every blogger from me all the way up to Richard McManus shares a similar love of information dissemination.

That is why as I opened Techmeme, sure that I would be treated to nothing more than more iPhone rigmarole intermixed with a few choice words about Pownce, I was surprised to find an extremely thoughtful post by Kent Newsome on the five stages of blogging — from inception to abandonment. Since many of you are bloggers, I thought I would spend some time analyzing these stages to see if some kind of solution can be found.

Excitement

“…Like the band who has been gigging for years before making a record, new bloggers - at least the ones who have done a little planning - generally have an albums’ worth of really good topics to toss out.”

Think back to the moment that you wrote your first post. It was probably preceded by about 15 hours of picking a theme, setting up hosting, finding killer widgets and musing over your inevitable mastery of the blogosphere. Like an entrepreneur in the first throws of “idea exuberance” you assumed that any idea that you would spend this much time on had to be the killer app that would lead you on the path to blogging glory. It would not be long, you mused, before the entire world knew your name.

The first few weeks, even tiny amounts of traffic reinforced this belief. When you break 10 uniques a day, then 50 uniques you start to realize that of course you were right. You are a Blogger, and the world better take notice.

Expectation

“…One of two things will happen. Once in a blue moon, the blogger will catch lightning in a bottle, get swept up by the blogging elite, and become a recognized name in the blogosphere. Much more often, the blogger will hit a plateau and the growth of his still new blog will slow or flatline.”

A few months along and 50 uniques have become 200, but then it stops. Your growth, that once seemed like it would continue until one day the entire “A-list” was knocking at your door waiting for each new post, has slowed to a crawl and you have no idea why. This is the point when many of us go into research mode.

We begin to lament, “other bloggers are successful, why have they hit the top and I haven’t?” We scan the internet for tips and tricks on how to build traffic, we submit ourselves to every directory, we join every blogging group that will have us, and we hack our templates until they pass even the most stringent SEO maven’s criteria.

This is the age of the link exchange. The thought is that once the SERP finally accepts our blog, our traffic will explode like a primal force. We are only one page rank away from blogging glory and we are willing to do what it takes to get ourselves there.

Frustration

“…Once the honeymoon is over, the blogging work that seemed so new and interesting at first starts to feel hard and frustrating. And very, very inefficient. The blogger can’t figure out how to generate enough traction to achieve the organic growth that is an absolute requirement to maintain a popular blog…”

This is the stage of spotty growth and consistent frustration. You have put in unknown hours of labor, and some of it has paid off. Your traffic which was stagnant before gets another bump. Still, you can’t put your finger on how any of it works. Fantastic posts, well written and insightful get no where, but the random filler posts that you put out for the sake of filling your posting quota for the day generate tons of reaction. It all seems very random and very annoying.

This is the age of Shock and Awe. There is one thing that you know will get people talking, and that is causing a big fuss. Like a tabloid writer you start searching for dirt everywhere that you look, and like a carnival barker you disseminate that venom with a vigor that almost restores your love of the format. If you cannot be accepted by the “A-list”, no problem, you will rip them apart with nastiness of your posts.

Every time something like this is successful, however, you lose track of the core of what your blog was supposed to be. Every time you waste your breath on attack pieces, you lose a part of what makes your blog unique and become little more than a tabloid rag for writers.

As Mr. Newsome points out, the other extreme is name dropping in hopes that it will bring the attention of the big boys. This is, yet another waste of editorial space. For every blogger with even a moderate following, there are 1000 sycophants vying for attention. The odds are just not in your favor.

Alienation

“At this point, the tailspin towards abandonment has begun. The blogger’s mental image of the blogosphere as unicorns and butterflies in a field of wildflowers is replaced with an equally distorted image of a dark and wicked place, full of conspiracies and evil doers.”

Focused contempt for the system is replaced by generalized contempt for the system. Everyone is out to get you. The blogosphere is a useless, contentious place only fit for that top 1%, and your idea of sparking a new era of blogging has died a still birth. You start to lose interest, and your posts reflect this.

This is where growth can actually become decline as you post less frequently, more belligerently, and begin to alienate those people who have stuck with you this far. Here is where you start breaking apart your core users and evangelists and all hopes of success begin to fade away. You can claw your way out of this pit, but it’s an uphill battle.

Abandonment

I don’t think I can say it much better than Kent did,

“Next comes the unsatisfying end game for the discouraged blogger. His once cherished blog is either cast into the abyss via the delete button or, more often, left to lie silent by the side of the road like a burned out jalopy. A testament to the inefficiency of the process.”

Analysis

Over the last year and change that I have been actively blogging I have felt each of these stages, and if I’ve learned anything its that there is no easy solution to the problem. There are, however, solutions for those stalwart (and masochistic) enough to take them.

Keep Focus. You are your blog, if you change with every wind people won’t know what to come to you for. Write about what interests you, and what is relevant to your user base. The topics can be broad, but never alienate your users just to involve yourself with the meme of the day.

Aggressive Growth. You can never predict when a huge blog will pick up your content, when it happens you need to be ready for it. Make it simple to subscribe to your RSS feed, RSS subscribers are always some of your best readers. Give people a reason to come back, and when possible (using something like MyBlogLog) contact your new readers and form connections.

Build Community. As bloggers all we really want is to know that someone is reading our content. Use the time that you would spend writing an attack piece to build community. Keep in contact with your readers, respond to your commentators, participate in other blogs and generally try to make the blogosphere a better place. A little bit of kindness, often is rewarded in ways that you wouldn’t expect.

Produce Great Content. This is he lynchpin. You might not always be able to produce perfect prose, but try to make sure that the majority of your content actually serves someone. Make your posts timeless, something that people would bookmark and come back to.

Keep Trying. Success will come in a flash, the only way to be around to meet it is to keep trying. You only need to be picked up by one or two of the big guys to get some traction. The “A-list” is a closed club with open windows, keep pushing against the glass and you might eventually make contact.

Web 2.0 Roundup

If you haven’t already, I suggest taking a look at Kent Newsome’s post on this subject. As always, if you are doing anything and want a review, interview or otherwise drop me a line.

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