Jerry D. Russell dot Com

One of the most common sights on Internet job boards these days is a call for bloggers to write for new blogs and community sites.  While this is a good thing for bloggers, the trend that I see goes something like this:

Need reliable self-editing, experienced writers ASAP.

We pay a highly competitive rate; you’ll write 7-40 posts each week.

If interested please send resume, clips, succinct cover letter, and link to any blogs you write/contribute to.

FakeCompanyEmail@fakecompany.com

This expectation for prolific amounts of weekly posts seems to be the norm for most blog networks and startup blogs looking to gain popularity quickly.  Massive amounts of posts attract search engine spiders and get RSS subscribers quickly and these companies are betting that ten to twelve posts per day from multiple blog authors is going to gain them a very quick entry into the B-List. The problem is they’ve got it all wrong!

The Issue with Information Overload

The inherent problem with this line of thinking is that even though posting huge amounts of information on a regular basis may very well get you a very large reader base in the beginning, most casual readers won’t be staying with you for very long. Readers will tire of the constant barrage of information, even if it’s in very small and digestible chunks.  I don’t know how many different blogs I’ve unsubscribed from simply because I couldn’t possibly keep up with the amount of information they were throwing out.

This model may work if what you’re after is getting your posts plastered all over Google with the intention of gaining random clicks on relevant advertising.  As a matter of fact, the more is better model is wonderful for that, simply because the ads begin to look more relevant than the content!

The downside to this model is that it tends to favor short posts that only vaguely cover a given topic.  The publisher wants more, more, more, which leaves the writers to popping off quick, sometimes incomplete or at least woefully under thought articles so that they can move on to the next one and make more money.  The emphasis on quality suffers and the bloggers themselves may begin to suffer from burnout, which makes their posts even less informative.

Why Quality is the Key

Let’s take a single niche and look at who the big boys are.  When you talk about blog-centric A-Listers, you come up with several names very quickly. Andy Beard, John Chow, Skelliewag and of course, the venerable Maki of DoshDosh are all driving forces in the world of blogs on blogging and marketing.  They’re all very good at what they do, and they have several things in common.

The thing that makes these bloggers a must read is that they don’t ever push quantity over quality. Andy Beard may or may not post for a week at a time, but when he does, his readers are given a very insightful piece of work that has been thought out carefully and is written extremely well. Maki posts once per week at DoshDosh, but nearly always rules the StumbleUpon and Digg listings when he does.  His writing is on topic, it makes sense and he’s speaking to an audience that really wants to hear what he has to say.

The articles at skelliewag are something that I look forward to, because Skellie knows what she’s talking about and she’s willing to share it with a community that gobbles up every word she writes. John Chow posts more frequently than these others, but he nearly always posts in great detail on a topic, and he writes with passion (You may not agree with him, or even like him, but he’s got passion.)

The thing these people have in common is that they write content that people want to read. They have never fallen into the trap of slamming out posts at an insane rate just to satisfy the great beast that is Google.  They allow their readers to carry their message and they simply do what they do best.  They Write, Inform and at times entertain.

There is another key to the success of all of these bloggers.  Their blogs are simple. Jump to skelliewag, DoshDosh or Andybeard.eu and you’re going to find great content, not a lot of glitz, glam and widgetry floating about. The focus is on the content.  It’s something to consider when you’re deciding on a theme for your own blog. (I’m paying attention, too.  I was just in the mood for some black)

So what’s it gonna be?

I’m not saying that blogs or networks that pump out tonnes of information all the time don’t have their place.  They do.  But if you’re going to be blogging for yourself and you’d like to become recognized for your work, it’s probably best to avoid the temptation of posting several short articles per day. unless you’re running a news-based blog. (At which point this article no longer applies).

The best in the business are not only icons, they’re teachers.  They have something to teach you.  learn from them.

Or you can fall to the poser of the dark side and simply pollute the bloggosphere with another “Hey, I just saw this great piece by…” Article.  The choice is yours.