Something has just come to my attention: there are a number of bloggers either filling in their time off with guest posts or taking posts for future vacation dates. One could assume it’s a good idea to give people some extra exposure and keep the blog rolling while you’re off. It makes sense, and mazel tov for breaking free from the internet for a while.
I’m not sure how I feel about all the guesting, though.
To me, guest posts are more than just giving a reach around. It’s a balance between having a new face and voice on your blog and an opportunity for you to promote this writer. It’s essentially the modern day referral. I also know it can work the other way around: someone higher on the food chain brings attention to your blog when they guest.
If you’re not there to hold up your end of the bargain, how does it work?
I assume that you’re relying on the machine of blogging and level of influence your guests have to keep things going. If you have a strong following, the tweeting and commenting will naturally happen. Sure, you could schedule tweets to go out from your account, and hey, you might even use your mobile apps to keep things going real time.
My real issue is that having guest posts as an out of office takes away the partnership. I like to work with people, and I love collaborating on topics and posts. When I guest or have someone guest, you get the conversation part of blogging. There’s also a level of support: I want to be present to forward comments, help with technical issues, and do my part to create a successful experience for the guest.
Perhaps I’m thinking about this too much. Every blogger who has guests filling in is probably going to be fine, and the posts will most likely be great.
It’s just not for me.
When it’s time for a break, it’s time for a break.
What do you think? Is guesting a great solution for extended blogging breaks? Does you think it might deceive the reader? Do you still get partnership and collaboration when one party isn’t there?
Photo credit.
I think the internets are/will be moving away from the You Have to Post Everyday to Be a Successful Blogger philosophy, which I attribute to many blogger’s need to have guests fill in when they aren’t there. I don’t have an issue with guest posts, but for me, the better solution is to have a stock of your own posts ready to go; maybe 50% of the time you’ll be gone, at least, it should be your own writing? I know when one of the blogs I follow has a guest post, I don’t give it too much thought unless the blogger has an intro or some comments on the post.
Meg, I agree. I’d probably have a number of posts to schedule and go out if I was going to be away for more than a couple weeks. And I might even use that time to experiment, could be with funny stories, “wanted to share” bits, or random musings. I do enjoy having guests (and I frequently am one), but I don’t think I’d ever really feel good about having a guest who has to do it on their own.
Love this post, Emily. I’ve definitely noticed the same thing on a lot of the blogs I read. I don’t really mind, but mostly I read the intro, and if the person/topic is of interest, I’ll keep reading, but mostly I usually end up skipping the post and waiting for the bloggers I love to return.
I just struggled through another vacation with no posting. I did warn my readers that I would be gone, and posted right before I left town, but then I did need to pop in a couple times a day to moderate comments and reply – not a big deal since I was in NYC with ample WiFi hotspots. If I’m going somewhere “off the grid” I prefer to just make a quick ” be back after vacation” post so folks are wondering where I drifted off to…not that I think most people even notice my absence.
.-= Jenn Sutherland´s last blog ..Gluten Free Ice Cream Sandwiches =-.
I know what you mean Jenn when you skip ahead until the blogger comes back. Sometimes the guest post ends up being so random, and I usually expect it to have a least a tiny link to the host’s blog.
For people taking time off, there’s also a difference between vacation (and saying you’ll be back), and then totally stopping for some random reason. We know writers get busy, but if we know you’ll be back, we’ll keep checking our reader. If we have no idea, then you might lose followers. You probably don’t need to maintain guests while you’re gone if we have an idea of when you’ll be back.
This is a very interesting topic- of course since I was considering a guest blogger week.
I do admit that like some people, I will skip over guest blog posts and I have the ability to schedule posts or even live post since the house has WiFi- I just wanted to cut down on working time and increase tanning time.
I do like the idea of not running a week straight of posts not be me- I typically only post 3 times a week anyways on a week I’m posting so maybe I’ll run a few posts and schedule some others by me.
I think there is value in Guest Blogging because it allows a different voice to a new audience and it helps other bloggers gain exposure. I think Pro Blogger has done it a few times and has done an ok job at it.
.-= Dmbosstone´s last blog ..How Blockbuster Became The Dinosaur Of The Movie Rental Business =-.
Patrick, I’m glad you commented. I was hoping you and Matt would, and I have him below.
It’d be great to hear how your experiment works. I think when people are looking for some fill-ins when they’re out, there can be assumptions at how connected you’ll be. For example, I know that I’m actually pretty plugged in when I’m on vacation. Now, if I’m totally off the grid, as Jenn says, I’ll probably just take a break. You guys will know when I’ll be back.
Thanks for sharing how you think guest blogging can be positive, and I’m right there with you. I just know that there’s a huge difference when a host is there to support it or not.
Emily, you have a very good point. Something I often, haven’t thought about.
I wrote a post about how I AM a proponent of guest posts (http://smallhandsbigideas.com/blogging/why-i-advocate-guest-posting/) and I still agree with what I wrote. With that being said, I haven’t had a guest post on my blog in quite some time. And I actually have been blogging less this past month than ever, but I didn’t supplement with guest posts.
I don’t think it’s wrong to have some guest posts pop in while you’re out taking some time away, I think it’s a good way to be upfront saying you won’t be around but you love these writers and want your readers to still have something. I haven’t done that approach yet, but I see it frequently on all kinds of bloggers.
In the end, I like that you know it’s not for you. That’s really the most important piece, to speak your truth and do as you please. This is a great topic to blog about!
.-= Grace Boyle´s last blog ..I Like People =-.
Thanks Grace, I appreciate you sharing your own experience with guest posts. I know for me, I don’t host guests that often. Part of it is because I’m still defining what I want my blog to be, and another is a fear that I will be perceived as a blogger who needs other people’s posts to carry her. What I do want to do is be a place where people just starting out or wanting to try blogging could post. I have an open invitation to a couple people, actually, who are still dipping their toes into this blogging world.
I’m hoping to hear from Patrick and Matt how it goes while they’re gone. I’d be really interested to see those updates and if things changed while the guests kept things going.
Wife is in the shower and saw this in my inbox – thought I’d take a minute to respond. I am not at all using ‘guest posts’ while I am away as a way to continue to boost traffic or whatever while I’m gone – rather, I reached out to several people individually who I REALLY wanted to work WITH (something you mention) in giving them the opportunity to reach a new audience in my neck of the woods. The “partnership” goes far beyond the guest blogger and myself – more importantly – it’s a partnership between the guest blogger and my new (potentially new) audience. It allows the guest writer to interact and communicate with a new group of people – and allows “MY” readers to engage with someone they may have never heard of previously. A win-win all around in my opinion.
You mentioned that it’s a modern-day referral and I agree – that’s exactly what I’m doing. I didn’t have an open call for guest posters, I think if I had everyone and anyone writing there without question it would diminish that ‘referral’, but I specifically reached out to people I really respect and admire and trust to hold down the fort while I’m “away” so to speak.
And I can’t speak for everyone, but if you know me at all, you know I’ll be around to engage and be active in all of the comments and discussion that transpires (with this week as the ONE exception). I treat every guest post on my blog as if I wrote it myself.
Cheers!
.-= Matt Cheuvront´s last blog ..The Struggle to Find Your Place =-.
Matt, I’m glad you commented (though I hope you don’t reply to too many posts while you’re away, hope they don’t pull you from your bride). First, I’m glad you clarified you’ll be contributing during your hiatus. To me, it appeared you were going to take some time to unplug and enjoy being married. I’m sure you can multitask, but no one would say you don’t deserve the time.
I’ve worked with you when you guested here before, and I can say, it was an interesting experience. I think you do pride yourself in how you handle your own posts and people who guest on your site. You are exceptional at that, but if people look to you as a model, they could miss the boat on understanding the role of supporting a guest and host.
After you come back from your time off, I’d love to hear how the guesting worked out for your site. Also, perhaps another one of your neat projects could be around guesting behavior (after your blog tour, we all know you have the experience).
Enjoy the honeymoon!
Hi Emily,
Thanks for bringing up this topic. Guest posts aren’t for me, either. I haven’t found a way to do them that maintains integrity with my blog at this point.
The biggest reason why I don’t do it is because I follow a good amount of great gen Y blogs, and there are/have been LOTS of guest posts. I enjoy reading them, but when I go through on Google reader, I cannot tell them apart (and I don’t even try- I just enjoy the posts because they’re generally interesting). I often feel that many of the blogs with guest posts have similar audiences and reading them on a reader makes them all seem like one big blog– which would threaten the reason why I created a blog in the first place: to put a voice to my distinct interests and things I’m passionate about.
That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy *reading* guest posts, but It’s just like you said: they’re just not for me (yet…or until they way they function evolves and they become less frequent)
Colleen, I honestly can say I haven’t figured out which is best: being similar or totally unique for a guest post. I would assume you’d have some connection, but if it’s totally out there, is that why it’s valuable to the post? I’m not sure. I haven’t solicited many guests myself because I’m still having an internal conflict about things. And while I mention above I have some open invitations out there, I know it’s specifically for those looking to try their hands at blogging.
I’m with you, I’m still figuring out my own position on the function. Thanks for the comment!
I’ve only done a one or two guest posts before. I just signed up to be a contributor to another site, but they will be posting my work as “guest post” rather than “contributor.” My blog is so young and I’m so new and still feeling everything out, which means I’m happy for the experience and for the exposure.
That being said, I understand your point about putting one’s blog on autopilot and letting someone else steer the ship in your absence. I guess it’s all about balance? And not going overboard with the being MIA? I don’t think I’d realized people timed guest posts with their absence; I figured it was something to keep it “fresh.” So many people write & schedule posts in advance, I assumed that’s what one did on vacay. (And not the way I do it, which is go “oh shit” halfway through my vacay and start scrambling to write and post with incorrect dates timestamped in the past. Ha.)
For the time being, I’m still diggin’ the guest post outlet.
.-= Meg´s last blog ..Peonies =-.
Meg, I think you’d be great in a guest post scenario while you’re still figuring things out. If there’s a host who’s going to partner you through the process, it’s ideal. Or you could participate in a series, like Sam Karol’s Appreciation Revolution. I could be out of it, but the out of office guest approach seems to be a bit newer. And not that I don’t love writing, but I also don’t want to apologize for taking Me time by having people cover for me. It’s like taking vacation from work and still answering the blackberry on the beach.
Continue looking at guesting for yourself, I think you’ll be pleased.
Thanks Emily! And I totally feel you with the absence of partnership. I re-read this and got a better grasp on what you were saying. Guest posts as they originally were are a great win-win. But one-sided guest posts in someone’s absence is very one-dimensional, and dare I say selfish? Dunno. But I hear what you’re saying.
.-= Meg´s last blog ..Peonies =-.
You’re right Meg, when the host isn’t there, the guest post can come across as one-dimensional. That might be why I’m selective about who I have guest here, and picky where I’m accepting guest posts in the future. I don’t “need” to guest post everywhere. If I can see value to the contribution, seeing a partnership with the host, I’m more likely to accept. For guests here, I actually want to be sure the experience lives up to the expectations of my guests. I’m putting more and more thought into it than I used to.
I actually really like the idea of guest posts, especially when you hit a writers’ block or have a topic (like Sam’s appreciation rev) where you would like more than one voice. I don’t believe that you should check out of the process completely just because someone else has posted.
That being said, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, provided you pick someone you know who has a great voice, who is aligned with you in some way.
I agree with Matt’s points about partnerships and exposures to newer audiences. It’s a form of referral as you say, and a chance to expand your network. I’m not against it, but I do believe in putting some deliberation into it.
.-= mehnaz´s last blog ..Temporary Stupidity =-.
Right Mehnaz, there are tons of great things about guest posts. It’s the “checking out” as you say when there’s an out of office situation I’m struggling with. If you’re not really out of the office, then that’s fine: you’re still engaging with your guest and the community. When you’re not there though, it’s like showing up to a party where there’s no host. Do you put it upon the guest of honor to not only get toasted at the beginning of the evening, but wash the dishes later?
I’m more on the side of keeping flow going when I have writer’s block. However, this post brings up a vaild point of potentially losing followers either way it goes(posting or not posting). Also, if a guest blogger hops on, posts something crazy and you can’t get to it until you return to your computer, that could burn a bridge right there. I’d say before you consider having guests on your blog, make sure your readership is high enough and interactive enough to understand and appreciate it.
Hi Kristen! I know what you mean, you could be risking a lot NOT posting when you are gone for an extended amount of time. You also bring up trusting your guests as being so important. I know that you want to review what will go up, and you do need to acknowledge that association carries a lot of influence. We all know that even if we don’t publicly market for our work, we are an extension of them, and thus, by association, people can make assumptions. The same would go with a view expressed by a guest: association by approval. You bring up some good thoughts to keep mulling over. Thanks!
Maybe it makes sense for some bloggers to have guest posts while they’re out. Especially if they usually post something every day or every few days… But for me, I only post once/twice every week, so why couldn’t I just write something ahead of time and schedule it to publish a few days later?
Sure I love blogging, but if I’m going on vacation (and I definitely plan on it in the near future) I am certainly not going to worry about the internet 🙂
.-= Carlee Mallard´s last blog ..Comment on First Speaking Engagements. Scary, Right? by eemusings =-.
Hi Carlee, I’m the same, if I’m really going on a vacation where I’m supposed to relax, I’m probably unplugging all the way. I tend to work if I don’t do that. I’ve even learned that if I want to get some serious writing going, I go where I can’t get internet. I think this idea gets at the idea that you want a certain quality to your life, and for me, it’s enjoying time off instead of feeling like I need to maintain things for a week.
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