After three years at Grab the Lapels, the trend I’m noticing is that book blogs that publish more posts tend to have a lot of likes. Those posts aren’t always reviews; I see memes, tags, updates, book hauls, and reviews of what was on the blog. But are readers actually, you know, reading what you’re posting? Do they want to? Do they have the time?
I recently shared a poll on Twitter asking how many posts per week people wish bloggers would post. The options were 1, 2, 3, and every day.
- 47% of responders felt that book blogs should only post twice per week.
- 29% said 3 posts per week
- 20% said 1 time.
- Only 4% felt that book bloggers should post every single day.
What conclusions do I draw from this poll?
Well, based only on experiential learning, I would argue that many readers are “liking” our blog posts, but not fully reading them. Have you ever “liked” a post without reading it? How about only after skimming it? Do you feel obligated to “like” someone’s post because you’re worried they won’t do the same for you and your blog?
Now, some book bloggers are very good at posting almost every day and reading everyone else’s blog posts. I am impressed and jealous.
But I get behind on my reading because I refuse to like any post that I haven’t fully and carefully read. I want to keep blogging honest. Thus, I might skip posts, or I might get behind my reading 1-2 weeks at a time.
That being said, I wonder: should we review better, or more? Is it possible to do both? Or, should we produce at a rate our readers can manage and schedule ahead if we’re speedy readers/bloggers?
These are simply my observations. I’d love to have a conversation with you in the comment section below! ❤
Grab the Lapels 
Oh man, this is SUCH a Pandora’s box! Ideally, I would love to have at least two posts up in a week. I would love for them to be thought provoking, funny and start a discussion.
But you know, life. I’m thrilled if I get two posts up a week but I’m terrible at coming up with topics that aren’t ‘here is a review of a book that I read.’ I’ve always stayed away from all those other things, the weekly lists and things but pressed for a reason I’m not sure that I could give you one!
I try really hard not to like something without reading it – bloggers have put effort into their posts and I want to be able to take the time to read their thoughts. But that sometimes means that I’m a bit MIA in the comments – there aren’t enough hours in the day to enjoy everyone’s posts!
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While I’m teaching, I’m aiming for one post per week. I’ve found that my readership has not decreased, and people tend to write more on my posts, perhaps because they realize there is just the one. If a topic strikes me right, like how many posts per week should bloggers publish, I add something like this post, but it’s rare. I don’t like reading all the memes and tags because I’m not sure if the writer is actually committed to writing something of quality. I’ve read many memes/tags that are literally just a list with no other content added. Regarding comments, I tend to write something short–a question or a comment–and don’t have to put a TON of time into it. Or, if the review reminded me of something else, I’ll write that.
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This is most definitely not an easy question! There really needs to be a balance between blogging often enough to really develop a community, and not heading for ‘overkill.’ Something to think about…
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I know you blog daily (or almost daily), but I never find a lack of quality in your posts, Margot. They are all excellently written and interesting. Since your blog focuses on mystery and detective stories, I don’t always relate to your content posts, but I also don’t “like” them just to show you that I noticed you published something. I always read your book reviews carefully, though, because I like them. As a reader, I’m trying to show what I prefer. Since you have a large readership and people really dig your posts and they’re all stellar, I’d say you’ve hit a sweet spot for your blog!
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You’re awfully kind *blush* – thank you 🙂 – And I’m very glad you enjoy my ‘Spotlight’ analyses. I started that feature at someone’s suggestion, and it’s worked out all right.
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I like that you always tell us what’s coming up in the Spotlight, too. I don’t know why, because it’s not like I remember what’s coming up. Maybe it’s because you look so organized with your book order and your dates while the rest of us flail about and poll our friends asking what we should read next 😂
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That ‘coming up’ bit was a suggestion from someone else, so I can’t take credit for that. 🙂
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It’s fascinating that most people prefer 1-2 posts a week (and helpful since that’s about where I am). Personally I prefer thoughtful posts to every day posts. A lot of times I like a post because I read it but don’t have anything meaningful to comment. That’s because I’d much rather have a comment than a like. I never “like” to be polite or to reciprocate. I do worry that it’s so easy to like and that people aren’t actually reading.
The review vs. non-review is a tough one. I love writing and reading reviews, but they definitely don’t get as much attention. Still, I won’t follow a blog that doesn’t write substantive reviews. I really like posts like this one — discussing issues around blogging and reading.
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Thanks! I like posts that get me thinking, too. I know recently another blogger wrote a post about how to review a book by a trans person if you are not trans. That was very helpful to me. But book hauls, week-in-review (didn’t I already read those posts??), Top-Ten Tuesday…I can live without all of those. They don’t do anything for me. I tried doing TTT when I first started blogging three years ago, but I found that it took a lot of time to find 10 books that did whatever the meme asked, write something about them, and also find pictures, etc. It’s a time suck that I could spend reading to write a TTT post. That’s my question, then: is that post so popular because people are liking it but not reading, or are people actually engaging with the TTT, book haul, week-in-review posts?
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I’ve been wondering a lot about this too, Melanie! Really good to see some discussion about it. I’m like you in that I only like posts that I’ve taken the time to read in full. I sometimes don’t have a specific comment to make, but I want the blogger to know that I read their post and ‘liked’ what I saw. But I know a lot of bloggers do like-for-likes, or just like posts without necessarily reading them in the hopes of getting some attention on their blog.
I used to try and read every post by all the bloggers I follow, but now I mostly just read their reviews, author interviews and discussion posts like this one. As a reader, I don’t really get a lot out of seeing another blogger’s book haul, or a breakdown of their monthly Goodreads stats, etc. It sounds harsh, but that info’s not really of any use to me and I actually find it kind of annoying being inundated with notifications about ‘fluff’ posts. I’d rather just hear from bloggers once or twice a week when they have something of substance to share (and if bloggers are posting 4+ times a week, I’m probably not going to have time to read all their posts regardless of the content).
I now also tend to avoid publishing fluffier posts too, because they take time to put together and I’d rather invest that time in writing something meatier. That said, I still find booktags, etc. really fun, so I’ve started posting those on Instagram, rather than my blog. It takes me a fraction of the time to make that kind of post for Instagram, and my followers can see it in their feed, but they’re not being bugged with email notifications, etc. (I’d rather save those for reviews).
All of that said, I think it depends how bloggers view their blog. I know a lot of bloggers see their blogs as quite informal and personal, almost like an online reading journal, while others see their blogs more as a way of sharing information and having discussions with other readers.
I do find it a little disheartening when I see really fluffy posts getting squillions of likes, and something I’ve spent a week on gets hardly any, but then I remind myself that likes aren’t really a reliable metric for determining what readers get out of your post.
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I do think it’s important to separate the media we use. If a blogger posts on multiple media, they shouldn’t have the same content in all those places, including blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Thus, doing a tag on Instagram appeals to an audience that wants to engage with that sort of thing. You’re definitely right about audience; when I’ve asked some bloggers why they don’t include quotes or explanations in their reviews, they tend to respond that their blog is a reading journal that’s really for them, but if other people join in, cool. What I would like, then, is for that blogger to acknowledge WHY they started the blog and what their OBJECTIVE is for blogging on an “about” page.
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Great questions Melanie! I always post 1 and generally 2 posts/week. The dozen bloggers I follow range from 1/month to 5/week, and I try and comment when I think I can contribute and like when I think they’ve made out a good case. I don’t swap likes for likes but if someone is following me then I look at what they are doing and if it’s the sort of thing I might read I follow them, for a while at least, and sometimes, as I have here, I find myself totally engaged.
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Thanks for your kind words, Bill! I really don’t get the like-for-like folks. I mean…no one really “likes” them, but they feel good. It must be a self-esteem thing because those “likes” don’t equate to any money that I know of. If I find that a blogger I’m following likes my posts all the time but doesn’t leave comments, I’ll stop liking their posts. I find that very quickly that person stops following me. It’s a “Gotcha!” moment for sure.
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Hmmm this is a really interesting subject, I’m still trying to figure out how to deal with balancing reading books, and reading other people’s blogs. I’m guilty of liking posts without reading them, mainly because I’m worried people think I don’t give them of their blogs enough attention. Yikes! I feel bad admitting that, but it’s true 🙂
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The first step is admitting it! The second step is figuring out what you’re going to do instead. It’s okay to pick and choose the types of posts you read. If you find that a blogger doesn’t have ANY posts that you like, unfollow that person and put your attention where you do feel engaged.
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I just remembered something…didn’t you once write that you never read a book review that has quotes in it?
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well that’s not completely true, I lied a bit there. I will read the review, but probably not as closely, maybe I do more skimming that is appropriate 🙂
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Interesting topic. I do like posts without reading them. But I don’t comment in that case.
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But why do you like a post without reading it? I would say that gives the blogger inaccurate feedback about his/her content.
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I don’t think it gives off that message. I see it more as boosting a blogger. It is impossible to read every post of every person you follow and comment. So it is more like acknowledging the work they have put into writing it. It is better than ignoring the work they have put into making of a post.
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Hmmm…true, you are acknowledging that the blogger wrote something and put a lot of work into it…but he/she already knows that. To me, liking without reading is a bit like a baker calling someone and saying, “I baked a cake” and the person on the phone relies, “It looks yummy.”
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Yes, exactly. People do say it ‘looks’ yummy on seeing a newly baked cake. It is when you say it ‘is’ yummy without tasting it that there is a problem.
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This is interesting. I probably publish slightly more than that, not sure. I definitely do across my three blogs, but there’s not much overlap there in the readership as far as I can tell.
With my own blog-reading, I usually only Like if I’ve read it fully but sometimes I Like to encourage. I try to read everything by the people I follow, and comment to let them know I’ve read it, in part.
I do keep a kind of eye on who replies to comments. If a blogger consistently doesn’t reply to any comments, or only one on a post, once in a blue moon, unless their content is seriously fascinating, I will be likely to unfollow them. I make a big effort to reply to all of the comments on my blog, and if you put your stuff out there and encourage comments, I think you should engage with them (obviously illness and hols and overwhelm can get in the way, but people usually mention that at some point).
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Those are some great strategies, Liz! I definitely unfollow people I don’t find engages my interests, and I also unfollow people who never comment or only write “Great review!” which suggests they possibly didn’t read it. I mean, what’s so great about my review, eh? Engage with me, dear reader! For instance, right now I’m in the middle of a conversation with the blogger luvtoread about a book I have not read, but it reminded me of something else. So I wrote about that and asked her questions, and now I may be teaching the book she reviewed in the fall.
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I would really struggle to post every day. Hell, I struggle to post once a week! Lately I have really culled the number of blogs I follow. I just couldn’t keep up with reading so many and decided to concentrate on the blogs whose content I love. I find it hard when bloggers I follow are on a ‘blog tour’ and are all posting about the same book in a short space of time – I tend to just skim those.
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That’s true about blog tours. I used to coordinate blog tours, and I tried to be careful about finding bloggers who had different audiences when I arranged the schedule. However, that doesn’t always work. I also hate cover reveals and authors who do interview who are, like, so excited!! about being interviewed!! that they actually use lol in their answers!!! Have you unfollowed or considered unfollowing some blogs? I know you get a lot of followers thanks to your 20 Books of Summer challenge.
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I’ve had to unfollow some. Particularly with 20 Books of Summer. I love that so many people join in and that those people read different genres of books (one of the reasons I love the challenge). However, I don’t really read YA or romance or Harry Potter so I don’t really read blog posts about those things. I follow and support participating blogs during the summer months but have had to unfollow a few to keep my Reader manageable! As for Top Ten Tuesdays – I have a soft spot for them, although it’s a long time since I’ve done one. I think that fundamentally people just like lists!
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WE ARE LIST OBSESSED. Sometimes I put things on my to-do list that I’ve already done so I can cross them off. I think it’s okay to skip reviews of books that we know we don’t want to read. I think it’s disingenuous to like reviews we haven’t read of books we don’t want to read, so good on you for recognizing what you can handle in your reader! It can be tough.
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Particularly when people have made an effort to join in my challenge. But I wouldn’t be doing anyone any favours by commenting on posts I can’t relate too. Plus I’m sure the vast majority of 20 Bookers have no interest in what I read either!
PS I do that on my to-do list too 😀
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I don’t tend to use the like button. I personally much prefer receiving a comment on a post because then I get to engage with that person and hopefully have a conversation. In light of that, I tend to only leave comments myself, and I don’t do that unless I’ve read the whole thing (so I actually have something to comment on!).
In terms of “fluffier” posts, I enjoy reading the occasional list meme, especially if it draws my attention to books I’ve not heard of before, but other things (hauls etc) aren’t really my cup of tea. I’d rather people posted less often but with more substantial posts. I will say that, for bloggers I follow who only post 1-2 times a month, I get very excited when I see a post from them, and make an effort to read and leave comments. With people who post “fluffy” things more often, I don’t always make the effort to engage.
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Interesting, Lou Lou! Believe it or not, I DO notice when I haven’t seen anything from you in a while, so I get all excited when you pop back up in my blog reader feed 🙂 I get you, too–I engage hardcore with that person, which is probably why I know what your PhD dissertation is about 😀
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This is a great topic! I feel the same way as you – I don’t like to ‘like’ or comment unless I’ve actually read the post. Then I prefer to comment, but sometimes if I can’t think of anything to say that’s at all useful/helpful/insightful, I will just ‘like’ it so they will at least know that I read it and liked it.
I also tend to think less is more – quality over quantity. However, sometimes it’s fun to do something different on the blog just for a change. And I do like book lists and discussion topics. I also like seeing books in people’s personal collections and hearing about books they like. But I’m much better able to keep up with it all when there are fewer posts per week. (And I love reading other blogs, so try my best to keep up, but sometimes I miss stuff.) For my own blog, I seem to average about 2 posts per week.
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Right now I’m averaging one post per week because I’m teaching AND trying some new activities (joined an orchestra, volunteered to read Shakespeare to a blind gentleman, joined a book club, play trivia regularly). However, I’ve noticed that my blog friends who get behind on reading posts will continue to comment about my one post for the whole week, so I’m always engaging with someone. Since I consider other bloggers my friends (and really, many of you I call friends to other people in my real life), I’ll often comment about something tangentially related to the post. If there is a comment about a haunted house in the book review, I might write that I just saw a scary movie that had a haunted house and talk more about it. A big part of blogging for me is making friends and engaging in smart conversations. If what I have to say isn’t directly about the book, I’m still having fun with you guys 🙂 For this reason, I try to follow fewer blogs. I want really friends, not likes and followers.
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I agree – the interactions are the best part about blogging! It’s funny, though, because when I started and didn’t know a thing about blogging, I really was just doing it for myself. I had no idea how much fun it would be, and now I could never go back and just write into a void.
That’s awesome that you’re trying out some new activities! What instrument do you play? I play flute in the town band.
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I play violin. I started when I was 12 and was insane about it until I was 19, which is when I realized that being a music major in college was the worst and most awful choice ever, so I quit playing. That was 13 years ago. I’ve since got some new strings, and a Brother at my college TOLD me I was joining his small-town orchestra. Whew. These religious folks are bossy in the best way possible.
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Have fun with it!
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Interesting! Personally I blog five days a week and regularly take a couple of weeks off completely. I get loads of likes from people I know never visit or read my posts, and I don’t return them. But I also get likes from blog buddies on posts I know they’re probably not the slightest bit interested in, and truthfully I appreciate them dropping by even if they only skim. Comments are more important to me than likes – I love the interaction. There are some people I have continual chit-chat with, often barely related to whatever we’re posting at all. And then another group who only pop by for certain features – the classics reviews, or the horror slot. Lots of people only visit on a Thursday for my TBR post to see what I’m reading. And some people love my tags and “funny” posts – others avoid them like the plague.
I do ‘like’ occasionally without reading the full thing, but that’s just my way of saying ‘hi, I popped by’! And because I don’t work, I have far more time to visit and comment on other people’s blogs, but I don’t expect them to feel obliged to comment on every one of mine. I also stopped feeling guilty about missing other people’s posts if I’m too busy, ill or watching tennis! I pop in when I can, and hope they’ll pop in to see me when they can. In fact, I’m fairly realxed about the whole thing now, though it took me a while to stop obsessing over stats and likes and stuff.
PS Please never feel obliged to ‘catch up’ on my posts – if you’re busy and miss some, well, I’ll be happy to see you when you have the time and inclination to visit! 🙂
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FF, I was actually thinking of people like you when I wrote that some bloggers write every day, are very good at it, and make me jealous. I feel like I knew (did you tell us, or did I guess?) that you are at home and have more time. Thus, I can’t REALLY be jealous–I’m going to aspire, instead! That being said, your posts are always excellent, and when you are funny, you are very funny! I see you put a lot of work into using images and gifs and snark! I might skip the TBR because I know that you’re going to keep reading no matter what, but sometimes I click the link just to see how many books your added to your pile (naughty!). Basically, any time I click a FF post, I know it’s going to be thoughtful and well-written. You’re like Margot Kinberg in that you’ve found the sweet spot for your blog.
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Aww, what a lovely comment – thank you! I feel all warm and cuddly now! I don’t know if I’ve menetioned it as such, but I always assume people know I’m at home and that’s why I can give as much time to blogging as I do – and why I don’t expect people with jobs and/or kids to visit me every day. Really I’ve realised that for me the joy of blogging is in two things – the chit-chat, and the fun I have preparing posts (oddly, the posts I enjoy doing least are the normal reviews). So I know I’m doing it mostly for my own pleasure, though obviously a lot of that pleasure comes via the people who visit. Reading your other commenters, I must say the whole blog tour thing does my head in – 10 posts on the same book in a week is sure to make me never want to read it!! And I like booklists when some thought has gone into making them interesting, but simple lists of book titles… why??
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I think the list of books without any commentary comes from time constraints, the desire to publish a post but not the time to make it properly. It is funny how tennis season is on my radar with you! “Oh, tennis! I’ll bet FF will be posting tennis pictures for a while” 😀 I’ve never met someone as into tennis as you. Do you have a favorite player? I really only know the American Williams sisters, but they’re plenty cool enough to satisfy me! They’re like the monsters from Space Jam with their muscles and command and awesomeness! Holy cow!
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I’m torn between Rafa Nadal, whom I love because he’s such a great sportsman and so nice, and Andy Murray, who’s Scottish, and has also turned out nice after a rather shaky start. The Williams sisters are incredible! They’re both in the semi-finals of the Australian Open – might end up facing off against each other in the final…
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From what I can tell, the Williams sisters are always super cool to each other when they have to play each other.
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It’s interesting to read the different responses to your post!
I’m sticking to a posting schedule of every third day in 2017. (I had a technical issue with the scheduled post for the 21st, so I fixed it an put it in the hopper for later. Is that cheating? :P) The schedule is for my readers, but also for me. I’ve found that if I post “whenever,” it happens rarely and inconsistently. We’re only a few weeks into 2017, but I feel more relaxed toward my blog knowing it’s on a schedule and I can work ahead. It also pushes me to post reviews for a greater percentage of the books I read. I’ve found that the books I review stick in my head better than ones I don’t.
My blog tends to be all reviews with occasional round-up posts or challenge updates. I just started posting my TBR because I hope posting it will force me to be a bit more serious about whittling it down. Plus, it’s so satisfying to cross books off a queue! I worry it’s a bit of a fluffy thing to post, but I do like seeing other folks’ TBR piles. I’m going to reorganize it so it’s a bit more interesting; I’m still reeling from how many books are on it. 🙂
I don’t click like for posts I haven’t read all the way though and enjoyed. I’m a shy person so I typically don’t feel comfortable commenting unless it’s on a book/author that’s familiar. A lot of the comments I receive seem to show a similar tendency.
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Excellent questions. I’m not a fan of the ‘like’ button either so use it very sparingly when I’ve enjoyed reading the post but don’t have anything to add yet I want to show my appreciation to the blogger. But I much prefer making comments because without that human interaction blogging would be a very impersonal and – to me anyway – a pointless endeavour (more like vanity publishing really).
As for frequency of posts, I’m lucky if I can get two done a week – very, very occasionally I have managed three but I have the feeling that my readers are busy people like me. Even though I am no longer working I still dont have time to keep up to date with all the blogs I follow and I assume the same goes for other bloggers. I don’t want to be a pain in the proverbial by overloading their in boxes.
I do just two memes – Top Ten Tuesday and 6 Degrees of Separation but oh boy do they take a long time to prepare. I know I could make life easier for myself and just rattle of a list of 10 titles but I think my readers deserve more than that. So the one I did today by the time I wrote 10 synopses (or whatever the plural is), found the links, did the formatting etc, three hours had elapsed.Is it worth it? Not sure yet since this is the first year I have done either of these…..
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I did the Top-Ten Tuesday posts for about a month and then quit. They DO take what seems like forever, and in 3 hours I could have read half a book. I think that considering our audiences and what they can handle is really smart. Lately, I post one review per week, but people stop by all week because they’re backlogged on reading blogs or busy with their lives and need some cush time to get to my post. My readers also tends to leave longer comments, so I can engage with them. When I started Grab the Lapels, it wasn’t for the other bloggers out there. Heck, I didn’t know HOW to meet other bloggers. I started so I could review women’s books, and that’s it. However, the community aspect had become just as important to me.
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Im intending to do Top Ten Tuesday for about three months and then decide whether to continue
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Good idea! Test the waters and see if doing it makes you happy and provides good conversation.
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I felt weird liking this without commenting so thought I’d pop down here to add that I do limit my likes to things I’ve actually read. Sometimes I use it because I really like and agree with what the blogger has written and sometimes I’ll use it as a, “Hey, I read this and support what you’re doing.”
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I only don’t “like” posts I’ve read if I find issue with them (for instance, I read one in which a blogger kept calling the character crazy and writing that she must have mental issues–I’m way too aware of mental health issues, real ones, to “like” a post that carelessly calls someone crazy). Other than that, if I’ve liked it, I’ve definitely read it.
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Oh yes, that makes sense. A “like” implies approval, in a way.
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Yes, I feel like I’m taking back the word like to literally mean like, lol.
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Great post! I will generally only “like” a post if I’ve read the post, occasionally I’ll skim a post on a book I’ve read (usually the popular YA titles), but I do not “like” every post on all the bloggers I follow (I follow a lot!). I wish I could read all the posts, but I discovered that I was spending all my time on reading other blogs and not on reading books, so I had to stop reading all the posts. Which is too bad, I know I miss out on a lot of good books by not reading everything. All my posts come to my email, so if the cover or title sounds interesting I’ll read further (or if I’ve read the book), otherwise I’m moving on.
I rarely read a WWW post or a TTT post, unless it’s a blogger who I routinely read – like if you started posting those, I’d read them. 🙂
I try to post twice a week, sometimes three times, it just depends on my ARC release schedule and the Hype or Like Friday meme that I am a part of. Almost all of my posts are scheduled now. I wish I had more time to write up discussion posts, and I do enjoy doing tags, but they take me forever to write! Findings pics, links, and the answers to the tags really takes me a long time, plus dealing with the formatting, and I don’t read tags on other blogs all that often. But for some reason, those get the most likes for me.
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Everyone says their meme/tag posts get the most likes. I always wonder if it’s because those are the easiest posts to “like” without actually reading them. Posts like this one gets a lot of attention because everyone wants to throw in their 2 cents, which is awesome and why I shared my feelings even though I was nervous and wondered if there would be pitchfork-and-torches backlash. Lately, I’ve noticed many of the blogs I follow are reviewing the same book (they tend to be the really popular, bestselling books) and I’ve been skipping some of those reviews because I’ve read about the same title so many times! I also don’t read any Harry Potter posts. Sorry, Harry fans! Whatever you guys are called! Potter-ites?
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Yeah, I’m not really sure why the meme/tag posts get all the likes. I like your thought about them being easy to skim/read, but the funny thing is that they take forever to write & format – for me at least – and I know there are other bloggers who feel the same about tags/memes.
I enjoy reading discussion posts like this one, and reading people’s opinions.
I also skip reviews if there are a lot on the same book – but also, if it’s a book I really loved or really disliked I may be more inclined to comment on that post. It just depends!
Ha ha – I think it might be Potter-heads ?
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It IS funny that a popular book will come in waves through my reader feed! I stopped doing the meme/tag posts about three years ago because they DO take forever to format!
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I do not read every blog post of the bloggers I follow. I have seen some bloggers say that they are 200 blog posts behind and I’m just baffled. haha. Just because you follow a blog doesn’t mean you have to read every single post they write. If you can do that, by all means go ahead! Your blogger friends will love it and usually return the favor by reading your blog posts as well.
I can only manage 2-3 posts a week personally. I don’t know how others can manage more than that. The pace in which I work/read/write is not fast enough to create more than a couple of posts a week and even that is tough sometimes. So we should post at whatever pace we’re comfortable. Even if we only post once a week or month, not all of our followers will read or comment on all of our posts, nor should we expect them to.
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I agree. And skipping the posts that don’t interest me helps me feel closer to the blogger. If I read things that don’t interest me, I start to feel annoyed, like I’m doing math homework, and I never want my blog friends to become math homework. I also think that if someone is 200 posts behind, he/she may want to consider how many blogs are a reasonable number to follow so that he/she CAN develop relationships based on mutual interest. If I don’t like the way someone reviews because it’s not my style, I don’t follow that person. It would be a shallow relationship.
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I feel like the book blgosphere has exploded in the last few years and it’s gotten more complicated. Or maybe my corner of it has grown (which I love), but it was way easier with around 10 close blogger friends. That way I could give it my all with regard to reading and engaging, now I feel bad for not being able to catch up. I usually can’t even manage 3 posts a week, not if I’m also blog hopping. Still trying to find a balance.
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I’d love to hear more about your perspective, Bina. Haven’t you been blogging for a very long time?
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Haha yes more than 8 years😁🙈 Had my corner of the blogosphere and it was great. Love the diversity advocacy now though. It’s just too much to keep up with all the people and blogs I’d like to engage with. How do you manage?
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Fun discussion topic. I write 1-2 posts a week max, and sometimes I go longer stretches without writing anything. I voted for the 2 posts a week option in your poll. I feel stressed when I get “behind” on reading blogs. I probably follow too many, but I feel guilty unfollowing blogs! (Classic people pleaser/obliger here!)
Anyway, I genuinely like doing the Top Ten Tuesday posts but I don’t do them every week – only the topics that interest me, which works out to 1 or 2 a month. Putting out a TTT or a “It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?” post helps keep my blogging muscles in shape especially when I’m not feeling very confidant about my blogging or i don’t have time to devote. And I genuinely like reading those two memes – it’s like talking about books with friends, a casual conversation rather than an in-depth one.
As for liking a post and not really reading it, I’m guilty. And liking without commenting usually means I can’t think of anything to say ( don’t have interest in that book/genre) but I acknowledge the blogger’s effort. I really need to work on this, I think. Thanks for giving me food for thought.
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Hi Laila, good point about enjoying reading/creating meme posts. If you truly enjoy doing them, I say there’s a huge benefit to writing them. And truthfully, I’m pretty sure I’ve read your TTT posts quite a few times because there’s a lot there to think about and not just a list of books. I never thought of meme posts as a way to flex the blogging muscles, but I definitely see your point. Thanks for giving me food for thought, too! At one point, I kept a spreadsheet of the blogs I followed and how often the bloggers would comment/like my posts. When I discovered some people I followed weren’t following me at all, I unfollowed them. It had FELT like they were reading my blog because we chatted so much, but it was all chatting on THEIR blog. I’ve since deleted my spread sheet, but I did it for about 6 months and found it very useful.
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Oooh, that’s a good idea. I’m not spreadsheet-inclined normally, but I may have to try that!
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I just used Google Sheets and put in the blog name and date the person last visited. Super simple. I did it on my phone.
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Such an interesting post!! I’ve got really tricky feelings about all this – when I first started blogging, I posted every single day without fail. My reasoning for that was I wanted to get into the swing of regular blogging, and I wanted to create a good back-log of material. I always felt more inclined to follow someone if they had a lot of material on their blog already. Idk, I guess it showed that they were really committed to it?
Now I try to post 3-5 times a week. I think half of this is because I read really fast, and because the majority of books I read are diverse, I want to highlight them all! I also realise that I have a lot more time than a lot of bloggers. As I’m sure you know, I’m at university at the moment, and I get a LOT of free time. I’m interested to see how this will change once I get a full-time job.
Finally – I never like without having read the post. I can totally understand why people do, but I’d rather take the time to read it properly. I’m also a bit liberal with my likes – I want everyone to know that I appreciate their hard work! I only comment if I really have something to say.
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WHAT? How did you put “university” and “a LOT of free time” in the same sentence?? YOU MUST BE A SUPERHERO. Holy moly! Like I did to other people, if you read that fast and write good posts, do it! It’s the fluffy, half-loved posts that aren’t worth publishing (in my opinion).
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Haha, I only have like 8 contact hours a week, so I do have quite a lot of time! US and UK universities differ a lot in that respect, I think.
Yeah, I get what you mean 🙂
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Whoa, I can’t even imagine it. I need to do some googling to learn more. In the US you never sleep when you’re in college.
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To be fair, it does depend what degree you’re doing. My boyfriend is studying medicine and he is in lectures/hospital 9-5. For English lit there’s a bigger emphasis on self-study.
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Whoa!!! That’s almost too smart. I’ve learned so much more about books on my own, especially without a teacher telling me what to think while analyzing.
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LOVE this post! I have started to pick and chose what posts I read. It just isn’t possible for me to read EVERY post from every blogger that I follow. I don’t expect everyone to read every one of my posts either. For example, today I posted mini reviews for picture books. I am not expecting many views, as picture books are not going to appeal to those who are not parents of young children. And that’s ok!
I don’t like a post unless I’ve at least skimmed it. I tend to really read posts and reviews I’m interested in, and if it is a good blogger friend I will at least skim the post at the very least. I want to support my friends! I’ve never expected anything in return. Actually there are a lot of bloggers I follow who have never commented on one of my posts, but I enjoy what they post, so I follow them.
I think I want to get to a point where I only post 3 times a week. This would include my weekly wrap up post. HOWEVER since I am working towards doing more with children’s books, this is going to be hard to keep it at 3… I’ve debated on starting a separate blog, but I don’t want to do that. Some weeks there are just going to be more posts than others in my case.
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Since your picture book posts appeal to a specific type of reader, I don’t see any harm in doing all the posts you want, Amanda. People can pick and choose, like you said!
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Wow! You’ve had some amazing discussion up here. There is little I can add which is new…
Personally, I aim for 2 posts a week. I prefer to post reviews, but I also post interviews, discussion posts, end-of-month reviews, and a few series I have. That said, I have also posted memes/tags and for Readathons before. But, the most I do this, the less interested I am in those.
I can’t keep up with people posting more than twice a week, honestly. Blog hopping is time-consuming and exhausting. But it’s very rewarding! I love listening to the opinions of others. I am more likely to read a review, interview, or discussion post than anything else. I will comment if I have anything to say, and like it if I’ve read it. That said, I sometimes get distracted and will like something and not comment even if I *do* have something to say. C’est la vie.
I agree that we need to have fewer and more quality posts. But, I think it’s up to me to curate my own feed. Who are bloggers I am interested in? Who posts what I want to read? I need to drive that. And if that means I have fewer followers, that’s cool. It’s my world. Success is what I define it as. 🙂
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I love the last paragraph you write, Jackie. It IS up to each of us to manage our reader feeds, and we also need to pay attention to WHY we read other blogs.
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[…] discuses reading fellow book blogger’s posts and how often you should post every week → Bloggy Lies We Tell Ourselves? & is looking for book recommendations featuring characters with physical disabilities → I […]
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Interesting discussion, Melanie. I do like posts sometimes, even when I just skim through them, especially if I don’t understand what the topic is all about. Sometimes, I try and read reviews for genres that I usually don’t read, like fantasy, but I never know what to say in the comments and so I just like the post. I never like posts without trying to read them, though. I do like what you said about keeping blogging honest, though I am still unsure about what to so about all these nice blogs whose content I don’t really get.
As for posting, there was a time that I used to do it almost daily to keep my blog alive. When was dormant, visitors disappeared. However, nowadays I go for days without posting and somehow, there is still traffic. However, I am yet to figure this blogging thing out. In December, I had to take a long break because of the burn out. I was giving too much and hardly receiving any ‘love back’. I changed my approach, though, and the stress disappeared, so now I am choosy on who I interact with instead of trying to follow everyone back and visiting like 50 posts per day.
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It gets hard when there is no returned love, for sure. You have to sit and decide why you blog and for whom. I initially started with the goal of promoting small-press authors, since I had so many fantastic Facebook friends who were writers and struggling to get reviews. However, I’ve long since stripped my Facebook down to bare bones friends and family because it was causing me a ton of anxiety (everyone gets very shouty). Some days I would ask my husband what the point of Grab the Lapels is. I just kept reading and reviewing, though, because the idea of NOT doing it broke my heart. Also, I allow myself to write fewer posts and follow fewer blogs. That helps; if you’re a dedicated blog friend, you’ll always get love in return. Some of my blog friends only post once a month, and as Lou Lou said in the comments, I, too, get very excited when that person shows up again.
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