An Open Question About Guest Blogging
I don't plan on posting this week (except for this one) because of the Sukkot holiday. But I would like to ask an open question about guest blogging to see if my opinion is shared by others.
How do you feel when clicking on a blog and finding a guest blogger there? Are you happy to read someone new while your regular blogger is away for awhile, or is it annoying?
See you next week.
Update - Sunday, October 15th. Thank you to everyone who gave their opinion. It seems about evenly split between people who enjoy guest bloggers and those who are annoyed by them. Mad Zionist gets the prize for expressing my feelings perfectly: A blog is a personal journal for your thoughts and opinions and should be exclusive property of the host.
I don't plan on posting this week (except for this one) because of the Sukkot holiday. But I would like to ask an open question about guest blogging to see if my opinion is shared by others.
How do you feel when clicking on a blog and finding a guest blogger there? Are you happy to read someone new while your regular blogger is away for awhile, or is it annoying?
See you next week.
Update - Sunday, October 15th. Thank you to everyone who gave their opinion. It seems about evenly split between people who enjoy guest bloggers and those who are annoyed by them. Mad Zionist gets the prize for expressing my feelings perfectly: A blog is a personal journal for your thoughts and opinions and should be exclusive property of the host.
posted by westbankmama at 3:44 PM
12 Comments:
I honestly hadn't ever thought about it. I know I get annoyed when I turn on the radio to listen to my favorite morning show and there is a guest host. Blogs, to me, are uniquely personal. I don't know if that helps any. I did want to tell you that I have really enjoyed reading your blog. I find it fascinating. I stumbled upon it months ago, and have been reading avidly ever since.
Travel Girl
To be honest, I read the first few lines and if I don't find it interesting I close the page - but, that is just my opinion, some other people I am sure would read a guest blogger.
What I have noticed is that Bloggers give a warning that they are going to take a break and will have guest bloggers for (given amount of time). This way visitors know exactly where they stand!!
Hi, wbm... I think guest bloggers are good if they are compatible, shall we say, with who they are guest blogging for... hope that makes sense. Looking at it from the guest bloggers POV, there's a lot of pressure there as well.
BTW, thanks for your kind thoughts for me and my family... see you next week.
I use guest bloggers, but I view it differently: My blog, while it is for the readers, is still my blog, and I do it because I enjoy it. I pick guest bloggers who I think I'll enjoy, and this way my blog still discusses what I will enjoy even when I don't have the time.
More importantly, most of the "guests" by me don't have blogs of their own, so I keep them as contributors even when I'm around so they can post when they desire (which is generally not enough to have a blog of their own).
When I go to other blogs and find guests, I usually find it interesting - the change of pace can be nice, even while it's great to have the original host (and main draw) back after their break.
Finally, it's always a good idea to tell people in advance so they know to expect it. I do this even though the guests remain on year-round... it just seems courteous to readers who only want to read you and keep spending time coming back.
I also think it can be a nice change of pace and an opportunity for something outside the normal framework. There was a week or two of guest blogging once at the Muqata - it was fun reading and I got to see some different perspectives on the blog's themes ... and on its creator.
Why worry so much about telling people in advance and whether it will annoy people? Just like anything else on the internet, anyone who doesn't like it doesn't have to read it.
Personally, I'm always a little annoyed when I see a guest blogger. If I read someone's blog regularly, it's because I like what they have to say and how they say it. Usually, I'd rather just wait for the regular blogger to come back, rather than read someone else in their place.
But hey, if you want a guest blogger, by all means use one. Like someone said above, I'll give it a try and read the first few lines. If I don't find them interesting, no harm done.
I started using guest bloggers since the summer, when I didn't have much computer access. Each blog I have is a different case.
1-Blog Free! frequently has posts I didn't write, so I asked one of the writers, who does not have a blog, to blog on it.
2-Shiloh Musings I had two old friends, one a non-blogger and the other a blogger who doesn't write politics on his blog, so this was a treat for both.
3-me-ander was guested by Sarah, who wrote what she felt like, and a very close friend of mine, who doesn't blog.
I'm glad I asked them all, and they all still have the right to add posts. I was much more relaxed when I traveled, and I liked the extra that they added. A big difference between us is that I don't hide my identity, so other people can share theirs.
I generally don't read guest bloggers--I'd rather wait for the blogowner to return and pick up again....
annoying.
shalom l'hit
If they're good.
(I'm very helpful aren't I)
Ok here's another angle: I have a friend I keep trying to encourage to guestblog on mine- he's a frequent commenter and an excellent writer. He has a whole plethora of reasons why he doesn't want to- on one foot, he thinks his views will interfere with my "tone".
No guest blogging. A blog is a personal journal of thoughts and opinions which should remain exclusive property of the host.
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