subject: Can I Effectively Maintain More Than One Blog? [print this page] Can I Effectively Maintain More Than One Blog?
Three years ago, a woman approached me and asked, "I have several interests and have considered starting more than one blog. I understand that you blog for fun, for your magazine, and you even ghost blog, on occasions, for small businesses. Can you offer advice on how to maintain several blogs and if it would be worth my time?"
My short answer was, "Yes, you can effectively maintain more than one blog. However, you need to really weigh this choice carefully as it's a time consuming task; especially if you are the only one promoting those blogs."
If you, like this lady, wonder if you can effectively maintain more than one blog, I have to ask why are you considering blogging on more than one blog?
Is it for exposure?
Is it to practice your writing skills?
Is it to promote a product?
Is it to promote a service?
Is it to make money via affiliate links?
Who will market and advertise those blogs for you?
Understanding why you are blogging is the first step towards developing a blog worthy of your time and resources and worthy of your readers' time.
The next step is to determine how often you want to post on each blog. You need to develop a posting schedule for each blog and stick to that schedule.
When determining your posting schedule, ask yourself:
Do I have the time to properly write, advertise, and market more than one blog?
What is the best time to post and why?
How often should I post and why?
What is the purpose of the blog and how many words are needed to convey that purpose in each post?
Which blog do I feel will become the most successful and therefore need more of my time?
Will comments be moderated?
If you are promoting a business service or product, set a schedule. Readers need to know when to frequent your blog and how often. Post no less than once a week, but preferably three times a week. If it's a personal blog, your schedule is as flexible as the news you have to share. Just remember that the less you update, the less likely it will be to keep your readers coming back.
Finally, don't forget to link. The blogging community loves resource blogs. Provide active links within your text and on the sidebars. Use links to help validate a point, provide outside resources, to show offsite samples, and to direct traffic to a product or service you offer.
Writing for more than one blog is easy. It's the promoting that's hard. Before you decide to write, maintain, and promote more than one blog, make sure you have the time and the resources to commit to each blog. If you cannot give each of your blogs the attention they deserve, they won't reap the benefits you hope for.
