I calculate that I spend about twenty hours a week on my unpaid work as a blogger. This is only six hours less than I spend on my paid work as a reading coach. Of that, maybe two thirds is spent on actual writing, editing and posting. The other one third is spent fielding comments, frequenting social networks where I engage with other bloggers, and reading other blogs and commenting on them.
I post daily. Well, almost daily. I do miss a few here and there. Even with all that, I never feel I have enough time to do the job right. I could spend longer germinating my posts, edit more, read more blogs, comment more, do more research, engage more on Twitter, spend more time on my Facebook page, read more fellow bloggers on GBE2 and NaBloPoMo. I could easily spend all day, every day, on my blog, and never make a cent.
I'm curious. How do other bloggers spend their time? How much, and on what? Let the comments begin.
I probably publish 1/2 of what I write for my blog, and I write another...lots...for other things. I spend a ridiculous amount of time checking statistics. I tweet regularly, about nothing, and post on FB. I spend much more time thinking about commenting or responding to comments than I actually do on commenting or responding to comments. I am thankful that I have three children and a busy schedule, otherwise I'd probably sit at the computer all day. I am thankful that I don't have a real job. I am thankful that I have OCD and don't require much sleep.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, Tara. A whole fucking lot, that's for sure.
I think it's very grown up that you have other stuff to write. I post EVERYTHING I write just about on my stupid blog. I even steal stuff from my Facebook statuses if I think it was especially witty. If I had other writing to do, I suppose I would have to quit my day job or just stop talking to my kids. From my perspective, you look very competent and I aspire to be like you some day.
DeleteWhen you get a moment, please stop by my blog and pick up your award! :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.alphabetsalad.com/you-like-me-you-really-like-me/
I am grappling with this right now. I don't want to be a blogger. It is a means to an end for me. I have spent too much time blogging and not enough writing and there's all this maintenance that goes with blogging - you know, the stat checking and the S&M and all that. I enjoy reading a few blogs and feel compelled to comment and to respond to comments, but I would hazard a guess that it's probably in the 20 hour range because I force myself to walk away from it and do other things. I get frustrated because I sit down to write and then end up spending a bunch of my free time doing other blog-related activities that isn't writing. I have my husband remind me at regular intervals that I'm doing it for the writing, because I have a tendency to get all bogged down in minutiae, attempting to perfect it.
ReplyDeleteI also want to be like Kelly when I grow up. ;)
I can totally relate to what you said. I think blogging is a great vehicle for my writing and I love the community, but I sometimes resent the time suck and the stealing of my focus away from writing. When I was first noticing that, I wrote this piece: http://faithinambiguity.blogspot.com/2011/12/here-is-my-thought-on-promoting-my-blog.html and that was BEFORE NaBloPoMo, Reverb Broads or Twitter. Sometimes the Emily Post of the Blogging World is lost on me, too. I guess I'm just brain damaged.
DeleteYou have to admit the S&M is a little fun, though.
DeleteHmmm.. I spend at least half of the time reading and commenting on other blogs, and I don't usually post on weekends... I'd say about ten hours a week; but it's generally in little spurts when I get a chance, so it's hard to calculate. Also, I'm not on Twitter yet. ;)
ReplyDeleteBeware of Twitter. There is a whole etiquette and social management to it that is crazy-making. It is, though, an excellent place, to network and find readers and people you like reading yourself.
DeleteI am a crazy person, do not aspire to crazy!
ReplyDeleteCrazy...but accomplished. :)
DeleteI spend more time on Twitter and FB than I do on my site, but I post mainly book reviews, and I'm not reading a book per day. I have a couple of other places where my writing turns up, but the time spent really varies on how well writing the review is going. Some are easier to talk about than others.
ReplyDeleteI kind of can't imagine writing reviews. I am clear I am not smart enough for that. I have wanted to tell you–your review of How To be Sick was incredible. It caused me to actually buy a book, which I never do. (I wait for my mom to give me what she's read.) But your review was in a way even more important to me than the book as been so far, as a fibro sufferer coming to a turning point of sorts. Anyway, I can imagine what you do would be different and interesting. I'd love to hear more about it!
DeleteOh I didn't realize that was how you came to my site. Yes, that book has been tremendously helpful for me. There's also a group on FB called How To Be Sick Together that has a nice group of people who talk about different ways they've been able to deal with chronic illness. I'm so sorry you've had to deal with fibro.
DeleteThe book reviews I started out doing as a way to keep me accountable to reading more. Because I write, both fiction and non-fiction, I think it's important to read - both to know what's out there, and also to see how other writers tic. It's really helped me get better as a writer, and also it helps fight off the brain fog symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome, which for me is one of the most frustrating symptoms.
Thanks for telling me about the FB group. I totally relate about the brain fog. That's one of the reasons I write, and the primary reason I would be afraid to write reviews! I normally read in bed before sleeping, and I swear I could not pass a basic comprehension test on what I have just been reading. So I read fantasy. Then I figure it doesn't matter to much. Non-fiction...not so much. :(
DeleteI have no idea how much time I spend doing blog-related stuff during a week--and I would probably be a little afraid to find out. In terms of leaving myself time for "actual" writing, I probably spend entirely too much time with blog stuff. I originally started my blog as a writing outlet years ago--it has been both that and a place to network and feel a sense of community with other wordy folks. It was never intended to be the only writing I do, but I do know that I've done much less "real" writing since I've been blogging.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of keeping up with the community aspects of it, I never feel like I'm spending enough time commenting and reading other blogs. I have not ventured into the Facebook/Twitter arenas yet. (I do have a personal Facebook profile, but it's extremely neglected.) There is not enough of me to go around with the day job, family life, etc, etc.
It is definitely something I am working on figuring out and finding a better balance with.
At this point, I feel I have just got my footing as a blogger. I think the idea of learning to do and submit and "other writing" is even more terrifying, even though that should be my ultimate goal. I do, however, think of what I do on my blog as real writing. And, yours seems to be, too. :)
DeleteYour writing here is definitely real--I tend to frequent the blogs of people with writerly tendencies, I think. In my case, I use a lot of filler posts and stuff to keep my promise to daily posting in between stuff I consider closer to real writing. Because of the nature of blogging, though, even the posts I'm proudest of don't go as deep as some of the stuff I've had published or written in hopes of publication.
DeleteI guess I don't think it's a coincidence that I started the blog in 2005 and the last thing I had published (which was also the last thing I submitted) was in 2005. The submitting thing is terrifying, especially at first, but it gets less so and the chance of publication is definitely worth it. There was a point where I always had several things out at once so the rejections were more manageable. Now I almost feel like I'd be starting from scratch.
Thanks for getting my brain burbling. ;)
I've never stopped to calculate how much I spend on blogging, but it. is. a. LOT. A lot of time, a bunch of money, and scads of emotional energy! But I love, love, love it. Blogging is part of my DNA.
ReplyDeleteAt least it doesn't cost me money...yet...with my free tech support team of dad and husband and my free Blogger site. I suppose it does cost money to do it right, doesn't it? DNA, huh? I think I'm almost there, too.
DeleteHeh... once you start with a domain name, and a self-hosted WordPress blog, it just escalates from there! Fortunately for me my host allows me to store as many domains as I want (I currently have four), or I'd be broke! (Well, broke-r.)
DeleteFun stuff.
I haven't really stopped to think it through, but I'd guess about 20 hours a week. I'm trying to write more often, and get better at reading and commenting on other blogs. It's really hard, because I'm a PRN employee, which means I'll work for a chunk of days, then get a big chunk of time off, then one day on, two days off, so on, etc, blah, blah, blah.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny you posted this today, because this was EXACTLY what was on my mind when I was driving home from work today :) Love it. Thanks for reading my mind!
Mind reading...just another free service. It's funny how much time we all spend. Are we crazy? At least someone is paying you to write now! :)
DeleteWhen I first started blogging I would post every day - sometimes more. This went on for about a month and then it became twice a week and now once a week. I find it hard to keep up with the blogs I subscribe to, writing comments etc. I don't know why I've slowed down unless it's not rewarding enough. I've lost my mojo.
ReplyDeleteI've learned it's best to write your own post and then check out others, but don't do that often.
Funny. At first, I hardly published at all. Then I got up to three times a week. Then I did Reverb Broads. Then NaBloPoMo. I suppose that's when my time commitment went through the roof. I wonder how often I will post after NaBloPoMo is done this month? I find if I am working (writing) on anything else, I can't post to my blog that day also. It's too much. So, if I'm going to submit elsewhere, I guess I have to back off once a day posts.
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