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Why are 95% of blogs abandoned?

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Re: Why are 95% of blogs abandoned?

#21

Post by icefox »

It could be as simple as 95% of people expected some sort of reward for blogging. This could be ads from traffic, comments saying how smart you are or just tons of hits to stroke your ego.

I have a half dozen blogs for different things, my favorite is this one where I post my crazy ideas so I stop myself from actually implementing them and can come back to them later if I still like the idea a week/month later http://ideasfrommydreams.blogspot.com/

In the six years I have had it there has been a total of 3301 page views and maybe five comments and I am ok with that because that isn't where it provides me with value. If comments or page views mattered I would have abandoned this blog years ago.

Re: Why are 95% of blogs abandoned?

#22

Post by cbs »

I like this idea, I've had a thing or two I wanted to write on, but didn't want to setup a blog. I've actually thought of building something similar myself.

So, excited about this website, I clicked on "Write a post". Oh, you want to tie to my twitter account. Nevermind.

Re: Why are 95% of blogs abandoned?

#23

Post by tomkarlo »

95% of just about everything people try out gets abandoned - relationships, hobbies, jobs. We all have a limited capacity for what we can spend time on in our lives. The only difference with blogs is that (at least for the free ones like blogger/tumblr/posterous), there's no incentive to take them down and they don't decay / disappear on their own.

It's like wondering why 95% of dates don't lead to marriage.

Re: Why are 95% of blogs abandoned?

#24

Post by mol2103 »

icefox wrote: post #21

It could be as simple as 95% of people expected some sort of reward for blogging. This could be ads from traffic, comments saying how smart you are or just tons of hits to stroke your ego. I have a half dozen blogs for different things, my favorite is this one where I post my crazy ideas so I stop myself from actually implementing them and can come back to them later if I still like the idea a week/month later http:/…

Ha! That blog is an awesome idea. So may ideas left to die (or...live on?) - I can completely relate...believe me. If you ever wanted guest contributors to THAT, I think there are probably a few others who can relate who read HN.

Re: Why are 95% of blogs abandoned?

#25

Post by droz »

I think a lot of blog abandonment is a consequence of shifting priorities.

I started my most recent blog back in 2008 to keep track of the projects I was working on and to build a body of work that I could present along with a resume.

A lot of the content I tried to capture was original work I had done; some of it was writing about something I had learned and tried to apply to a proof of concept.

I went with a monthly format and for awhile this worked out well, but as soon as summer would come around- priorities would change and content wouldn't resume until November.

I've gone through that cycle the past four years and this past year I simply haven't had the motivation to stick with it due to projects at work draining me of my enthusiasm and deciding that there are better ways to spend my time than constantly parked in front of a computer.

Re: Why are 95% of blogs abandoned?

#26

Post by mol2103 »

droz wrote: post #25

I think a lot of blog abandonment is a consequence of shifting priorities. I started my most recent blog back in 2008 to keep track of the projects I was working on and to build a body of work that I could present along with a resume. A lot of the content I tried to capture was original work I had done; some of it was writing about something I had learned and tried to apply to a proof of concept. I went with a monthl…

What would make you stick to it? Or am I asking the wrong question: Does it even matter to you that you do stick to it?

Re: Why are 95% of blogs abandoned?

#28

Post by edibrac »

acangiano wrote: post #11
tjr wrote: post #4

I started blogging about five years ago, more or less in the manner you describe. Wrote an excited post or two or three right away, then maybe another in a week or two, and then... slowly stopped. Then a year later picked it up again, and then stopped. I tried a variety of blog tools. I first had a blog at MIT, then when they killed that service, I tried several of the hip new services like Tumblr, Typepad, and Poste…

> there are all sorts of benefits to blogging besides making original contributions to exposition of a topic. And even though I realize this, I still get stuck a lot on the non-originality thing. Part of the problem is that many people see blogging as a teaching tool alone. More often than not, it's a conversation starter too, and the blogger ends up learning a great deal of new information in the process. And even i…

I personally don't dare comment on the Dunning–Kruger because it's possible I'm not skilled enough to understand it.

Re: Why are 95% of blogs abandoned?

#30

Post by yonasb »

I agree with your diagnosis of the problem, but not sure about your solution. People start blogs because they want their own space to share their thoughts. If they wanted to share their thoughts on someone else's site, they'd comment on a post, use fb, or a million other things. I think you're missing a key piece to why ppl start their own blogs, because it's theirs and they have the freedom to do whatever they want, they have a sense of ownership. I signed up for your service but I won't use it because I want my own space. I'm starting a blog and will probably follow the path you laid out, but at least I'll have my own space.
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