Sep 29th

Blogging & Dependency

by @nateriggs

Lunch today with Eric Vessels was a cool experience.  We first met on Twitter and then through OWL.  Eric has been an internet entrepreneur since 1999, when he and a college buddy decided to start WhatTheyThink?, a targeted news and editorial website with content designed for the printing industry. Working right up the road in Delaware, OH, Eric and friends hold the top spot in their space.  It’s a hell of a business model (and maybe if I’m lucky enough, Eric will let me interview him on here someday.)

Aside from the yummy deliciousness of the vaunted Katzinger’s Reuben sandwich and a great conversation, Eric reminded me of something important enough to share with you.

Good Story
One of the things Eric and his partner did to build their business early on, was to produce daily newsletters.  I could tell by the way Eric tells the story that “daily” meant “every single day” – with NO exceptions.  They sometimes worked hard until 3 a.m. to make sure that the newsletter would arrive in the in-box of each reader the next morning.  No excuses.  They never missed a beat, and in ten years they only had two slips where the letter was not delivered, due to forces outside of their control.

The newsletter, full of interesting and transparent content on the printing industry, was consistent.  Their readers came to expect it’s arrival.  They formed somewhat of a dependency on the content that was being delivered.

Blogging and Dependency

Eric told me this story after I missed three blog posts last week and was kicking myself because of it.  I was sick with the flu.  Feeling crappy resulted in a lack of ideas and loss of dedication to producing content.  In this game, that’s a cardinal sin.

You can see the result of my slacking.  Site visits dipped immediately and in a big way.  I failed to give you (my readers) a reason to come back and see fresh content.  There was nothing new to help feed your dependency on NateRiggs.com.  And so I was forgotten.

It’s as simple as that, folks.  Forget about your readers, and they will forget all about you.

Eric and his partner built a business on being dependable with the delivery of their content.  Once readers were hooked (by quality writing and credible information), a dependency was created.  Their readers looked forward to grabbing coffee and paging through the newsletter every morning.  The content was then seen as a regular part of their daily routine.

How often do you write your blog?  How often are you willing to write, in order to become a part of your readers’ daily routines?  How do you balance creating content with everything else you have to do?

by @nateriggs

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Comments (6)
  • http://www.agent-seo.com/ Jacob Stoops

    I’ve had this problem too, and with the same results! With such a busy schedule, I feel your pain! Especially with a blog, it is important to give users a reason to come back time and time again. So, point well taken.

  • http://www.agent-seo.com Jacob Stoops

    I’ve had this problem too, and with the same results! With such a busy schedule, I feel your pain! Especially with a blog, it is important to give users a reason to come back time and time again. So, point well taken.

  • http://www.whattheythink.com/ Eric

    That’s what I’m talking about! Evidence of your inspiration will have to wait, but it’s percolating! I actually think the importance of blog-only connections to readers has decreased. If you don’t blog for a few days people who follow your tweets and other SM content will be able to “stay in touch” via these channels, lessening the make or break importance of blog content. These others things act as bridges to the next post.

    From a strictly BLOG perspective though the old saw about content being king is as applicable as anywhere. One look at the most popular blogs will tell you that. One of the things I did on one of my blogs was to install a plug-in that took all my tweets and put them in a blog post at night. That might be one way to (as I call it) “lazy blog”. At least when you are sick you can still Twitter some thoughts and be blogging at the same time. ;-)

    I think the main lesson you highlight is to pick what it is you are going to do, do it, and don’t stop doing it. Content may be king, but consistency is queen!

    But let’s not forget that this post would not exist were it not for the power of 3 things. Social media, group networking, and one-on-one face-to-face lunch! Mmmm. Lunch!

    PS – Be glad to get grilled for an interview.

  • http://www.whattheythink.com Eric

    That’s what I’m talking about! Evidence of your inspiration will have to wait, but it’s percolating! I actually think the importance of blog-only connections to readers has decreased. If you don’t blog for a few days people who follow your tweets and other SM content will be able to “stay in touch” via these channels, lessening the make or break importance of blog content. These others things act as bridges to the next post.

    From a strictly BLOG perspective though the old saw about content being king is as applicable as anywhere. One look at the most popular blogs will tell you that. One of the things I did on one of my blogs was to install a plug-in that took all my tweets and put them in a blog post at night. That might be one way to (as I call it) “lazy blog”. At least when you are sick you can still Twitter some thoughts and be blogging at the same time. ;-)

    I think the main lesson you highlight is to pick what it is you are going to do, do it, and don’t stop doing it. Content may be king, but consistency is queen!

    But let’s not forget that this post would not exist were it not for the power of 3 things. Social media, group networking, and one-on-one face-to-face lunch! Mmmm. Lunch!

    PS – Be glad to get grilled for an interview.

  • http://www.heyjoy.com/ Joy Hart

    Hey Nate,

    For me it’s always been a question of quality vs quantity. I applaud those who can post truly relevant content day after day (best) or week after week. But it’s rare to find. Even w/our own Columbus community of bloggers (re:Social Media, Design/Advertising, Emerging Media) few are publishing content that is entirely new on a daily basis. Not a criticism but perhaps an observation that some of the best ideas take time to compose. Have you asked your readers if they feel you failed them? A short-term drop off in readership isn’t exactly abandonment, is it?

    Clearly I am reacting based on my behavior w/my own blog and (monthly) postings, based on my work + life + blog balance. I am certainly an ‘n’ of one, but when I see you post less frequently, or any blog author for that matter, it just makes me anticipate the update all the more.

    Best~
    Joy

  • http://www.heyjoy.com Joy Hart

    Hey Nate,

    For me it’s always been a question of quality vs quantity. I applaud those who can post truly relevant content day after day (best) or week after week. But it’s rare to find. Even w/our own Columbus community of bloggers (re:Social Media, Design/Advertising, Emerging Media) few are publishing content that is entirely new on a daily basis. Not a criticism but perhaps an observation that some of the best ideas take time to compose. Have you asked your readers if they feel you failed them? A short-term drop off in readership isn’t exactly abandonment, is it?

    Clearly I am reacting based on my behavior w/my own blog and (monthly) postings, based on my work + life + blog balance. I am certainly an ‘n’ of one, but when I see you post less frequently, or any blog author for that matter, it just makes me anticipate the update all the more.

    Best~
    Joy