First off, I just want to say a big thanks to all of you for your supportive comments when I announced my hiatus last week. It truly made me feel better about taking the much-needed break!
And, in light of my hiatus, and my attempts to get/stay caught up with all the blogs I follow, I realized how truly difficult it is for me to stay caught up on reading all of these blogs, let alone commenting and checking out new blogs. The time I spend commenting and checking out new blogs is often sporadic and minimal.
Between work, school, writing... and you know, at least attempting to have a life, blogging/social networking often gets pushed to the side. But I figure that surely I'm not the only busy person here. That thought is just ludicrous, right?
And so, I have a blogging-related question for you guys. How do you keep up? How do you keep up on posting brilliant things, reading other blogs and finding new blogs, and commenting... not to mention, a lot of you also twitter and facebook, etc. Whew. I'm out of breath just thinking of it all.
I try creating a schedule, but of course, other things always seem to come up. And, if I do try to stick to the schedule no matter what, other things have to be put aside, often times my writing. Which I'm not okay with. If there's an art to blogging, I haven't found it yet. Which leads me to my question for you guys.
How do you do it?
Okay. I used Google Reader and create folders. I have folders for my followers and folders for those who comment regularly. I try to hit all the blogs of peeps who comment regularly and then I move to followers blogs. I don't really move past that because I just don't have the time. If another blog or blogger is mentioned, I'll check it out. That's how I find new blogs or people find me and then they get added to my blogroll. I usually reserve Tues and Thurs for blogging. Sunday I write all my posts for the week and spend a little time blogging. Sometimes I read more, sometimes less but I'm trying to be consistent. Hope that helps!
ReplyDeleteI'm a very fast reader. I read the blogs I follow on my lunch hour.
ReplyDeleteIt can be really difficult to keep up with reading and commenting on all the blogs you follow. I wish I had better advice than to just do the bet you can, but that's what I aim for. Here's to hoping you don't get too overwhelmed!
ReplyDeleteOh, Hannah, that's such a great idea. That would certainly make things easier. :)
ReplyDeleteSuzi - I wish I could use my lunch hour to read blogs, but I have to use that time for schoolwork. :/
Kelly - Thanks! I try to remind myself to just do what I can and not to feel bad if I can't do more, but sometimes it's difficult to maintain that view!
If someone comments on my blog, I comment on their blog. For the rest, I try to randomly choose a few. And from time to time, I try to find new blogs to read. It's a balance. The more followers you get, the more impossible it becomes to keep up. Just devote a certain amount of time. It's most important to write, right?
ReplyDeleteGood luck achieving balance.
Thanks Theresa! I really do try to get back with everyone who stops by here, but other than that it's kind of hit and miss. And, I agree, it is most important to write. :)
ReplyDeleteI write my posts ahead of time, usually Saturday or Sunday. Then I can spend the week reading and commenting on blogs. I do important things first (writing, working, other obligations) and then checking out blogger is like my reward! Some days I hit everyone's blog, and sometimes I only get to a couple. And that's okay!
ReplyDeleteA lot of bloggers organize their blogs with Google reader like Hannah suggested above, so you might want to try that! I haven't organized my blogs like that yet, but I probably should, haha!
I have a very fast typing speed which helps me respond / write blog posts quickly. As for reading them, well, I just browse through my list of New Articles and take a look through them. I don't know how to search blogspot properly so the only times when I find a new blog is through a link anyway.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to let you know I've got a blog award for you at the bottom of Wednesday's post!
ReplyDeleteLaura - I really need to get into the habit of writing my posts ahead of time. Writing them the night before is proving to be more and more difficult. XD
ReplyDeleteShannon - I don't use the search option on here, either. I usually find new blogs through the other blogs I read, too.
Kelly - Thanks!! I really appreciate it. XD