Are You On The Blogger Hamster Wheel?

28 | Posted In Blogging by David

Sitting in Las Vegas in October, Nathan Hangen, Lisa Morosky and myself were wrapping up our panel on turning your blog into a business. Jordan Cooper, as moderator, asked us for any final advice before we wrapped up. Nathan replied…

“Yeah. Stop blogging.”

He got a chuckle from the audience, but there is truth to it. Nathan was referring to the blogger hamster wheel. It is a wheel kept spinning by broke bloggers.

The Blogger Hamster Wheel

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Have you ever had a hamster? I have. They’re dumb as a box of rocks, really, because they like to get on that little wheel in their cage and just walk. They think they’re going somewhere, but we all know they’re not moving an inch.

Now, take the hamster off, and put a blogger on there. The blogger doesn’t walk, though – he writes. Writes, writes and writes some more. But, he’s going nowhere.

He sets a stiff publishing schedule for himself. Perhaps he’s posting 5 days per week. Maybe more. He is constantly in search for something to talk about. He has his eye on that post quota. “I’ve got to get a post up there today!”, he tells himself.

He keeps reading other blogs, posting comments, tweeting…. spinning the wheel.

Every so often, perhaps he realized he’s on a wheel. But, that is quickly put aside because…. well, he’s got a post to write, of course!

You can assign any happy title you want to it – “Providing value”, “building community”, “engaging”, “building my social network”. But, under all that, there is a truth…

You’ve created a slave driver – your blog. You gave it the whip, and you obey. You’re not getting paid enough for it, either. You’ve created a J-O-B for yourself. Congrats.

Stop Blogging. Think Differently.

Unfortunately, what I described above is blogging for most people. Some aren’t able to find a way off the wheel, so they just step off and stop blogging altogether. In fact, Nathan has stopped blogging. Jim Kukral recently did the same.

Can you blame them? I mean, look at some of the world’s most successful people – they don’t blog or tweet. If we want to limit it to online entrepreneurs, then look at some of those internet marketers we all know. They make money, yet they don’t blog or tweet. And, usually, if they do have blogs, they look like crap and they’re not very good at it.

So, some may be thinking, “So, Dave, you’re a professional blogger. Are you going to come out and tell people to stop blogging?”

:)

No. I think those people who stop blogging or tweeting are losing out on a huge opportunity. In my view, they’ve made an ROI decision which is good for them, but not one I would personally take. Bloggers have SO many advantages and I, for one, think it is an invaluable tool for marketing any business.

I will tell you, though, to stop blogging the way others do it, and start thinking differently. Start being strategic about it, and start by throwing out the time-based slave driver.

A Different Way…

Starting next week, I’m going to be talking more about how to step off the hamster wheel. I will be doing this as part of the lead-up to the relaunch of Blog Masters Club. I’ve got some cool stuff in store for you.

It may seem ironic that I’m going to be talking about a blogging course from the viewpoint of “stop blogging”, but that’s why my course is different and will actually work. :) Because, while I show bloggers how to make money, it starts with putting blogging into perspective. It starts by being an entrepreneur with a blog, and not a blogger. The word “blogger” shouldn’t define you. It is just a medium.

So, stay tuned for that, OK? Make sure you’re on my email list, because that’s where the fun will start. And, no, this isn’t going to be one of those “3-video-then-sales-video” style launches. :)

Let me leave you with some “take aways” for today’s post:

  1. Don’t write posts based on a quota. Or if you do have a quota, make it really light. The time demands of traditional blogging are self-created and self-imposed. It is YOUR blog, so it shouldn’t become a slave driver.
  2. Most of the time spent by successful bloggers is NOT spent blogging. I spend maybe 3-4 hours per week writing for this blog. That’s it! Generally, when I post something here, it is because I have something to say. Generally, I post 3 times per week… but if I really have nothing profound to say, I won’t post.
  3. Don’t think about how to “monetize” your blog… think about what type of BUSINESS you want to create. Blogging should be a strategy, not the whole thing.
  4. Consider removing dates from your blog posts. Displaying dates just feeds the time-pressures, because your audience is conditioned to view the blog as stale if it hasn’t been updated in a week or more. It automatically de-values all of the stuff in your archives. Really, the entire structure of blogs is all wrong as they’re traditionally done, because it empowers this weird, arbitrary thing called time to add or subtract value from our content. A coming re-working of this blog is going to take this into account, and it is something you should consider for your own.

OK, as I wrap up, I want to hear from you. Post a comment, and here are some things I’m curious to hear from you:

  1. Do you think the hamster wheel analogy is suitable to what is going on out there?
  2. What do you think I absolutely MUST do when it comes to my upcoming launch of Blog Masters Club, whether you personally decide to enroll or not?
  3. Do you have any advice or tips about stepping off the hamster wheel?

Until next time…

Yours in Blogging Success,
David Risley

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  • http://petechapmanblog.com Peter Chapman

    Hi Dave
    Great post…I have been blogging for just under a year…I really enjoy it…but have felt pressure recently about creating content…and have got off the treadmill slightly by inviting guest bloggers to post…that helps their blog as well as mine.
    BTW…if you or anyone would like to guest post on my blog you would be most welcome.

    Best wishes

    Peter

  • http://tonyclingan.com Tony Clingan

    Hi David

    I think the hamster wheel analogy is bang on the money, also your observation that many Internet Marketers have poor or bad blogs is also bang on, my only observation is that when you slacken off your audience drifts away, or that was my experience

    That said it was supposed to set us free not tie us down so your thoughts on thinking differently will be lapped up by many of us

    To question 2 I think it’s all about content, many people are becoming cynical, there is a lot of very poor stuff out there dressed up with outrageous claims and sales letters, I think that an opportunity is starting to arise for those who add true value against those who don’t

    So back to the point, quick slap, a good guarantee and stressing how people can actually make a living following this teaching will get more people on board

    Thanks for sharing Tony

  • http://www.edgeofdavid.com/blog Edge of David

    1) For some yes, but Glen of Viperchil, Ev of FBTS, and Corbet of Think Traffic have showed that posting very frequently is not critical.
    2) Open up the affiliate program. Develop relationships. Give a sneak peak of videos for a week.
    3) Blog’s are about audience not traffic. You can train your audience to expect new content from you, like once a week every Tuesday, and your site will grow. Also, you need to do something big, beyond just posting. Like create a product, write a guest post, do an interview, do an experiment. Something! Anything!

  • Anonymous

    Music to my ears.

  • http://insidebeats.com Inside Beats

    Good advice. As far as removing dates, I actually tried that once (years ago) and for most posts it seems OK but for some posts it helps to have some context.

    But now that you got me thinking about it, I’m going to try removing my dates again and see what happens ;-)

    Take this out: echo mysql2date(get_option(‘date_format’), $post->post_modified);

    Anyway, I agree blogging every day isn’t necessarily helpful. Sometimes I do a post and I see my ad rates jump, then I let it sit there a while because I know the next post might jeopardize the convalescence.

    But definitely don’t let your site sit too long, you don’t want to decay either. New posts definitely give stale sites a traffic boost.

  • http://pestcemetery.com The Bug Doctor

    Wow,

    That kinda smacks ya in the face.

    Thank you.

  • http://www.stanomedia.com Stan

    Well, in regards to what you should do for the relaunch: I think you need to give 3 entries for free :)
    Maybe just randomly choose people or create a contest and top three gets free tickets :)

  • http://blog.flyingcows.co.cc Flyingcows Digital Blogger

    Wow! Great advice, it really opens up my mind and think! Thanks!

  • http://bizhax.com Keith Bloemendaal

    What so many “bloggers” fail to realize is that you need a real business idea before you start to blog. Don’t just set up a blog about blogging because Risley is making money at it!

    I like to come up with offline needs, and solve them online. IE: There are thousands of vacation homes here where my Dad lives (yes I am on vacation and working), we are creating a site that allows you as a homeowner to list your rental, we will offer picture taking, and the competition on search engines unbelievably low.

    Find a real need and fill it.

    As far as BMC, open up affiliates please!

  • http://www.dailyshotofcoffee.com Anonymous

    I only recently stepped off the daily hamster wheel. It’s something that I’ve been debating for a while. Having the word Daily in the title made me want to keep posting daily, but now my theory is that people can still come to my site daily and most days they’ll see a new blog post. However, now I have more time to work on money producing work and not just creating content to get more visitors. We’ll see how it goes.

  • http://AdvancedLifeSkills.com/blog/ AdvancedLifeSkills

    Hey David, I had been thinking about removing all dates from my posts and comments. As soon as I read your thoughts I was sold on the idea. Why should timeless content be viewed as old just because of a date stamp? They’re gone now, thanks for the nudge!

  • http://AdvancedLifeSkills.com/blog/ AdvancedLifeSkills

    Hey David, I had been thinking about removing all dates from my posts and comments. As soon as I read your thoughts I was sold on the idea. Why should timeless content be viewed as old just because of a date stamp? They’re gone now, thanks for the nudge!

  • http://www.jessilicious.com Jess Webb

    Hi David!

    Yes, I think the hamster analogy is pretty accurate. ;) I’ve been there myself a bit, but luckily have not been sucked in too bad – I still pay more attention to my overall BUSINESS and don’t consider myself a “blogger”. I’ve felt those pressures to produce content on a schedule, though… And I breathed a sign of relief as I read this and realized that I don’t HAVE to have a structured schedule for my blog – I can do it however I want. :) Whew! ;)

    I’m looking forward to what you have coming up with your launch – sounds like good stuff! :D

  • http://www.liangcha-herbaltea.com/blog Ben Sanami (FB Herbal Tea)

    The hamster analogy is a pretty cool way to put life in the JOB and I have a question, for those who leave their JOB for the blogging life and then they are just doing the JOB all over again, what is the point? haha
    I like your point, post only when you have something decent to post and don’t try to run burn out. I do that and I think it works better and I know I am not putting a lot more junk out there.

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Well, quitting a job to pursue blogging would be kinda dumb, because I’ll be the first to tell anybody that blogging (done traditionally) is a poor way to make a buck. It is only when you combine blogging with product sales and straight-up marketing does it really turn into something which can replace a job.

    If one were to depend only on ads, and expect to build that up after quitting a job, they’d be in for a tough time.

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Yeah, I’m going to be doing some adjustments to the design of this blog in 2011 to take it even further. Haven’t totally worked it out yet, but I’ve got close to 900 posts on this blog, and people really only pay attention to the most recent few. And it is kind of a tragedy.

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Shoot me an email. The JV program is by approval or invite, but you’re in if you wanna be. :-)

  • http://www.BruneianDollar.com Bruneian Dollar

    I’ve stopped blogging only to change my blog’s direction. At first I didn’t know which to go for. An e-library for entrepreneurs? Business Coaching? Or both altogether? I didn’t know how to achieve any until I’ve stopped blogging. So right now, I’m metamorphing my blog to something different. “A Business Information Hub For Bruneians And More!”. Maybe I need a shorter byline, what do you think, David?

  • http://www.best-website-designer.com Sarah Jones

    Yes, you are correct. My schedule 5 years ago, was to post one blog article and then do, the other needed works. But now my schedule is to post a minimum of 5 articles a day, so I just dont have time to think of anything else, except on topics. Great eye opener.
    Best Website Designer l Best Website Design

  • http://pipingshark.com Joe Kelly

    I have already done some of the things you suggested, I average about 2 posts a week but I have no hard schedule of when I post just happens to work out to about every 3-4 days. I also removed the dates from my posts, I agree it helps the blog from appearing stale. I am glad you stated that your launch isn’t going to be a 3 video then launch style launch. So many launches are like that and I think they are falling flat, couple that launch style with every affiliate also promoting your launch and I think a number of potential clients end up getting turned off.

  • http://www.homestudiocorner.com Joe Gilder

    I had a phone sales gig for 3 years. Making lots of phone calls, talking to lots of customers, was a big focus. While it’s true that the more customers you talk to, the more sales you’ll make. But I found myself falling into the hamster wheel of trying to hit those call numbers RATHER than focusing on the QUALITY of each customer interaction. One great conversation beats 100 mediocre ones.

    One great blog post beats 100 forgettable ones.

    David, I just read “Crush It!” by Gary Vaynerchuk. Do you think his approach of getting out there and “hustling” and building a brand goes against what you’re saying here?

  • http://www.webdesignability.com/ Terry Dunn

    The hamster wheel is the perfect analogy; I should know, I’m on it! When I enrolled in Jack Humphrey’s blogsuccess, I was floored by the massive amount of work you needed to do to promote your blog, get readers and subscribers. How does anyone have time to do all this? You could spend all day, every day promoting and writing a blog that makes no money…so here’s my question.

    How do you publish and promote a blog that is successful (traffic and money) when you are already busy and really don’t have much time to spare? (even busy people can have aspirations….)

    Terry

  • http://cashcampfire.com Christina Crowe

    Hey David,

    These are all great tips. I often find myself on that very same hamster wheel – definitely not healthy.

    Like you, I’ve taken to posting 3 times a week. I personally wouldn’t take off the dates of my posts though. As a blog reader, I love seeing the dates – especially if I’m looking through the archives. I like seeing when stuff happen or when a particular blogger learned a certain technique in their blogging career. It also gives me a good idea of when the blog was created and how long it has been running – which can help for motivational purposes.

    Overall, I love the analogy. :)

    Christina

  • Infomum

    I enjoyed this post and am heading over to my blog now to remove the dates.

    I love the hamster wheel analogy and agree that sometimes you weigh up the pro’s and cons and decide to step off the wheel.

    I fell off the wheel first time I tried running a website. It was before I had even heard of blogging, just content web sites. Appropriately the site was about death and dying .. as my site attested by dying .. well to be honest it never really lived.

    Then I discovered blogging and decided to do a newsy/researchy blog. I wrote commentary on current news, and wrote in-depth articles about current topics (Caribbean pirates was one of them). That blog was so underwhelmed with traffic, even though I worked my butt off every spare hour that I didnt just step off the wheel I took a screaming dive for freedom from my self-imposed shackles.

    Now I am back and blogging again – I guess I am an addict. This time I am allowing myself free time to relax, and not stressing whether my traffic has increased, although I am spending time working on dragging a reluctant public into my site (that is how it feels to me at the moment anyway).

    I am sure I can do better. That is my plan for 2011 anyway, so wish me luck everyone.

  • http://www.cybersmartwebmarketing.com/ Chuck Jines

    Outstanding! I love the stuff you have been putting out lately, including the video on people who what everything for free. These are the same people that keep ya going on the wheel. I jumped off myself and blog for business rather than just blogging to blog. I see SOOO many people spending SOOO much time producing content and running around on social networks it makes me dizzy. It’s like putting on a free performance every day at noon in the town square – people come every day, applaud, whistle, and tell ya, “that was just great.” Then they walk away never thinking to toss a dime into the tip-jar. Yep, I got off the wheel, I stopped putting on a free show every day at noon. I’m much happier now. “-)

  • http://www.fluffytoughie.blogspot.com Squeeze

    Thank you for these priceless hints. I’m total freshman so I will help myself searching through your archives. You are a master blogger indeed, swinging your hamster wheel whithout you in it ;-) By the way: I don’t know what kind of hamster you own, because my sirian girl is clever enough to prefer walks and playing with me to her boring wheel. And that’s precisely what I’m writing about so the analogy appeals to me even better, since I’m running a real hamster blog, don’t you think so? :-) I have completely no idea what you MUST do about the great opening since I’m not you (I’m sure you’ll figure it out yourself, maybe you’ve just did) but as for stepping out of this hamster wheel… sometimes it’s enough to call a hamster by it’s name. Wish you all the best!

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