Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre: Changing Pace on Your Blog

April 20, 2009 · by Joanna Paterson · in

Do you ever feel that you need to take a break from your own blog?

That you need to carve out a bit of breathing space for yourself?

It might be because you’re going away for a few weeks, or you know you’re going to be busy with other things, or perhaps without a wireless connection for a while.

Or maybe you’ve just got jaded with your blog and need a bit of time out, some breathing space, to help you take stock and work out which direction you want to go in when (or maybe even if) you’re ready to get going again.

The good news is you’re not alone.

I think this has happened to all of us at some time or another.

But how do you go about managing those periods of time when you need to disappear from your own blog – without losing  your readers when you go?

I was thinking about this question from Bo at Seeded Earth over the weekend:

How to keep a blog going for several weeks while your routine is off. My blog isn’t the kind to have guest visitors. It’s just a friendly, little photoblog–nothing fancy. But I have my followers and hate to just shut down for the time I’m gone.

The answer that came to mind was that old driving rote: mirror, signal, manoeuvre Always Check Your Mirrors by Ross2085 on flickr 1. Look in the Mirror

Take stock of the reasons why you need to take a break, alter your pace, or change the direction of your blog.  That will help you work out how much time you might need away, and how best to explain it to your readers.

It’ll also help you make the most of the time out, and give you the thinking time you need (if it’s creative space you’re after, rather than an enforced absence because of a holiday or lack of internet connection.)

Explore your options for covering the period when you’re away.  (This really applies to a holiday or business break rather than taking a break because you’re tired of blogging and need a rest.)

Options include:

Invite guest authors in

This is a way of offering interesting content while you’re gone, as well as opening  up your blog to a wider range of voices and ideas.

It works well if you know other bloggers who are also readers of your blog: people you can approach with confidence, partly because you know they’ll understand and respect the mood, tone, theme and feel of the place you’ve created.

Your readers will probably value the additional content that’s on offer when you’re away… though watch that you don’t overdo it.

Readers can switch off if they feel they’re losing the sense of connection and rapport with the main blogger/ editor, and are needing to adjust to a lot of different voices.

Schedule Posts

It’s perfectly feasible to cover two or three weeks of an absence with a series of scheduled posts, that you set up to be published when you’re away.

Some people blog like this anyway: writing posts in a batch for a week or two ahead. If you’re finding it hard to think of enough ideas for half a dozen or so posts at once, look for ways to make it easy on yourself.

How about some short and simple posts, perhaps some quotes on a relevant topic?  Or highlight some pieces that you’ve already written and are hiding away in your archives.

But pay attention to your mood as you prepare these.

If you find you’re starting to gather material just for the sake of having a post to fill an empty day, ask yourself if  you really need to publish, or if you’re just doing it for the sake of it. What would your readers really prefer?

A ‘just for the sake of it’ post from you, even when they can sense you’re not there (because believe me, they will), or a few days without hearing from you for a while, followed by something good on your return?

The other caveat I’d add is a bit harder to define – when I’ve scheduled a few posts when I’ve been away I’ve found myself feeling a bit detached and ‘outside’ of my own blog.

Perhaps that is inevitably so, and perhaps it’s no bad thing, but it can be a strange feeling, and can make it harder to work out how to get back into it when you’re ready to rejoin the blogging swing of things.

Do nothing

Just take the break and trust your readers will still be there when you get back.

(Don’t forget to tell them that you’re going though… see below.)

2. Signal

Before you make a change, tell your readers what you’re doing.

And tell them why: they’re your readers, followers, friends after all. Explain to them why you need to slow things down, or make a change in pace.

They’re your readers, which means chances are they’ll understand, and just look forward to the time you come back.

And if you’re worried about what they’ll think, or how they’ll react, ask yourself: how many times have you unsubscribed from a blog because the author wasn’t blogging enough?

No, I didn’t think so ;-)

3. Manoeuvre

When you’ve worked out what you’re going to do, execute the manoeuvre.

No guilt, and no apologies. Just do it… and remember: it’s your blog.

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What techniques do you use when you need a few weeks or more away from your blog? What do you find has… or hasn’t… worked?

Have you seen bloggers using other tactics that you’d recommend to someone like  Bo who needed a few weeks away?

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Photo Credit: Always Check your Mirrors by Ross2085 on Flickr