We all know that there is seasonal affective disorder (or quite appropriately, SAD) – but what about seasonal blogging disorder? Especially when first blogging, it can be hard to get into a longer – span rhythm.
Right now it’s getting into fall, and for a lot of people, summer is either the season that their blog thrives or they take a vacation. So either way, transitioning back into fall is not going to be easy. People are going back to school and you audience may be less invested. Or you could be one of those lucky bloggers that has an engaged audience year round.
But for those of you newbie bloggers who haven’t been at this for a year or more – you will definitely get into a season rotation, and quite possibly a winter funk. Learning a balance between work, life and blog isn’t always easy.
Your personal cycle doesn’t have to match the cycle of the season, but you do need to mark phases with your blog. Otherwise it could potentially get very stale without you realizing it – years will tick by before you know, and you’ll have the same design you did when you started and haven’t reached out to a wider audience or anything like that. SEO is a part of that, but that topic is for another place and time.
One thing that you’ll encounter much more in the fall and winter are holidays – if your blog is not a personal one and you are the sole contributor, one thing you are going to have to seriously consider is how much of your personal life are you going to want to share, or to what degree are you going to allow what is going on in the culture around you to affect your writing. For example, an art-focused blog might be a bit more socially aware, whereas an SEO blog doesn’t need to be as much so, (or at least only in the context of how the holidays could affect your rankings, especially if you’re a seasonal company, like, say, a Christmas Tree farm).
Winter
The ‘winter’ for a blog (which may be spring in the calendar year) is that time where your only goal is to keep on going. Not necessarily start any new promotions or launch any big projects. This is the slogging-through-the-mud-why-am-I-still-doing-this-season. This is a test of discipline and devotion. Do you really want to keep doing this? Your blog-winter may give you the answer.
Spring
Ah, spring. Things are looking up – maybe you have new subscribers or just got a great promotional deal, but things are going well, and you’re starting to smile again. Maybe new ideas are sparked, or there is a lot of engagement from your audience. Whatever it is, it’s got you riding high and posting often.
Summer
Summer can mean one of two things. Either you’re hot and lazy and want to take a vacation (and do so) or you’re coasting from the high of spring and things are tooling along quite well. Blogging in the summer can almost feel like a vacation, because it all is so easy and flows so organically.
Fall
Fall is the time for rejuvenation. Has your blog outgrown your original idea or design? Do you need a new logo or a broader engagement? The fall of your blog is the time to take that into consideration and put some elbow grease into your blog – give it a new coat of paint and dig a bit deeper into the heart of it.
As with you yourself, your blog is cyclical. Don’t get (too) frustrated if you start slogging through things and questioning the existence of your blog, things will bounce back with your mood. Remember that in whatever form it takes, this is your creation, and acts as such, in correspondence with you and how you function. Keep in mind the larger scope of the cycle of yourself and your blog. You’ll notice the patterns and be able to identify your ‘seasons.’
This article is written by Ann Michaels. She is a techno-dork and a lover of Christmas and all things winter. If you wish to write for us, kindly check this.