Every serious blogger knows about the pressure of writing good posts, keeping traffic levels up and performing all things necessary to put their blog on the map. While the amount of pressure bloggers can put themselves in depends partly on what their goals are, the web is littered with posts, explaining to bloggers active on all levels how much work it can be to create and grow an active community around a new blog.
If you do a Google search on this topic, you’ll quickly learn that there are many reasons that can drive bloggers in the direction of quitting. And many do quit. Some of the reasons are : not enough time to write and monitor what happens in the blogosphere, feeling that you’re not receiving enough return on the investment of time and though, or just the pure frustration of blogging in the dark for months on end.
It was actually just a few days ago that I was talking to Daniel Scocco from Dailyblogtips through MSN about how much I felt like closing the blog and forgetting about it. Since he never really expressed himself on DBT about this particular topic, he posted ‘Hold Tight, It Will Only Get Easier‘ a few days later, which advices new bloggers to hang in there a little longer before deciding to stop. Worth a read for many new bloggers.
But what if you have totally different reasons for quitting your blog ? Like myself for instance. Though newmediatype is a new blog, up until now it has had positive reactions and a reasonable amount of recognition from other bloggers. Honestly, in my case they are / were personal issues of an emotional nature, which cause(d) me to feel that I might not be able to devote myself to the blog as I would like to.
Which brings me to the point of this post . . .
As a result of my doubts about keeping newmediatype open, I started messaging some people I know through social media sites in order to get some feedback on my thoughts. One message exchange with Shana Albert, also known as TheNanny612 of SocialDesire resulted in her telling me what would be a good enough reason for her to potentially stop blogging :
You have to figure out what you are blogging for. If you are blogging because it makes you happy then do it. But, if blogging is no longer making you happy and/or the pressure exceeds your happiness from blogging… then it might be time to rethink blogging. I am a Webmaster and an e-commerce Entrepreneur. Blogging is something I added to my Title when I started to adapt to the Web World. I don’t make money from Social Desire (my Social Media Blog). So, if it no longer fulfills my other needs it will be time to stop.
After having similar exchanges about the topic with other bloggers I know (Some of whom have a huge positive and inspiring attitude, like Mihaela Lica from Pamil-Visions, thanks 
) and instead of mainly focusing on the good reasons to continue blogging, it seemed logic to also think about the flip side of the coin before making a decision.
Which reasons are actually good enough to stop.
I started wondering about the more ‘complicated‘ reasons that people who’ve put their heart, soul and time in their blog, could have for stopping. Personal issues which are too bothering ? Professional issues which take down your motivation ? Negative reactions to your blog or other happenings that shattered your belief ?
I’m curious to know what it would be that would tick you, the devoted blogger off so badly that shoving it all aside becomes such a realistic thought, that you may very well give into it ?
Interesting read. You and I discussed this a little bit, and when you told me I was taken aback. This blog (or any blog) fills a need for at least two people, the readers and the author.
For myself, the only way that I would quit blogging altogether is if I were physically unable to do it. My current blog is an expression of my desire to communicate with others in a broader community and to help people.
I have quit writing at a couple of other, “beginner” blogs, where I went on about my views of politics and social issues. I started with those topics because it was the easiest for me to generate content and find links.
Once I found the topic that I was passionate about, I switched over to my own URL and hosting, letting the free services go and not writing about those topics anymore. So I guess there are really two questions there:
What would make you quit blogging about X? and
What would make you quit blogging, period?
The answers are - Finding something that made my heart race. and - Only a physical restraint of some sort!
My family is the most important thing to me. Heaven forbid, if something happened where they required more care, then that is where I would spend my time.
In a way, this has already happened to me. Until he left us last year, my father had Alzheimers and I oversaw his care. I probably would have started blogging sooner had it not been for my responsibilities to my father.
The first thing to settle is why your blogging. Once you answer that question it becomes a lot easier to determine the longevity as a blogger.
Personally, the more I blog the more determined I begin to build a brand, inspire an audience and hopefully generate some passive income. However, the only way that I would stop is if I physically couldn’t or family challenges that were out of my control.
Great topic … IMHO, there’s really a dichotomy in action here. On one hand almost everyone enjoys voicing there opinion. On the other, the majority of Bloggers have profit motives.
Again, IMO, there is nothing “wrong” with making a living Blogging. Yet, sometimes the integrity and motive of someones writing is difficult, if not impossible to discern …
With regards to MIG … yeah, now that lady has a special quality about her writing … and Nanny … to me she’s a natural …
but to answer the question … I think it all depends on a persons character … I don’t think “Honest Abe” would have quit blogging under a little opposition. But someone with a little less tenacity, might not be able to take the heat if they feel too much public criticism.
Nothing will, because I’m blogging the way I want to - no pressures. I’ve got a little blog which I use as a sort of webpage. Posts are made when I feel like - I sometimes go weeks without a single post and sometimes have 2-3 posts on a single day. I don’t give a damn about traffic and just write as a creative outlet.
It feels great.
@Vineet:
It’s amazing how serious many take blogging (including me) isn’t it ? You don’t give a damn about traffic
Yup, its more about sharing content my friends might be interested in. I appreciate serious bloggers but its WAY easier to blog if you just don’t have any pressure. “I gotta get today’s post in” is something I find really difficult to work with.
In any case, I definitely don’t see myself ever blogging as an occupation.
Great post, great comments. I’ll take the psychology aspect then…I guess I would just add that in any situation where you are doing something, feedback (such as comments, increased subscriber count, etc.) is essential to the behavior continuing.
Really good article! But I don’t see the point why you should quitting because of too much pressure. I mean, I blog because it is fun. I don’t care if I write 1 or 20 blog entries in a week. I blog for myself. And if I can help someone with my blog entry, it’s even better!
@ninom :
Well, it’s not really the pressure, and I didn’t say that I was quitting for sure … I was considering it though … It had to do with personal circumstances that made it hard to concentrate on the blog …
For now I am considering shifting it in low gear and seeing how that goes … because at the moment I can’t possibly think about writing an article such as the optimal keyword attack formula for instance … I’ll do posts that are easier to write for now … And who knows, this might even be a good thing…
(see picture in the sidebar of that guy looking at the battlefield if you’re interested in knowing what I mean) …
Lex, you already know how I feel about quiting and especially how I feel about seeing someone as promising and talented as yourself quitting. But I can understand quiting for personal reasons. I don’t know what will ever make me stop blogging. I can only tell you one thing: nothing can ever stop me writing. Actually, I blog because I love to write and blogging keeps me motivated, inspired… etc. I’ll probably take a break for a while, if any personal reasons (like a holiday to Bahamas) will ask for, but quiting is for the moment out of the question.
Lex,
This is a great question to contemplate. I’d have to say if you don’t know the answers to why you’re blogging in the first place, the energy required to maintain all the puzzle pieces is probably already starting to unravel in the background…
I framed this a little differently as a post called “Are you blogging just to be blogging?” I feel it’s a strong complement to your conversation here, so rather than hogging your comments, I invite you to read the post (the link is on my name).
Great post, man, thank you!
Thanks for your comment Slade ..
Goal setting is very important indeed. The thing is : when you start a blog and prepare everything correctly, meaning that you have set your goals realistically, thought of some good marketing, branding and networking strategies etc, then it means that you have done this with a degree of passions. Otherwise you can’t do it right (or I can’t for that matter).
Sometimes you can take this too far as well. Then you become emotionally ‘hooked’ to what you create, possibly making it very fragile.
I think depends on the person behind the blog as well … Some deal differently with troubles than others. I’ll check out your post soon as well, thanks for that
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B.t.w. : Some seem to think that this post was an ‘I quit and I’m telling everybody by publishing a post about the quitting topic’. This actually isn’t the case, as I’ve decided to continue blogging for the time being ..
You know, Lex, I actually did NOT think that you were quitting when I first read this post. It was only after I went back and looked at it a second time that I wondered if I might have been insensitive to what you were trying to say…
I responded because of my own burn-out experiences (which I seem to live through about 3 times a year) and the fact that I so recently felt smothered by own business/branding and had to shake things up a bit.
Anyway, I’m glad indeed to hear that you are NOT personally giving up this blog. I just started digging it.
Slade,
This is the first time I’ve looked at the blog since I commented on the first reaction you left … Imagine that …
I don’t think that you were insensitive to what I was trying to say actually, as my feelings were still mixed while writing that post.
I haven’t written anything (except this comment) until now however ….
The problem I am beginning to have with the blogosphere is this. A writer writes because they love writing. They have passion for it. Blogging is nothing if not writing. If you have no passion for writing then why are you blogging? If you get into blogging for money than you have already made it a job instead of following a passion for writing. Of course I am burned out on coming across an endless number of blogs that are about blogging better or how to make money. I love the blogs that are about anything else since I come across fewer of them. Really if you got into blogging to make money first and wrote second, then do yourself a favor and and quit. The passion of writing is what keeps me going. I don’t care who reads it or who likes it. I am not in it to make money. I am in it to write. Let the me bashing begin.
To Jim - I guess people can have different motivations for writing - it is not up to us to decide why others blog. All we can do is decide for ourselves. I blog for the same reason as you do, but there is nothing wrong with anyone blogging for money… If he can get people to read what he writes.
On the other hand, blogging for money can also become very hard if you don’t get pleasure out of it. If you are miserable blogging but earning money off it, it is equivalent to having a bad job. And if you are miserable with your job, maybe its time to change.
Jim :
Is your comment directed to me ? If so, then let me tell you that I started newmediatype because I like blogging. I’ve been online since the BBS time which is years ago. Being online and communicating is my passion. I hope that I misunderstood the direction of your comment.
Vineetgupta:
Blogging isn’t a real money maker nowadays. I’m getting the feeling that people are commenting about this post without understanding the true meaning of why I wrote it.
Lex - The discussion here has moved away from the original topic of “what would make you quit blogging”. The ‘you’ in my comment is generic, and does not indicate you in particular.
@Vineet :
Well, let’s see where it goes then
b.t.w. I didn’t think you were talking about me actually, but I was wondering about Jim’s comment … Seems that some have a little ‘hostility’ towards making money from a blog.
Also I don’t think that Jim understood what newmediatype is about.
So to Jim : newmediatype will never sell anybody false information about entrepreneurship and internet business. I don’t associate myself with ‘making money online’ in the style that ‘the mainstream does’ … So as a response to your remark about ‘if I got into blogging for the money’ : blogging doesn’t bring in a lot of money nowadays and blogs have many more uses to businesses then you might know …
Also, I believe that making money from a blog is ok, as long as it’s done tastefully. Anyway, that’s a different topic and prob. a different post …
Everybody has got their different reasons for blogging and different pressure points that compel them to either quit or keep going. For those who quit, all I ask is that you turn the lights off and post one final entry saying “Thanks and good luck” to the readers. There’s nothing uglier than stumbling across an abandoned blog, one that hasn’t been updated in more than a year and the last entry gave no sign whatsoever that the owner was going to stop blogging. It’s like the blogger was kidnapped in the middle of the night, never to be heard from ever again.
Hmm the good old magic disappearing trick …