tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post8866785622004348610..comments2023-10-31T10:59:03.023-04:00Comments on INKSPOT Crime Fiction Blog | A Place for Mystery, Mayhem, Writing and Life: Decision TimeLinda O. Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512430135042480450noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-34613999421833022952008-09-22T18:59:00.000-04:002008-09-22T18:59:00.000-04:00Cricket, I echo what some of the others have said,...Cricket, <BR/>I echo what some of the others have said, but want to add that a blog you decide to abandon isn't the biggest problem you'll ever have. Blogspot has a mechanism to delete a blog, so if you start one and decide you don't like it, just delete it. <BR/>Not sure how web-savvy you are, but I do know for most people the blog is much easier to update and keep current (for signing dates, fotos, news releases and the like) than a website is.<BR/>Good luck!Deborah Sharphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01575491644343480392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-15817921256857350472008-09-18T15:16:00.000-04:002008-09-18T15:16:00.000-04:00Thanks everyone -- lots to think about! I can cert...Thanks everyone -- lots to think about! I can certainly say that the guy at my reading was nothing more than amusing and won't affect my decision one way or the other.<BR/><BR/>If I start blogging, I want to do it on a very regular basis, and it will be as much about home crafting as about writing, if not more. I'm making such a big deal about this decision because I don't want to leave an abandoned blog out there for people to see. It's a fairly major commitment, at least the way I want to do it. <BR/><BR/>So I'll let you know if and when I start up! Thanks again! ~CCricket McRaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786996969148417569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-76912941833083157332008-09-18T14:22:00.000-04:002008-09-18T14:22:00.000-04:00My blog page is also among the most visited on my ...My blog page is also among the most visited on my site, and I feel bad if people go there hoping for something more than the occasional photo or news update. Still, I can't justify the time needed to do a real blog, and keep it constantly fresh and updated and entertaining. I'm in awe of those who can do that AND write novels. I just don't seem to be one of those people.G.M. Malliethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805971625496094303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-54091039267167211702008-09-18T11:51:00.000-04:002008-09-18T11:51:00.000-04:00Wow! A lot of differing opinions here. But the one...Wow! A lot of differing opinions here. But the one thing I totally agree with is Julia's comment. That idiot in your audience should have absolutely NO effect on your decision to blog. <BR/><BR/>I started my personal blog after our own Keith Raffel suggested that I do so. Shortly after it began, I posted a highly controversial posting that garnered me over 200 comments in one day! Who knew! Since then it has settled into a way for me to connect with my readers; to keep them posted on what I'm up to, news about my books, and how my writing is going. I also use it to rant about personal peeves and opinions. Sometimes I just post a cute picture someone sent me. <BR/><BR/>Does it cut into my writing time? No. I keep it simple. I don't feel compelled to blog on a schedule. I used to do interviews with other authors, but stopped that when that DID become time consuming. Now I just occasionally blog about favorites books and authors.<BR/><BR/>Does it garner me new readers? Sometimes. Not enough to make that the reason to blog, but enough to continue.<BR/><BR/>Do I think it's a good marketing device? Yes, absolutely. It keeps me connected to my readers and when new people visit my website, most jump over to my blog.<BR/><BR/>Readers often tell me how much they enjoy my blog. That's enough reason to continue - that and it's free publicity. I had one reader tell me it makes me seem more accessible.<BR/><BR/>Cricket, if you are not sure about blogging or are uncomfortable about it, then maybe you shouldn't do it just yet. As Paul said, you may start it and then let it peter out. I think an old abandoned blog on the web is a bad advertisement; much worse than no blog at all. Do it when you are sure you want to do it and only do it if you think you will enjoy it.Sue Ann Jaffarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09984054116933714621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-21603726551916103872008-09-18T07:16:00.000-04:002008-09-18T07:16:00.000-04:00As Louis Armstrong is supposed to have said, "If y...As Louis Armstrong is supposed to have said, "If you have to ask, you just can't know." You seem to have too much hesitation about blogging. I fear you'll start a personal blog and it will peter out in a few months. I could be wrong, but I've seen it happen a lot. <BR/><BR/>I've seen some writing blogs that raise your same question about whether writing blog posts will siphon away some of the writing compulsion better focused on fiction. Most have dismissed that worry. The see writing a post as letting off steam, as pre-writing or warm-up. The compulsion to write is always there for them, even if the story itself isn't coming, so making a blog entry is a way to keep the mechanism in practice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-24548637546757533492008-09-17T18:20:00.000-04:002008-09-17T18:20:00.000-04:00Blogging is, to me, one of those things you do bec...Blogging is, to me, one of those things you do because you want to and because you feel you have something to say.<BR/><BR/>For me, I find blogging to be a burden. I usually struggle to come up with something to say, overwork it, and end up finding my posts cut into real writing time. I'm not convinced blogging sells a single book either. <BR/><BR/>Mostly I think blogs simply slightly more formal chat rooms. Nothing wrong with that, but it has to be for the pleasure of it, not because you feel an obligation or think it's some kind of grand marketing tool.<BR/><BR/>As a result, my personal blog is rarely updated, and mostly only with news items. Obviously I'm not group blogging anymore either. Though I do know this, if I ever return to blogging, it will only be through a group blog. I can see the case for a group blog building a kind of identity that may serve some marketing function. Plus, there's less individual burden.<BR/><BR/>But in the end, until someone shows me real metrics that prove otherwise, I suspect that blogging as a marketing device is a poor use of time.Bill Cameronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04796321136771189464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-25376935929978241452008-09-17T17:54:00.000-04:002008-09-17T17:54:00.000-04:00Hi, Cricket. My take is, that guy's comment shoul...Hi, Cricket. My take is, that guy's comment should have absolutely no effect on your decision, because it's one man's perception, and it's the first time I've ever heard such a negative view of blogging. I've heard plenty of non-writers say that they are "addicted" to blogs because they are a fun and quick way to get updated on many topics.<BR/><BR/>I began blogging because I was encouraged to do so by our publisher, but I continue my personal blog because I enjoy it and I have developed a small and loyal group of readers. It's also a way for me to record events that I can return to later--a permanent record of the day.Julia Buckleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10270211923343731659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-78996902578722381142008-09-17T13:31:00.000-04:002008-09-17T13:31:00.000-04:00I am not one of the "What I had for breakfast" typ...I am not one of the "What I had for breakfast" type of bloggers (there is a book called "No one cares what you had for breakfast" that you might want to check out...gives you ideas on what to blog about).<BR/><BR/>I blog on my personal blog when I have something to announce, more than when I have something to say, so my blog will never be a destination spot on the web. I find it useful in an historic sense - I can look back and see what was going on two months ago. So maybe I'm just talking to myself, rather than blogging. <BR/><BR/>I do think daily blogging takes time and energy away from my writing, so I've resisted it so far. If I do go in for a regular blog, I might let one of my characters be the blogger. But there's a whole lot of work involved in that, too, and to date I just don't have the time.G.M. Malliethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805971625496094303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-26949791023643192482008-09-17T12:23:00.000-04:002008-09-17T12:23:00.000-04:00Cricket, In my case blogging doesn't take away tim...Cricket, In my case blogging doesn't take away time from writing. I blog from home and write at the corner cafe. But I suggest you blog because you want to, because you want an outlet, not because you think it will win you passels of new readers.Keith Raffelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02926077627965529183noreply@blogger.com