Blog Tip – When the Honeymoon is Over

You just started a brand new blog and you have been writing quality posts for a couple of weeks. Suddenly you realize that you cannot think of anything to write about. Don’t panic.

Blogging can take a lot of time to perfect. Finding stuff to write about can be difficult (look at me, I am writing about it being hard to find stuff to write about).

Why the FC has been dead…

I had a bad week last week and was away from the computer a good bit. I did not have the time to update as often as I like and I find myself playing catch-up. Now that I have caught up, I am having a difficult time adjusting to writing and finding worthy topics to discuss.

Don’t worry, this type of thing happens all the time. I get writers block several times a year. Sometimes I just kick back and take a small break. I might not publish anything for a week. I don’t like doing it, but I have found that it clears the mind. Once the break is over you begin posting like you never missed a beat.

When I write posts for this blog, I often just click on new post and begin typing. Sometimes I have a certain topic or story I would like to report on but not all the time.

Sometimes I will start a post and save it as a draft. Weeks later I will revisit the post and complete it or delete it.

When the honeymoon is over…

I wouldn’t say that the Fire Critic has had a honeymoon. I have run several blogs and have figured out ways of keeping it fresh.

A lot of bloggers hesitate to link to a new blog or even talk about them because some new blogs just don’t make it. In the past 5 years I have seen some great fire/EMS blogs start up and then stop being updated. Some realize how much time they take up. Others lose interest.

I know some great blogs that were abruptly stopped. One big one of note was FireWhirl. I would feed off of him and he would feed off of my stuff. There were several other blogs at the time, but FireWhirl covered a lot of ground. Sadly, the guy running it just couldn’t focus the time on the blog anymore. FireWhirl stopped being updated. It is still there, just nothing new.

Some people worry too much with all this social media. I am not saying don’t do it. I think everyone should utilize twitter, facebook, etc. to get the word out. What you don’ t have to do is spend so much time on each. Set it up so twitter and facebook run themselves off your blog. You will be amazed at how much traffic you get and you don’t have to do anything but post on your blog.

Blogging can be a lot of fun. Don’t get in over your head and if you do just take a minute to breathe. Your readers will return.

As for the Fire Critic….I have a hell of a lot more to say!!!