Of Blogger Motivation

I have seen a number of blog posts discussing the different types of blogs. There are link blogs, information blogs, discussion blogs, and many, many more. However, I also run into countless statistics that explain how many blogs are abandoned after a few posts or a short time. This post is to explain why.

It doesn’t take an expert to know that blogs are created and posted to by bloggers. But that point can’t be overstated. A blogger is a person who follows the same behavior rules that govern the human species. Understanding what is motivating the behavior of the blogger will explain how likely they are to keep blogging. I have listed below what I feel is the first stab at categorizing blogger motivation. These four motivations are listed in order with #1 being the most likely to be sustained and #4 being the least likely. Of course there are exceptions to these, but for the most part you can lump motivation into one of these four.

1. Job – When creating and maintaining a company blog, your are paid your regular pay to perform this task. However, I have seen many company blogs abandoned shortly after starting and this is for one of two reasons. First, the owner or someone high in the organization is the blogger. Their job doesn’t depend on the number of posts or the analytics of those posts. That person should have delegated the posting responsibilities to someone whose job did depend on it. Second, the blog isn’t a company priority. The person who is responsible for blogging is frequently asked to back burner the blog and prioritize lower than other daily tasks.
2. Revenue – If the blogger is receiving income from his blog directly, they are very motivated to keep blogging. For most, this isn’t enough revenue to quit their full time jobs, but it is enough to provide positive reinforcement. When the revenue doesn’t match the expectation, the blog becomes abandoned. This causes many to stop almost as soon as they start. They are under the false expectation that money will start flowing in weeks after they start. The truth is it usually takes more like a year and then it’s more of a trickle.
3. Passion – Enthusiast or hobbyist will often create blogs to showcase their passion. I have one that has been maintained for almost a year and a half now. The sustainability of these are based off two factors. First, is the blogger passionate about their topic that they can weather the initial months of talking to the wall. It can feel like an outsider trying to join a conversation that is already too full. Second, will the blogger receive positive reinforcement with others appreciating the contribution to the topic or will the blogger receive punishment which will then be associated to the hobby itself. For example, if I am a huge Lost fan and blog about my theories, other’s negative comments can have a dramatic effect on my love for Lost. At this point, if I don’t have the required “thick skin,” I have to either give up the blog or face hating Lost.
4. Voice – The blogger has something to say, and they want someone to read it. You can also call this ego blogging. This one is tough to sustain. The more they have to say, the more likely they’ll keep saying. In my opinion, most people overestimate how much they have to say. It can be very tough to put your thoughts to words for others to read. This is made even more difficult if you have friends, family, or co-workers to share your thoughts with. Having those in person contacts makes it a whole lot easier to skip the entire blogging process. Especially after a long tough day at the office.

One major exception to these motivations is the family blog. I’ve chosen to exclude those because those are updated less consistently than the types above and they have a family/friend motivation that is very different than these.