Writing for Nobody: This One is Just for Me

The Truth about Blogging

The truth about blogging is that in the early days, and maybe all days, you are writing for nobody.  Absolutely nobody.

Nobody comes by. Nobody comments. Nobody shares your articles. Nobody “Likes” what you have written.  You have to be OK with that.

It’s a ghost town. [queue the whistle from the old western movies]

I have looked at my analytics this week and the traffic is off considerably.  I have been writing and posting, so what is happening?  The question is rhetorical, but it is one others may ask of themselves in the same situation.  Let’s see if I can answer it for all of us.

The Things I Have Checked

1. I have blogged.  Check.
2. My blog posts have been shared (by me).  Check.
3. I have chosen pics that work (people need visuals).  Check.
4. Re-posting has been done on social networks to boost old stories.  This is the “Recycling of Old Material” trick.

What have I realized?

The main source of traffic to this website, currently, is from Facebook.  It is from two places on Facebook.  The first is from my personal Facebook account.  The second is from my KC Life Facebook page.  Those two things bring in the majority of my traffic.  I refuse to use those this week and traffic has suffered.  It’s a bit disheartening, but I’m getting through it. 🙂

What does this mean?

I can incessantly post on my personal Facebook page.  That could jeopardize friendships, but it could also win fans.  It is certainly a great source of traffic, but it isn’t setting any records.  My vote is no on this one.

My other option is to keep posting on my KC Life page.  That plan isn’t perfect because not every post is relevant to the page.  Again, the vote is no.

So what does this leave me?

I am basically left with writing just to write.  The words will continue to hit the screen through the keyboard, but for now they will not be read too extensively.  I will do my best to make sure the posts are useful, but I will write for a future audience.  My plan is to leave a breadcrumb trail to good content and wait patiently for people to discover it, knowing it is possible they never will.  Sure, I will post some on Facebook.  I have to in order to maintain sanity, but immediate traffic will not be my ultimate goal.

What does this mean for you?

Assuming you are writing a book, blogging, working on SEO, or you have a project that takes time to fully develop, you have to be patient.  You have to do those things because YOU like them, not because you need someone else to like them for you.  Keep working because you love it.  Keep writing to nobody.  Keep painting pictures nobody will ever see.  Keep writing songs nobody will ever hear.  Do it because you love it.