Free Blogging - Has Blogging Become Too Structured?

12 August, 2008 - Blogging - 6 Comments


Free Running by Jon Lucas

I remember the days when blogging was a flow. A zen state. A free spirit. Free of money. Free of structure. Free of schedules.

Blogging was what the blogger wanted it to be. Tomorrow may be different from today. Passion. Creative. Zest. Blogging had it all.

It was in fact early 1999 when the term “blog” was coined, two years after the term “Web log” was formed. The first directory of blogs, started in 1999, only contained 50 entries. 50 blogs. That must have been a close community. Or not. Back then, blogs were not so much about building a community with other bloggers, as they were about one person just wanting to write (regardless of whether anybody read what he was writing).

It’s a Long Way from Penny Blogs

Yester-Millenium’s world of blogging is a far cry from that of today. Where one person wrote when he felt like it, today we have multiple authors writing to a strict schedule. Where a blogger didn’t care about subscribers, today they are a treasure amongst treasures. Where 50 bloggers wrote amongst the Dot-com boom, 200 million bloggers now write amongst Western recession.

Too Much Structure

With too much structure and definition, the free flow of the task at hand is lost. With all the calls from bloggers to have a regular posting schedule, to have a regular post length, to prepare posts in advance rather than writing and publishing when you feel like doing so, to monetize a blog in a certain way, blogging feels far too organised. It begins to feel too much like work. Too much like effort without much fun.

I’m a Flowing Free Writer, Writing on a Free Flow

Since I removed my focus on money and rekindled my focus for blogging on the creative, I’ve also found myself writing in that flow state. Writing when it feels right, not when I feel I have to. Writing because I enjoy it, not because I feel forced to.

Like so many things, blogging was meant to be personal. It was meant to be about the writing. About the learning. About the giving. With all this structure, it’s rapidly becoming a job. A chore. So that’s why I’ve gone free. Free blogging. Free from expectations. Free from distractions.

Adventure comes in the face of no structure. No organisation. And no expecations. Set out and see where you go. Be free!

Do you sometimes feel forced to write because of expectations from your subscribers? Does your blogging sometimes feel more like a chore, than a free, creative hobby? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

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Posted on 12 August, 2008 by Jamie Harrop
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6 Comments»

Comment by Ben
2008-08-12 09:59:04

Hi Jamie,

Think you have it right on here. The reason so many blogs fail, including nearly every blog I have started is because there is pressure to keep a schedule, always produce quality content, and try to constantly increase your readship.

Very few bloggers blog without a goal in mind now, be that 1000 RSS subscribers or being able to make £1000 a month from advertising etc.

Gone are the days when people blog just for the sake of blogging. I’ve found people are less opinionated now and when their opinion does come out, you constantly think “is this link bait?”.

Bens last blog post..01: North America

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Comment by Jamie Harrop
2008-08-12 11:30:48

Hey Ben,

Your comment is really interesting. The more I think about it, the more opinionated blogging does seem like what would now be called link bait.

Maybe it’s time we just discarded all blogging goals. I’ve almost done that, and it seems to be working for me. :)

Thanks for the excellent comments, Ben.

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Comment by Scott McIntyre
2008-08-12 10:15:19

I love this article, Jamie!

It sums up my opinion on blogs totally.

I believe that any blog which is able to adapt and grow organically in response to the needs of its readers, is a healthy one.

Consequently, a dynamic blog will always attract a new audience while continuing to delight its existing community.

While certain structures are needed for organizing the ‘admin’ side of a blog, adhering too closely to formulas can easily make it redundant.

A static blog which doesn’t reflect the growth of its target audience will die, past its sell-by-date in the blogosphere.

No one wants to visit a lifeless blog that is stuck in the past and no longer offers what you want and need today.

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Comment by Jamie Harrop
2008-08-12 11:32:08

Hey Scott,

Thanks for the kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed reading it. :)

You have to envolve with the times, and in blogging, the times are changing far faster than the position of the hands on my watch. :)

Thanks Scott! Have a great day!

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Comment by Andrew Subscribed to comments via email
2008-08-12 11:51:44

I couldn’t agree more. There isn’t enough personal opinion around any more.

I tend to feel that once a blog gets a regular schedule and multiple authors it loses the essential essence.

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Comment by Jamie Harrop
2008-08-12 13:09:30

I absolutely agree, Andrew. It just seems too “normal” and “slow” when things start to get structured.

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