First, go read Kent’s great post on the 5 stages of blogging. Don’t continue until you’ve done this, as my post makes almost no sense without it as a baseline.
Second (you aren’t cheating, are you? ok good), go read Jeremiah’s great followup on 5 other stages of blogging. Done?
I think these two have started a great analysis, and I’d suggest a third mini-path to add as well (and would make a pretty graphic if I weren’t in the midst of some very frustrating issues with my new Vaio and Vista). My third path would go right in between the other two, and would have these steps:
3. Ennui – at this point the blogger is neither focused nor disappointed, they are, in a word, bored. Maybe they have some traffic, maybe they don’t, but they find it more challenging to create content on a recurring basis. Writing becomes irregular, infrequent, and spans numerous topics. From Ennui, the blogger will either move on to 4a:Revival or 4b:Malaise.
4a. Revival – something sparks life back into the blogger, either another blog post, a personal or life-changing event, or some huge piece of industry-specific news. The blog regains its pulse and attention, and the blogger’s back on top of his/her game. From here, the blogger moves back into stage 2:Expectation.
4b. Malaise – the blogger posts even less frequently, and the blog becomes more of an afterthought than an activity, and is on its way to out. The blogger doesn’t necessarily go through Kent’s stages of alienation, because based on sheer numbers, most bloggers don’t really get intertwined with “the blogosphere”. In this case, reality sets in for the individual that they just aren’t a writer. I firmly believe that not everyone was meant to blog (or podcast or vlog). Blogging seems like a great idea when we all start it, but let’s face it: blogging is work, and good blogging is hard work. Most people don’t enjoy spending time on activities wherein they aren’t being successful or feeling good about themselves. After this, Kent’s original stage 5:Abandonment is the only spot left to go.
I’m curious to see where the thread goes from here.
As always great thoughts, thanks for adding. For some, they may never find blogging boring if they’re constantly learning and pushing themselves forward.
What is not touched on in any of this is that most bloggers probably don’t think out and research their reason for starting their blog in the first place.
If they did, there would be less unexpected results from their blog.
IE, if they are trying to blog-for-money, you had better do a lot of research before trying to do so. Folks don’t do good enough research, have high expectations and then are disappointed in the amount of work they have to put in.
If they are blogging to become “know” as an expert in a certain area, they had better be, or they will be hugely disappointed.
Making money or becoming “known* takes a lot of work, also everyone has their own definition of how much they put in compared to how much they get out of it. Whether financial or emotional. Usually it’s harder than they think to get their desired results.
Probably the most successful blogs, in the minds of their creators, are the ones that don’t care about how many users, or how much money they make, they just want to share some stuff with friends,family or co-workers.
There are also other reasons folks start and then stop blogs. Mine for example, most folks in the blogosphere have no idea what the heck the reason for the blog is, and I am not going to tell. 🙂
I always enjoy reading about blogging and the motivation behind it. I started my own blog 7 months ago, and the reasons that I started it have faded, and I have new motivations for continuing.
In that short time, I’ve already seen several blogs be born, die, and fade away. It’s interesting, to be sure. I think I would agree with all three paths along the blogging road.
I also agree with Brandonc, in that the biggest tell of how long a blog will last is the motivations behind its beginning.
Jeremiah – I agree with you, but I think we have a fundamental difference of opinion on one thing here: I don’t believe blogging is for everyone. I don’t think it’s as transient a fad as say, bread machines, but I do believe that over time we’ll end up with a significantly smaller number of active blogs than we have today…
Blogging is a journey, not a destination! Or something like that. 😉 Seriously, blogging is no different than any other hobby or career – some people will do it for a lifetime (in one form or another) and some will move on. Reasons will vary. Also, like typical jobs and hobbies, folks will have ups and downs and commitment will wax and wane.
Before blogging, I spent three years re-doing on my (former) a condo. It was challenging and exciting for awhile, but a time came when I was ready for something new. And here we are.