Bloggers: Are You Ready For Writer’s Block?

Eventually, every blogger runs out of gas. The causes vary – could be writer’s block, or you’re too busy with something else – but the result is always the same: less quality writing, and less participation in the blogging community.

What you need is a little inspiration. You need a spark lit under your rear. You need a new goal to sink your teeth into.

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The 10-Minute Daily Guide to Building Your Social Media Profile

No amount of effort with social media sites and tools like digg, StumbleUpon, MyBlogLog, Propeller, etc. can make up for a bad blog. A lack of focus, poor writing, over-advertising and a lousy design will sink your blog each and every time, regardless of how much effort you put into social networking and social media promotion.

The flip side is also true, in that you could have a focused niche, write well, limited advertising and a beautiful design, but still find it hard to build an audience. So you shouldn’t be ignoring the opportunities that social networking and social media provide.

In a recent post I wrote about linkbaiting and guest writing on other blogs, James Chartrand left a comment that got me thinking:

What about when you don’t have the time to surf all the social networking sites? It seems ridiculous. Just after I tell someone we have a LinkedIn page, they ask me if the business has a MySpace page. Then a Yahoo page. Then a Facebook page, a Digg page, and so on.

Not only am I expected to have a page on every social networking or media site or blog possible, I’m expected to surf and browse all these sites, comment, keep in touch and be active.

It goes on. I still have to visit relevant blogs to my subject area and target audience, reading, commenting, etc. Plus there is my own blog, of course, and I do have to work for a living as well…

Stop the madness is a phrase that comes to mind. What’s your solutions to this “be active everywhere at once” problem?

This is an extremely common problem. And it’s getting worse. James didn’t mention Twitter or any of the people search engines like Xing and Spock that have emerged recently.

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Do You Ever Have Days Like This?

Some days are just downright exhausting. Tough, emotionally draining. We all have days like that. They’re unavoidable. You feel spent, incapable of going on, angry, frustrated. Maybe you feel victimized, maybe you feel disappointed in yourself. Maybe both.

We all have days like that. Bad days. So what do you do?

No one said it would be easy.

frustrated guy

When you’re exhausted, at the end, feeling beyond hope…

guy in bathtub

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About Ben Yoskovitz
I recently joined GoInstant as VP Product. GoInstant changes how we use the web, making it shareable like never before.

I'm also a Founding Partner at Year One Labs, an early stage accelerator in Montreal. Previously I founded Standout Jobs (and sold it). I'm a hands-on startup guy, helping companies grow successfully from the idea forward. You can reach me at byosko at gmail dot com.

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The opinions and commentary on this site are mine and mine alone. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of my employer, GoInstant.