Blogging with R & N is a new feature over here at Say It with Books where I'll be talking with you guys about my experience as a blogger. Rachel will be occasionally joining me and together we'll share the best and the worst of the blogosphere.
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I've been seeing a lot of bloggers going on hiatus, worrying about blogging slumps and freaking out about that never-ending review books pile. A lot of them seem to be taking on co-bloggers to help manage the workload. So today I'm hoping my experience of taking on a co-blogger will help people decide if co-blogging is for them or not.
When I started this blog back in November I did a lot of research to make sure that blogging was something for me but I had no idea it would be so consuming. It started out as something that I did just cause I was bored but now it's practically a routine. If I'm not reading, I'm blogging and when I'm not reading/blogging I'm thinking of blogging/reading. Yep. It's a vicious cycle.
I made the decision to switch from blogging solo to co-blogging back in March.
So why did I make switch?
Way to many review requests, way too many social networks, way to many books to read, way too many mails to respond, way too may blogs tours and so little time.
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| I was starting to look a little like this..... |
So now that I made the switch am I glad I did it? Hell Yes.
But of course it's not all sunshine and rainbows because if so then everybody would be co-blogging right?
So what I can do for you is give you a breakdown of the pros and cons. Maybe it'll make the decision easier for you to make. Or maybe it'll make you think twice.
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1. You can FINALLY have a life that is not consumed by blogging.
One of my worst nightmares is that if I go offline for the weekend my blog will disappear into the deep dark place where all abandoned blogs go to die (did I mention that I was dramatic? Oh well, add that to the list).
Pre-Rachel I couldn't take a mid-month break because I was having a reading/blogging slump. But post-Rachel I can actually do that without freaking out that my blog's going to crawl into a well and die.
I don't have to whip out 3-4 posts a week now. I can read books at my own pace and review them when I feel comfortable because I know I have someone that I can rely on to keep the blog alive when I'm not feeling up for it.
Knowing that someone's has your back and will cover for you when you decide to take a spur of the moment hiatus is an amazing feeling.
2. “Two heads are better than one.”
Whether it's promoting blog posts or coming up with new ideas it's always better to have a helping hand. Both Rachel and I have our own social media networks so it's twice the number of tweets, twice the number of pins, twice the number of connections on Goodreads and twice the number of Facebook shares! End result=Double the exposure. And I have the stats to prove this, after I took on a co-blogger I could clearly see a spike in the blog traffic.
Shared responsibilities is definitely a perk too. Now I don't have to juggle all the bazillion tasks involved in blogging single-handed-ly!
3. “Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up.”