Social Networking vs. Great Content
Lately I have been having a hard time keeping up with my social networking. I wrote a post not too long ago about how important it is to getting traffic to your blog and to maintain good relations with fellow bloggers. But I just haven’t had time to socialize.
I have a dilemma, and social networking is at the core. Do I write great content or do I socialize? It seems when I really do my research and take time to create good content I lose time to get on Facebook, Twitter and my favorite bloggers’ sites. And vice versa, when I move about and really get to know people online I loose my writing angle.
I work part-time on my blog, meaning about 4 hours a day, Monday through Friday. Monday is follow up with what went on during the weekend and do research for posts. Tuesday I post so I am usually writing and researching. Wednesday is social day, or at least it is suppose to be. But I find myself trying to write so I can schedule ahead. Thursday is a repeat of Tuesday. And Friday, my brain is shot from life and blogging so I attempt to just be social. But many times I can’t leave great content behind when I comment. So I end up just reading and tweeting the whole time.
I also write at Hubpages and now I am involved at Swagbucks. I am trying to branch out so eventually I can earn a good income. I have yet to create a niche site. (One of my many short term goals.) I know this takes much analysis so I keep putting it off in favor of the “easier” tasks.
And did I mention getting to email? Sure I read email, when I can.
Oh, and what about when things go wrong? My Internet connection is slow, I am sick or my recording equipment for videos won’t work. This is when ANY socializing gets thrown out the window.
So my question is can there be too much socializing or great content? How do I create equality between the two?
A great blog with great posts cannot live without social media. And why be social if the people you are trying to get back to your site find crap?
My priority lies with great content. I want anyone coming to my blog to learn and then come back for more.
So are my social goals too high and compete with my writing goals? My goal is to reach forums, blogs, Twitter and Facebook everyday. But that never happens. I do get to Twitter and Facebook everyday, but my blog’s traffic needs more. And I miss commenting and finding answers on forums. Hell, I miss meeting new people.
I have over 30 blogs I follow in RSS. Is that too many to try to reach?
I guess I am just venting. I have been searching for a balance between the two but the more I learn the more I write and neglect being social.
One good thing: I still have SEO. But that is another post.
Tips I Know I Need to Follow and Any Blogger Should Too:
-Keep your socializing relevant to your blog’s topic. You will find people when you comment on blogs similar to yours people get curious and will visit.
-Hang out where people like you hang out.
-Schedule social networking in. Sure I do this but I can say it takes second stage to writing for my blog.
-Stay focused. Stay on the task at hand until it is done.
I am looking for your input.
Do you sacrifice one thing for another?
Do you believe one is more important than another?
Do you use social networking? If not, what do you do to get traffic to your blog?
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Welcome! I'm Allie. I help WAHMs get their businesses noticed online. Feel free to look around. New here? Check out 
It is hard to juggle them all. That’s why I rarely get to Twitter. I’m trying to give myself some time in the day when I attend to each piece of the social networking puzzle. Because as you say, paying attention does lead to results.
Alison Golden – The Secret Life of a Warrior Woman created this awesome post: How To Have An Exciting Life!
Alison,
It is funny how you relate social networking to a puzzle, it can be. All the components- blog commenting, Twitter, Facebook, forum interaction, etc- should all be in place to get healthy traffic attracted to a blog.
Since writing this I did make it a point to go out and get social. BUT I only commented where it mattered. One of my favorite bloggers had a written a post that wasn’t interesting to me, so there was no way I would leave a good (fake) comment, so I didn’t, I went o find others I liked.
~Allie
I’ve learned (or pessimistically come to accept) that there is no balance. Those who have balance are the ones making enough to pay others to run things for them
I see it as more of a spinning plate routine. You start spinning plates and all you can do is spin one and then find the one that needs your attention next, and spin that, and on and on. Sometimes plates will fall and get smashed. You just pull out another one and get it spinning. Eventually you get pretty good at systematically moving from plate to plate building up a good rhythm.
That’s how I approach it anyway. I completely agree with those things any blogger needs to do.
Brandon Freund created this awesome post: Two Questions Guaranteed to Improve Your Blogging
Brandon,
I love the metaphor of the spinning plates. It is right on. Sometimes just getting the first plate spinning takes a lot and then 2 is awesome but then balancing all of them sometimes seems impossible!
I am just getting to that balance, but I am also working more than 4 hours a day. I finally feel comfortable blogging and using social networking so the balance comes slowly.
I also stick to one task at a time. I didn’t do that before.
Thanks for coming by!!
~Allie
Allie created this awesome post: MDBP: Choosing a Topic for Your Blog
I view social networking as a supportive function of my blog. Although I spend more time social networking than I do actually posting to my blog, my blog is my focus.
I don’t get a lot amount of traffic from Twitter, and I do a bit better on Facebook. Still, where the traffic comes from is insignificant if my blog isn’t valuable to those who read it.
I generally schedule my time spent on social media, just as I schedule time to write my blog posts. I have “working hours” during which I’ll spend time and energy on my blog, social media, commenting on other blogs, etc. I very rarely check in on SM outside my working hours, and this is one way I create balance.
I’m sure my blog numbers would jump if I spent more energy representing my brand on SM, but what I have to give would be less-than if I spread myself too thin. So I do a little here and a little there. At the end of the day, I do what I can and find satisfaction in my progress!
Chrysta
Chrysta Bairre created this awesome post: Networking: It’s not what you get, it’s what you give
Chrysta,
I couldn’t put it better. It is quality over quantity with social media. Although, I can say that there needs to be a minimum quantity spent there and you seem to nail it when you talk about balance and only being on during work hours.
I find myself at times getting a burn out of sorts, even when I am on SM minimal times during the day. But then again maybe it is just all the typing from posting, commenting AND SM that gets me. It is so addicting! LOL.
I don’t have a schedule but I do get offline when the rest of my family is home. I too carry work hours. I have tried a schedule and I am not that disciplined, lol.
Thanks for the amazing input. I hope my readers scroll down to get more than just what I wrote.
~Allie
Allie created this awesome post: Blogging Success: Failure Is Success
If you have visited Ameena’s Falchetto’s blog she mentions how traffic doesn’t necessarily convert into money. And that hold true to quite an extent for business blogs. Even when you are networking, are you networking with the right kind of people; does it matter to you – a zillion people coming but no money at the end of the day.
I would agree, there really is no such thing as too much traffic; but what kind of networking is done is also a huge determinant.
Hajra created this awesome post: Will they call you over for a Bloggers Party?