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I like that approach because it is a great way to build tighter relationships with those that post on your blog. No doubt those people feel encouraged by the opportunity.
1.) Answering a question.
2.) Extending a big thought.
3.) Reflecting.
4.) Reporting.
Only #4 might not be topical. In fact, the few "reporting" posts you've seen over the last 12 days were written while on vacation. The others were written days before. Make sense?
As well, I'm still a believer in "absence makes the heart grow fonder", and if I love reading Chris Brogan, and he disappears for a week, I will anticipate his return, and look forward to reading him again, and actually be excited about it. This worked in traditional journalism for years, and I think it works as well in blogging.
Do you think an alternative idea might be to take a vacation, and during that time, post a "Best of Chris Brogan", and repeat some of your more memorable past posts? Just curious.
The quality/quantity is a concern. I tried hard. I know which ones were lame. Oddly, two of the lame ones took off like rockets.
Your best-of advice is sound. I promoted an older post and that thing SHOT off the blocks. People really enjoyed it.
Good points, Joel. : )
But let me add this to what Chris already said in his reply: "if you write blog posts ahead of time, they won't be very fresh" is definitely NOT necessarily true.
If you write a great, timeless post -- one of those gems that a reader might bookmark and come back to again and again -- it's not going to matter whether you hit "Publish immediately" or schedule the post to appear five days from now when you're on vacation. Conversely, if I write something lame, it won't freshen it up to hit "Publish immediately" -- it will still be lame now or lame later.
For a parallel, consider this: traditional print magazines frequently assign seasonal stories (e.g. for Christmas decorating ideas) many months in advance. Good writers and editors know how to handle these stories such that they read well in their season even though they were written months before.
The short version: it's all in how you do it.
If you're someone who produces crap/noise, then sure, your readers are probably going to bolt. But Chris, you're a goldmine. People aren't going anywhere if you don't publish fresh content for a few days. I think the worry for you in this case is how many emails/tweets/voicemails you get from people who think you're dead!
In the end, you, and everyone else has to do what they feel is best. If you're someone who LOVES writing and creating media, then by all means go for it. If you're someone who feels it's their job to do it, I think it would be beneficial to take a break, even for 2-3 days (hell, even a week) and then get back to it.
I really don't think that an absence of a few days will hurt readership.
I like the idea of keeping things fresh and everything and still having a discussion but down time is a good thing.
Happy Vacationing! :)
My experience is that this is the prime time for marketing to start conversations with their prospects. The economy is picking up, everyone is in a better mood and most work schedules are a little less hectic.
Just this week, we got almost double the response from a marketing campaign than we normally do and are engaging people in conversations from multiple channels.
My take is slowing down your marketing during the summer is like having an out of office autoreply that says
"Sorry we stopped talking to you, we're on holiday. For more information, call our competitors."
Thx for keeping it alive Chris
I agree, you can't miss a beat with blogging. Your audience will find what they need elsewhere, and its so easy to keep that from happening.