I've been taken to the wood shed over the last couple of days. It seems that I haven't spent enough time "engaging."
My accusers are absolutely right.
Engagement was killing my blog.
A Funny Thing Happened on The Way to A TweetChat
A month ago, I was hanging out in a TweetChat doing my thing. I was having fun, talking with my group of friends, and trying to be provocative and helpful. A great way to spend an hour.
The problem was that I should have been writing posts for my blog, training group, and email newsletter. I had put off these critical for over a week and I needed to get them done.
However, for now, I was ok. because I was engaging.
Or more accurately, I was busy procrastinating,
Sound familiar?
Comment Guilt
A few months ago, another blogger implied that I wasn't devoting enough time replying to comments.
The mantra is that the savvy kids answer every comment. I wanted to be savvy, so I replied to every single comment. Since, Pushing Social isn't my full-time job, something had to give.
Unfortunately it was post quality. Replying to comments is easier than researching posts. The comment replies felt good and seemed to be the right thing to do. The problem was that I used them as an excuse to procrastinate.
Platform Procrastination
I love discovering new social platforms. It's like finding a new land where the people are friendly, the weather is warm, and the food is tasty and cheap.
Usually I jump in with both feed and spend hours building profiles, answering questions and frolicking with the locals.
I've done this with Quora, LinkedIn, Posterous, Tumblr, and even flirted with NING.
In the end, I bid a teary farewell to out of them.
Why?
Even though I loved the distraction, my blog deserved my dedication. My audience suffered during my week away. I told myself that I was engaging. Deep down I need it was a load of crap.
I was busy procrastinating.
This Medicine Sucks But It Will Make You Better
I've seen people in tweetchats doling out blogging advice with no blog of their own. Hypocrisy? No...Just procrastination. It is time for them to take their own advice and get busy building content that matters.
I've watched bloggers answer each one of their 4 comments per post. Great. However, if you value comments maybe you should get serious about getting more than just a handful.
On the other hand, I've marveled at post-length comments from bloggers who can't seem to find the time to publish the same quality. Here's a hint, put your house in order first, then take your brilliance on the road.
All of this is just procrastination in disguise. Don't be fooled.