It’s been a couple of weeks since we last posted a blog, which is why this blog’s topic is quite appropriate: blog frequency.

No matter what you do, don’t blog for the sake of keeping up appearances. Always write thoughtful and relevant blogs.

What’s too much? What’s too little? And how can you prepare for periods when you aren’t available to blog?

Too Much: That’s a Twitter Problem

There probably isn’t “too much” that could be blogged about, especially for a hospital. Considering the vast range of potential topics—healthcare in general, local spins on national matters, prevention, volunteer recognition, fundraisers, classes and events, etc.—there should never be a shortage of interesting concepts.

From a reader’s standpoint, having an RSS reader filled with blog headlines is always a pleasure since it’s not a challenge to skip over blogs that don’t seem appealing or relevant. This contrasts with arguments about being too aggressive of a Twitter user, even if your Tweets aren’t only about you (e.g., links to articles and blogs, retweets).

Too Little: Quality over Quantity

No matter what you do, don’t blog for the sake of keeping up appearances. Remember, people have thousands (if not millions) of other options for online content, and one bad blog is all it takes for a reader to get the perception that your blog is merely a gratuitous marketing scheme.

However, frequency is indeed important to blog readers…if not for their own desire to get timely and relevant information, but for it reflects your commitment to your blog—and for a hospital, that could translate into its commitment to the community.

Dry Spells: How to Prevent Blog Droughts

It is recommended that you establish a targeted number of blogs on a weekly basis and do your best to meet that goal. However, any number of events and factors can prevent that goal (e.g., other priorities, holidays, illness).

Having an archive of ready-to-publish blogs in such droughts obviously helps fill in gaps, but be very careful. This “saved for a rainy day” content runs a high risk of being too generic and with falling short of a “quality over quantity” standard—especially since it won’t be discussing topics of a timely matter.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 at 1:06 pm and is filed under Blogs + Blogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.