For several years now, I’ve adhered to a rather strict posting frequency here on Beyond the Rhetoric. Some items are a mainstay in the content schedule, like the Sunday Snippet and What’s Up Wednesdays. Other items filter through to occupy the rest of the week with grammar tips, restaurant reviews, and–most recently–thoughts on parenting and the WAHD lifestyle.
All this time, you could expect to see a brand new post on this blog six days a week with the noted exception of Saturday; I dropped that day a few years ago. In the early days of Beyond the Rhetoric, I only published content when inspiration struck and this resulted in a rather unpredictable schedule. Later on, I recognized the value of predictability both for my own sake (for my work ethic and creativity) and for the sake of you, the reader. Daily blogging is a tremendous exercise in dedication and discipline.
Moving forward, I’m not necessarily as convinced as to what I want to do. If I had all the time in the world, of course I would keep up this (near) daily schedule. This blog is a hobby, in some ways, but it’s also a passion, a creative outlet, and a professional tool, albeit in a somewhat passive manner. The truth is finding enough time to accomplish everything I want to accomplish is becoming increasingly difficult. Between my blogging here, the projects I take on with my clients, and the responsibilities as a work-at-home husband and father, it’s not easy.
And so, I’m forced to prioritize.
It’s clear enough that the income I earn from my “day job” as a freelance writer far surpasses the decidedly humble ad revenue that this blog generates. It’s also clear enough that spending quality time with my infant daughter is very high on my priority list.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Beyond the Rhetoric definitely isn’t going anywhere. It’s just that the content schedule may see some adjustment over the course of the next several months. We’ll see how it goes. In the meantime, I’m open to guest posts from the right people on the right subjects, so don’t hesitate to pitch me with your ideas.
Happy blogging and thank you for your continued support.
Michael it would be sad to see you cut back, but as I have been with you on this blog for more than a few years, I understand and have seen you grow.
You are:
A Husband
A Father
The Managing Editor of MEGATechNews
A contributor to MEGATechNews
A contributor to Futurelooks
A Freelance writer
A Traveling Geek Fool
A FoodPorn addict
I could go on and on, but the first 2 are the most important additions, while being Managing Editor of MEGATechNews is quite a job too. AS you grow, other things need to be trimmed back and pruned.
I used to read BTR daily and comment everyday for the longest time. I’ve added a few kids along the way, became a Systems Administrator with after hours work and kids to take to swimming lessons, Piano lessons….. That has led me to read once or twice a week and post on what I feel I have the energy or a strong enough thought to comment on. IT doesn’t mean I don’t care for your writing, it means I have had to prune it back to a manageable part of my life.
If push cam to shove, I could get along without BTR if you decided that one day the time was right to stop, but it wouldn’t stop me from communicating with you or reading FutureLooks or MTNews.
When you’re green, your growing. When you’re ripe, you rot” – Ray Kroc. Keep growing Michael, your true friends will be right there with you.
“A rolling stone gathers no moss.”
LOL, but one of these days those Rolling Stones are going to pass away. 😉
Seeing as you have other things that are higher on the totem pole, I can see how it is getting hard to keep up your former schedule.
At this point, I pretty much blog once a week. It’s hard to keep up with all the other priorities.
Do the stuff you’re most driven to do. Let the other stuff go. This is the best quote about diarist/personal blogging I’ve read in a long time. It should be in Wikipedia: “This blog is a hobby, in some ways, but it’s also a passion, a creative outlet, and a professional tool, albeit in a somewhat passive manner.” -Michael Kwan