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I’ve had a few people ask me recently about doing guest posts on this blog. At face value, it seems like a good idea – i get to put my feet up while other people do the work for me and provide content. Believe me, that sounds good
But then i must ask myself what good is a personal blog if other people are writing the content? I’m proud to say i’ve written every single one of my 1,467 (now 1,468) blog posts here on smemon.com and i think i’d be going backwards if i were to allow guest posts on this blog.
Yes it might increase traffic, yes it may even increase quality, plus it would allow me to relax a bit more, but in the long run i think it would damage the blog’s character and style plus leave me wondering what the future holds for smemon.com….
As a reader of many blogs, guest posts don’t put me off a blog, but i always get frustrated when i think ‘x’ has written a post, only to find out that some random stranger has instead… that random stranger might be a better writer or provide more useful content, but at the end of the day i visit x’s blog to read what ‘x’ has to say!
If this blog was a more general / faceless tech blog i’d be open to guest posts, but for a personal blog – i just don’t think it’s wise.
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Comments
09.14.09
This is an interesting view. I've been a fan of guest posts: writing them for other blogs and hosting them on my own blog. However, along the lines with what you believe I'm pretty weary of who guest posts on my blog. I want to know their writing, the content they will be featuring and what they can bring to the table. I always want to be sure it's analogous with my blog's style/feel and also be sure that it will fit my readership.
With that being said, I have said no to people guest posting on my blog. Reasons for me saying no: A lot of times they want to guest post for a promotional pitch (selfish reasons essentially), I'm not familiar with their writing, it seems like spam and it's just not right timing.
Nonetheless, I think guest posts enrich my content and to me, blogging is largely about your community. It's a two way street and giving back is beneficial. I often learn from their writing and the way they think. When I allow someone to guest post on my blog, usually I write a follow up post or it allows for my readers to discover someone new or a new point of view.
09.14.09
I think you're confusing guest posting with ghost writing. To my understanding, a guest post is written by someone who obviously doesn't write for said blog but still has their name on it so that they get credit. This is something that I am perfectly happy doing as through my blog I can give someone visibility that they would have never received. So while you say that it is really easy on me - because I don't have to write another post - I already did the hard work building up the blog.
It's a give and take though. I think allowing someone else to write on your blog is a big step.
09.14.09
I can definitely see where you're coming from, and I totally respect the fact that you've written all 1,000+ posts on your blog. However, I think there are certain circumstances when guest posts help build the character of a blog, instead of damaging it. For example, appreciation is something I believe in very strongly, and I've written about it a lot on my blog. But, I'm only one person, with one perspective and one blog. So, I invited a number of my fellow bloggers to write guest posts for a series on my blog called the Appreciation Revolution. It's been awesome, and although there are other voices on my personal blog, they're writing about something that's important to me, and like Grace, I chose the contributors very carefully. So, I think it really depends on the content and purpose of the guest post.
09.19.09
I think that if you invite people to guest post on your blog then yes, it is foolish to open yourself up to a guest blog. However I also think it is foolish to believe that no one else could offer an opinion on a topic better than you. A lot of times when people ask for someone to guest post it is because they admire them and value their insight (ok, some do it so that the person will promote the hell out of their blog and as stated before that is pointless.)
I have only one guest post (at this time) on my blog. It was the matching post to something I wrote from a girls' perspective, and though I could have attempted to swing it from the guys' I decided that it would be better to actually come FROM a guy. Sometimes the guest post will add depth to your 1000+, but only if you do it for the right reasons and with the right perspective.
11.03.09
That's a really interesting point, but I disagree. I love to read the opinions of the guests on my favorite blogger's blogs. I feel like it breaks up the monotony of one voice and provides a springboard for finding new voices to read. I love guest posts!
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