Are Readers Going To Kill Guest Blogging?
28. Aug, 2007 
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Keeping pace with your readers may require efforts which sometimes cannot be done. Offline issues keeping you off the keyboard, making your mind drift away from your blog, will make you look for temporary solutions of not letting your readers (and figures) down. In your good will, you think you got the perfect resolution: guest bloggers. So said and done: you invite a bunch of fellow bloggers to send you some articles, you publish them and think your audience is happy and connected.
Well, let’s take a look behind the stage:
When she is not chasing cash around, Kumiko of CashQuests reads blogs (like many of us do), and her conclusion as a reader is that all guest bloggers must die. The analogy she makes is simple and powerful:
When you go to a blog and find that the latest post is guest-written it’s like buying a ticket to a Christina Aguilera concert and then when you arrive finding that Christina has the day off and Paris Hilton is singing in her place. If you’ve heard Paris Hilton sing – you know you’ll be wanting your money back!
This makes sense, I would probably want my money back. What if instead of Christina, I arrive finding that Luciano Pavarotti is singing (supposing he would still be amongst us)? I might want to attend the concert and I would probably value it as much. All I need is to change my mindset a little bit.
True, but CashQuests takes the argumentation one step further, stating that nobody would give away their best content (so it would be more probable that I’ll get Paris Hilton, and not Pavarotti):
Many argue that it is in the guest blogger’s interest to write good content for a guest post as it maximizes the effectiveness of a guest posting and they’re right…but it’s not their best content!
Consider this: Imagine you have just written a super-awesome post that will be linked to by everybody who reads it. Will you publish it on your own site or will you e-mail it away to be published here…?
While this may be true, I cannot stop thinking that my blog does not contain only premium posts and that I might find out that some guest bloggers have better writing abilities than mine, so their 2nd grade B material will be better than maybe 30% of my writings. Besides, maybe some of them would really give away their best content, knowing that they can create another state-of-the-art article any time, because they are aware how valuable they are and they cannot afford to write B quality stuff.
What do you think? In our rush for readership, are we sometimes involuntarily hurting our readers, making them feel unappreciated, while all we wanted was to show them how much we care? Is guest blogging one of these uninspired moves that chase readers away?
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I have only written a couple of guest posts but I have spent more time on them than I do with most of my own posts.
If I guest write for someone then I am doing it because I am usually a fan of their content. I try my best not to let them down, not give them a b-grade post.
Simonne,
The blogger brings up a good point about not getting what you paid for. It’s a classic form of fraud called bait and switch. However, I think it depends highly upon the blog and the quality of the guest writer.
For example, this site (and some others) have a policy where a reader can contribute a post. It’s an open policy and the best we can do is advertise it and let it be known up front that there is a possibility for guest contributors.
Another example would be if a blogger alerts his/her readers in advance and tells of some guest spots due to a vacation, illness, or some other reason.
However, to simply just give up the reins one day to a guest blogger out of the blue might cause a little angst. I know on some blogs, it’s difficult to tell the blog authors apart. So in some cases, it might not even be immediately apparent that the post is indeed a guest post.
My advice is to be up front about the possibility of guests and to maintain some quality control over the content that gets published. A guest post should also be marked clearly with perhaps a brief introduction.
I’m like Andrew – I wrote several guest posts on different blogs and everytime I spent anywhere from two days to two weeks writing and putting the articles together. Actually, there’s one article that I’m planning on sending to a fellow blogger that I know I’ll spend days writing it, and would love to have it published on my blog. But I know it’ll probably have more chances to get noticed on that other blog, since it has four times more than my blog.
That doesn’t mean that I won’t do my best for less popular blogs. After all, it’s all writing – you can always write another post and do your best with that one. It’s not that you’re giving away the only good post that you ever wrote or will ever write, is it?
It’s like getting your articles published in print – you get a different audience there, why would you send there your second-rate content?
Having said that, I do agree with CashQuests a bit – I’ve noticed on several blogs that guest posts weren’t the best quality, looked like they’ve been written in a hurry, or just for a sake of writing smth up for another blog (even a prominent one).
Vivien (inspirationbit),
I can totally relate. The amount of time I spend on guest posts is considerably more than what I would spend on my personal site (and here even). I’ll even sometimes leave a guest post in the draft queue for a week just to make sure I’ve got all the details and research correct.
I’ve got my first guest posts coming up later this week. The catalyst for finally doing it was moving and I wasn’t sure I’d have the time to blog as much, so I contacted a few people who I wanted to see a guest post from. Most of them said yes.
I’m finding it difficult to say this so maybe the best way is just to blurt it out. I don’t think the blogger mentioned in this post has a great appreciation for their readers. I’ve felt that way ever since that blogger turned off their comments. To shut yourself off from hearing or even allowing a discussion on your posts.. I could never do it.
Even worse, I saw a comment by that blogger as a justification for turning off the comments – that they felt they had to waste time telling commentors why they were wrong! For a blogger to feel that replying to your readers can be considered a waste of time, then you truly cannot appreciate them at all, in my opinion. But maybe it’s just me.
It’s never been a blog I’ve read, and it never will be – because that blogger is all about making cash. They’re upfront about it at least, but I have no interest in reading someone who doesn’t value me as a reader, which is how I feel about that blog.
Why would I support them in their quest for cash? What’s in it for me? Bugger all, it seems.
Snoskred
you know what, Snoskred? I’ve followed Simonne’s link to that blog (after posting my comment), and it was the first time I’ve visited it. I read the entire article, and then scrolled down to write a comment – I felt really angry that blog had the comments turned off. I can’t take any of what it says there seriously after that.
I poked around their site a bit, and I agree it’s all about making money, and nothing else. Your comment about their attitude towards readers had just solidified my negative opinion about CashQuests.
I agree with all of you, I also spend a lot of time on guest posts I write for other blogs. As far as my guest authors are concerned, I did not feel like they were delivering B-grade content to my readers. I’m proud to host their articles, because they add value to my blog. It’s good to see that guest blogging is not going to die so soon.
I think readers can kill guest blogging. I think bloggers can kill guest blogging. I do not think blogs are like Paris Hilton’s example that Kumiko mentioned. In this case, I think the guest blogging situation cannot be compared with Christina Aguilera’s example, as they are not related at all other than metaphorically.
Guest blog posts are like letters in a newspaper. Newspaper have had them for almost 50 years and even magazines, and they are successful. If blogger and readers do not maintain quality, then sure, guest blogging will suffer. However, the reason for it would be the quality and the concept of quality and guest blogging in the minds of readers and bloggers, and not guest blogging itself.
Kumiko is assuming that everyone is a blogger and that everyone is in it for their own self interest. Not everyone is a blogger, and thus many guest bloggers have no other place to express themselves. Also, take me for example: I post my best writing related to reader appreciation here on RA Project, and not on my personal site. Even a competition at WLTC [WebLogsToolsCollection], I posted my best writing there and shared it. Thus, there are people who will give away their best content. They are only a hand few. 99% of all bloggers who earn even a little bit money do it for the money, and that is probably why Kumiko may be assume that everyone is in it for the money.
I think guest blogging can allow more diversity, more opinions, and more involvement, if we do not rush in it for our own self interest and we maintain control and quality over what we ourselves do. I hope guest blogging can head in the direction of where reader letters are in today’s offline newspapers and magazines, and even more.
Of course, it all boils down to what we want: suppose Kumiko wants a blog to succeed and make money, and thus those blogs are businesses. Thus, having many bad guest blog posts will ruin that destination for her and thus guest blogging will not help. For me, I want to spread ideas and notions and change mentalities if possible, and thus even bad guest blogs, if they have good ideas, are good for me and I will consider them an important part of my blog since my focus is not on money or traffic but the message. Thus, different reasons for blogging affect our value of different things, including guest blogging.
By the way, I am always wary of people who label a whole group as being bad, as that is stereotypical. Labeling all guest blogs as being bad is a stereotype, as I know Kumiko has not seen and analyzed all guest blogs and blogging. Thus the very theory itself is not entirely correct unless applied to very few situations where guest blogging is indeed harmful. Some are good, some are bad. Guest blogging works in some areas, and guest blogging does not work in other areas. That is how it should be viewed as, unless we have proof and logic to prove otherwise.
Re the bloggers who blog for money – I don’t know if 99% do it for the money. I do make some out of my blog but that was never the reason I started it, and if I stopped making money tomorrow I’d keep blogging.
I think that blogger is assuming more than everyone is in it for their own self interest. I think she assumes she is always right and anyone who disagrees is wrong and she made that very clear with the comments thing.
I don’t think I am always right. In fact I know I get things wrong often. I am willing to accept that and also allow my readers to let me know when they think I’ve got it wrong – which is why I allow comments.
Some bloggers want to be the equivalent of a preacher up there making sermons – they does not want anyone yelling out a different opinion to what they is preaching.
I don’t want people putting me on a pedestal and thinking I’m perfect – I’m not. I don’t want to be up there preaching sermons. I want to make people think, consider other points of view as well as their own, and involve them in my blog too. I want participation, not capitulation and adulation.
Snoskred
Hey Snoskred, I’m sure they want more than money. Otherwise, they would just set up a few splogs every other day, write 4-5 good articles on each one, then fill the gap with scraped content and live happily ever after, working only on SEO. Making money online is an attractive niche, offering good oportunities to make a living. However, I would not take very seriously those players who proudly display checks of $40-$50, concluding that making money online is like heaven on Earth, and readers should take their advice for granted. If you teach me how to work hard 10 hours a day, 30 days a month for a few hundred bucks, I would say thank you very much, but there are 9 to 5 jobs much more rewarding than that.
Andrew, your own guest blog on my site was well done, and I thought you did your best there!
Ronald, yes, I also think it depends on the blog and the guest writer. Thus, it is not a hard written fact but a case-by-case situation.
Vivien-inspiration, very good point about why submitting second-rate content may not be a good idea.
Simonne, thanks for the wonderful article and question. If Kumiko says that she does not prefer guest blogging, that can be fine. However, labeling all guest blog posts and guest bloggers as being unwanted can be a step in the direction of removing reader participation and diversity, by actually increasing the power and control one has over their site while giving no importance whatsoever to the reader. Sure, writing a book itself also means no one can comment on that book, but book authors get letters too, and good book authors consider what is written in those letters and by whom.
Nice points Snoskred.
I also don’t like sermons, specially if it is to assume and stereotype something. Guest blogs add a variety. Otherwise, a blog without any comments, with no readers interaction, with no guest posts, and so on and so on, is not a blog but simply a static website that we ran into every 5 minutes back in 1995.
Is the concept of blogging getting confused and abused because of money? Are some people actually against the idea of giving anything back to the readers, and instead want to keep everything for themselves at the expense of the readers?
Interesting conundrum you raise. I’ve been thinking about writing a few guests posts and then submitting them to a couple of different blog authors to see if they would publish them, but I always think about the possibility that the content I write for them, will be better than mine and instead of it being on their site, I would much rather have it on mine, thus I don’t do guest blog posting.
I do see the points that have been made concerning blogging to a different audience. That’s gotta be good for something. As for ALLOWING guests post to be on my blog, I suppose it would be a good thing to do every once in awhile to try and receive a fresh point of view, but it’s not something I would want to partake in on a regular basis.
If your blog is run and maintained by a single author, let’s face it. Your feed subscribers and your audience are their to see you and read your content, not everyone else’s.