Welcome to yet another episode of the ‘Would You Rather’ blog series. I’d like to think of last week’s episode as a huge success, even though some non-bloggers messaged me on Facebook that they couldn’t quite relate to the questions I asked.
I’ll admit that last week’s questions were more related to blogging than to writing. But I encourage you, my friends and readers who don’t own a blog, to try viewing my questions from the most creative possible perspective.
So if I ask, ‘Would you rather publish one blog post every week that’s lengthy and well edited or publish four blog posts every week that are short and poorly edited?’ — if you don’t own a blog, feel free to replace ‘blog post’ with ‘social media post’, then answer accordingly. And even if, after doing that, you can relate to just one out of the three questions I ask, I still encourage you to answer that one question.
I’m always delighted to hear from you, so don’t ever feel that your comment won’t count.
***
Today’s questions are a tad trickier than last week’s, but I’ve made sure that they’re more relatable to non-bloggers than the questions I asked last week.
So What Would You Rather Do?
- Would you rather not write blog posts for a whole year or not read other people’s blog posts for a year?
- Would you rather read only blog posts that share personal stories or read only blog posts that teach you how to do something?
- Would you rather have to edit all your old blog posts or have to fix every single link you’ve added to your blog?
As always, I look forward to seeing your answers. If you’ve been enjoying this series so far, please don’t forget to invite your friends so that they can join you in participating. Also, if you have any ‘Would You Rather’ questions you would love to see in an episode of the series, don’t hesitate to send in your suggestions via my contact page.
Shards of Bards 
1. Yup. Definitely a tougher question than last week. At first, I wanted to say that I don’t think I would be able to go a whole year without writing a post. It gives me joy when I write, but it also creates conversations, which I so enjoy. Reading other people’s posts is not always conducive for discussions with multiple people. But then, I figured that I could just focus on writing a book or something like that (and not post) and then focus on building relationships with people by reading their stuff. So in the end, I think THAT is my answer – I’d rather not write posts but read them.
2. All of the blogging tutorials tell you that you should write about things that bring value to others (i.e. teach) but I think personal posts do get a lot of traction. Plus, personal stories can also have lessons in them. I’d choose the second option – posts that teach me something (without the ‘how to do’). Does that make sense? I don’t read blogs to learn how to DIY stuff, but I do read them to learn about things.
3. My posts include a lot of links (my NROP have at least one) so I wouldn’t like fixing it. Especially, because I found out recently that I had a broken link that I was unable to replace. It was disappointing. So I’d rather edit.
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Before reading your comment, I’d given the first question a lot of thought, but I still couldn’t bring myself to answer it. I LOOOVE writing; it’s about the only way I know how to express myself. But I also love reading, and for the same reasons that you do. I can’t imagine doing one without the other, and although I’m now inclined to go with your answer (thanks to that cogent point you raised), deep down, I still feel so unsure…
What you said about personal posts resonated with me on a deep level. I was supposed to publish a how-to post two days ago, but I didn’t because I couldn’t think of what to write. It’s not that I’m struggling to find topics to write about — I have a long list of how-to topics. But I usually wouldn’t write a how-to post unless I have something new to add to the information already available on the internet. If I don’t have something new to add, then I’d feel like I’m just saying what has already been said and therefore shouldn’t be read.
I used to feel hesitant to publish personal posts because my blog now seems to have a theme (or niche). But henceforth, I’ll just do what gives me peace of mind.
Your third answer is the same as mine, by the way. I may not have added as many links to my blog as you have to yours, but I’d rather do ANYTHING ELSE than fix a broken link. I’m sorry to hear about your broken link that’s unfixable.
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Regarding your “how-to” hesitation. I totally understand and agree. However, I do have a different angle for you to look at this from. I don’t think you should write such posts for people who search Google for “how to Xyz.” You should write it for your blogging community. I don’t go out looking for something but when I read it on someone’s blog, I do adopt it.
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That’s a wonderful suggestion, Goldie. You know, sometimes, I wonder why I subject myself to much more stress than necessary. I mean, you’ve just solved in a few minutes a problem that I’ve been tackling for several weeks!
I’ll do exactly as you’ve advised. Seems to me like the smartest course of action. Thank you always. 🌸
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You always know how to boost my ego. But I’m always glad to be of service.
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Hmm. Tough.
I’ll rather not read blog post for a year. It might be harder to pick right back up after a year of not writing than catching up with post.
I will rather read blog post that share personal stories. For some personal stories, there are lessons to be learned also. There’s YouTube for learning how to do something.
I will rather fix every single links…I don’t bombard my posts with many links so it will be more efficient to fix the few links that were embedded.
Catch you again next week, enjoy your weekend!
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That’s an interesting point you’ve raised! If you spend a long time without writing, it really can be challenging to get used to it again. And I should know this since I’ve done it before.
I also love reading personal posts because they help me understand the writer better and because, as you said, there are usually lessons to be learnt. I hadn’t even thought about YouTube, so thank you for bringing that up.
I enjoyed reading your all answers, Cyn. Thank you so much for participating! Have a stress-free weekend!
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I’ll rather not write blog posts as I always enjoying reading blog posts (it’s a hobby)
This is tricky but then I’m reading to learn so I’ll settle for the “how to” blog posts.
I’ll rather edit my old blog posts
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Hi, Ini. It’s so good to hear from you again. I hope you’ve been well.
Your first answer — it’s something we both have in common. In fact, if I had to choose, I’d probably do away with writing process, too.
How-to blog posts are also always a delightful read for me, especially when they’re concise, precise and well written. So I can understand why it’s your preferred option; just as I can understand why you’d rather not fix your links.
Thank you for participating in this week’s episode. I’ll look forward to seeing you again next week. In the meantime, have a lovely weekend. 🌸
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Hello, Obinna! 👋 I’ve never been better.
😹😹😹😹 He just had to link it with my links🙃
You’re welcome. I sure will. I wish you a Joy filled June – Joy Unlimited Now and Ever.
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Ah, I see what you did there. 😂
Thank you for your kind wishes. I hope you experience fulfillment and all sorts of positive emotions this June. Take care. 🌸
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1. I would rather not drop post for a year, reasons are, I’m very lazy. It’s not something I’m proud of, it just is.
I procrastinate a lot too, so I might end up posting very little stuff during that period.
Plus, I’m more of a reader, words fascinate me.
2. I would rather read posts about personal experiences. Reason is simple, I like gist dears😌
3. I would rather edit my post than fix links. Reason, I hate errors, especially spelling errors.
They irk me and make me itch
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Hey, Nessa! So good of you to stop by. 😊
Your answers made me laugh a bit, especially the first two answers. It’s something I can relate to. I often feel lazy to write, and, like you, I also prefer reading to writing. Though I can’t choose which one I love reading more — personal posts or how-to posts. They both have their interesting benefits.
It’s funny how nobody wants to fix links today. I’m with you on your third answer.
It was delightful reading your answers, Nessa. I really hope to see you again next Friday. Have a wonderful weekend!
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I’d definitely choose not to read blog posts for a whole year. I love getting comments that open up discussion on my blog posts. Plus, SEOs such as Google rank blog posts with lots of comments on them higher than those that don’t have any or only a few. I enjoy a good discussion, and they usually give me ideas for future blog posts.
I much rather read ‘How to’ posts than those that are personal. I’m not interested in what somebody had for breakfast, what kind of coffee they ordered at Starbucks, or what they did at work last week. I think those kinds of post are better suited to the likes of Facebook.
SEOs dislike any broken links on blog posts, plus I think they also make those that have too many of them look lazy and not care about their blog posts, so I’d fix all my broken links. As I edit all my blog posts before they go live anyway, I’d hope that there were not too many mistakes in them. I use Grammarly to check for errors, so I would hope that it would pick up most of the errors before I hit publish.
What great questions, Obinna. Thanks for asking them and getting us all discussing them.
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Oh, wow! Being the SEO novice that I am, I had absolutely no idea that comments are that crucial to the ranking of sites on SERPs. I know about keywords, alt tags, resizing images and other basic stuff, but I didn’t know about comments. I really should brush up on my SEO knowledge if I’m going to blog more efficiently than I currently am. (If only SEO weren’t so technical…)
I agree with what you said about personal posts! Posts like the ones you mentioned are truly more suited for social media. I tend to scroll past blog posts that seem like something you’d see in a Sweet Sixteen Diary. But, fortunately, there a good number of bloggers whose personal posts are usually educative and, sometimes, inspirational. Those are the ones I’m always happy to read.
I didn’t realize the importance of fixing broken links until people started pointing out a few broken links in my old posts. It was really emb arrassing. I’d forgotten to update the link to Twitter account after Twitter suspended my old account. Thankfully, though, this embarrassment was all the motivation I needed to give my blog the audit it so badly needed.
Thank you for sharing your answers, Hugh. I’m especially grateful for what you said about SEO. Now I have something to read up on this weekend.
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I’m not an expert in SEO, Obinna, but I’ve heard it from others who are experts in that field (like Janice Wald of Mostly Blogging) that SEOs prefer long posts and comments not only make a blog look active (which SEOs like), but they also extend the length of the blog post. According to Janice, the magic figure is to get at least 30 comments for the SEOs to take notice of the blog post. The longer the comments, the better for the SEOs to rank the post higher.
Comments also help me with new ideas for future posts. So if I come across a blog post that has lots of comments on it, I’m even more likely to read it and (hopefully) add to the discussion.
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That’s a good point. I just realized how much I’m also drawn to blog posts that have lots of comments. But hold on a sec — does this means that SEO favours quantity over quality where comments are concerned.
I ask because I feel like it would be unfair if a blog post with 50 “nice post” comments ranks higher than one that has 15 really insightful comments.
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I should have said in my earlier comment that from what I have learned from the SEO experts I follow, comments must contain at least 20 words and be at least two sentences long for SEOs to take notice of them. Oh, and they should not include any emojis. Apparently, blog posts that include emojis (including in any comments) are ranked lower than those posts that do not include them. It’s why I’ve begun editing emojis out of comments before approving them on my blog. Emojis have their place, but I believe that’s in places such as on WhatsApp and Facebook. I know many would disagree, but I’m going by what I’ve learned from those who know their stuff far better than I do.
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Hi, Hugh. My apologies for the late reply.
I got to know about the effect on emojis on SEO last year, which was partly why I also stopped including them in my posts. The main reason I stopped using them was because they made my blog posts look less “professional” than I wanted them to. While I stopped using them in my posts, I still use them in my comments — I had no idea emojis could affect a site’s ranking that way.
Now that I know, though, I’ll certainly do the needful. Interacting with you is always a learning experience. Thank you!
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Okay… I have done both of those things…and trust me it’s a difficult question. Umm read other blogger’s post.
Personal stories.
Fix all the links. (I don’t think old posts require editing, unless my opinion is changed :P)
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Beautifully and concisely written, as always! I can relate to your first answer. While I haven’t gone a year without reading other blogger’s posts, I’ve gone a year without writing mine, and it wasn’t easy at all.
Your third answer is VERY interesting. If you write an opinion piece and your opinion on the matter changes many years later, would you go back to edit the post?
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I have gone months without writing but not a year… I came back within 5-6 months (I’ll have to check if that’s right :P).
Umm.. I don’t think I’ll edit them. Who’s going back to read those posts in the archives? If it’s something that’s important, I might write a new post with the changed opinion and link back to the first post.
There’s a reason why I won’t edit. I don’t want to feel bad about my thoughts by deleting it. I was recently going through the notes I wrote on my phone back in 2014-19. Was sorting them out by date. they were in different places. I ended dup reading some of them. It was amazing to see how my thoughts have changed over time. How things I thought would change my life don’t matter anymore. So I think it’s a good idea to keep those as proof of what you’ve felt and thought. (and this wasn’s concise :D)
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I’m a sucker for lengthy comments, so I’m glad that this particular comment isn’t concise. I totally get what you mean. I used to write about controversial topics here on my blog, and now that I don’t anymore, I’ve often wondered if I should alter (edit, rewrite, or delete) those old posts. In the end, I arrived at the same conclusion that you did: it’s always a good idea to keep those old posts because they would serve as proof that you’ve grown over the years.
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Yes! 🙂
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1. I’d rather not write blog posts for a year but still be able to read from others. What’s the use of talking if you can’t hear others too?😩
(I hope scribbling down ideas is an exception👀).
2. I’d rather read only personal stories. They can serve as lessons and also entertain at the same time ✌🏾.
3. Links please😂😂
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Interesting answers! I feel I’d rather read how-to posts than read personal posts because most personal posts I come across these days are either an account of the writer’s day, which—let’s face it—isn’t always interesting to read, or a depressing story. And since the simplest things trigger my depression, I tend to avoid such stories as though they were a plague.
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Ah. I get. I usually skip those ones and find interesting stories to read. Once you find some good people, you don’t need to worry about boring or depressing stuff.
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