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6 Barriers to Blogging – And How to Bust Them

Imagine your association leadership’s reaction if you suggested a blog: Would you be greeted by silence, a shuffling of papers, and darting eyes? At DelCor's Progress U. - Blogger Summit we discussed busting the many barriers to blogging. Here are some insights and examples from association bloggers.

Barrier #1: Limited Resources

There’s never enough time and money. Although blog platforms are inexpensive, it takes time to manage and write content for a blog. ASAE’s Acronym blog has neither a budget nor dedicated staff. It’s managed and written by the magazine’s editors with the help of volunteer guest bloggers.

Unlike ASAE, the National Wildlife Federation has a budget that was used to redesign the blog and hire a part-time editor to manage it. Their posts are written by 179 staffers from headquarters and regional offices – communications and policy staff, program directors, middle and senior management, and even the CEO. (In our next blog post, we'll dig deeper into how ASAE and NWF recruited their bloggers.)

Barrier #2: Tradition vs. Innovation

Innovation has been a topic of heated discussion for several years because, frankly, most associations don't do it very well. They either don't budget for innovation or aren't nimble enough to implement new ideas. The prevailing culture also obstructs change: “we've always done it that way.” Egos, jobs, and budgets are tied to the old and resist the new.

Blogs aren't the only initiatives to suffer. "The first line item that gets cut from budgets is mobile," said Ray van Hilst. Mobile-friendly sites are easy to create, yet many associations don't, even when metrics show increasing mobile views.

Barrier #3: Full Plates

Lisa Junker, former editor in chief at ASAE, pointed out a huge obstacle: Staff plates are full because associations are bad at sunsetting programs. When researching an article about sunsetting, she only found one association that did it well, but they didn’t want to be quoted because they did it without their board’s knowledge! Subterfuge: a new strategic tool?

Barrier #4: Fear

Spam, negative comments, liability: blogs can be scary if you’re not proactive on these fronts. Filter spam. Moderate comments according to your published guidelines. Minimize liability with an enforced social media policy. (Your association has one, right?)

Education helps to reduce fear. Acronym’s staff found out the hard way what happens when senior staff doesn’t understand blog and community protocol. When an “incendiary word” appeared in a post title, it spread like wildfire and some influential members complained. Regular readers weren’t fazed, but staff was told to remove the post, causing an even bigger uproar from the online community who cried “censorship.”

Barrier #5: Confidence

At first, the public aspect of blogging can be unnerving. Even experienced bloggers aren’t always confident about their posts. Shelly Alcorn said, “Every time I hit publish, I think this is the post that will ruin my career.” She suggests being strategic about your content and pushing through any low-confidence moments.

Don’t shy away from difficult topics. Readers flock to posts about controversial issues. One of Maddie Grant’s most popular posts – Has ASAE Lost Its Mojo, a critical look at the 2010 annual meeting – sparked lots of discussion, not all favorable, but she has no regrets.

Barrier #6: Unfamiliarity with Blogs

Many association decision-makers don’t read blogs, and aren’t even aware of the blogging going on in their industry. They don’t understand how a blog can serve the association and engage their members. They’re not comfortable with that mode of expression. You’ll have to educate them to help them get past their discomfort and misperceptions.

Don’t use technology lingo when discussing blogs. Show examples of other industry and association blogs. Focus on the impact of this new communication and engagement channel, not the tool itself.  

Once you get the green light, take time to research by subscribing to industry and association blogs. Most importantly, develop a mission and content strategy.

Blog Mission

A mission will help you make decisions about appropriate content. The Acronym blog’s first post announced theirs: “Spotlight innovation and excellence inside and outside the association world, explore new possibilities for the future of associations, and question the conventional wisdom of association management.”

Content Strategy

How can your blog be used as a strategic tool to help the association achieve its goals? Define the blog’s goals and audience, including any niches you wish to engage. What are their content needs? What would they find valuable or interesting? Determine your posting frequency. Create an editorial calendar to keep you on track. The more you post, the more Google traffic you’ll get, but keep the frequency realistic and manageable.

In the next post, we’ll discuss two of the day’s hot topics: recruiting bloggers and keeping the content pipeline full.

Flickr photo by sarflondondunc

Verdict: Blogs Are Not Dead

At Progress U. - Blogger Summit one week ago today, we asked our lunchtime panel two questions: Are blogs dead? Why do people keep asking that question?

The consensus, as might be expected from a room full of bloggers, was "No, blogs are not dead." Why did our panel see hope for blogs and why is this question still being asked?

Blog status report

Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project reports that only 32% of online adults read blogs, whereas twice as many use social networking or video sites. When the press sees numbers like that, it leads to sensational headlines: Blogs are dead!

Leaving aside the hyperbole, why are there so few blog readers? Maybe it's a perception issue. Many older adults have a limited familiarity with blogs. They see blogs as a place only to rant about politics or dish about celebrity fashion, not as serious resources for professional development. Plus, with the melding of blogs into websites, some readers may not even realize they're reading a blog.

As panelist Jeff De Cagna pointed out, older generations are digital emigrants, not digital natives like Millennials who know only a world of enhanced technology where learning, communicating, and building relationships is done online. According to Pew, 49% of teens and 43% of Millennials read blogs, compared to 25-34% of older generations. However, teens are using other social media platforms, instead of blogging, to express themselves. The number of teen bloggers dropped 50% since 2006, while the number of older bloggers increased. Will teens return to blogging as they grow older?

From clay tablets to WordPress

Blogs are the latest in a long line of content containers. Long ago, papyrus rolls and parchment manuscripts delivered knowledge. For many, people blogs have replaced magazines and newsletters.

Maddie Grant sees blogs as living things. A dynamic form of communication, blogs evolve as new widgets, formats, and delivery methods are invented. But, Jamie Notter added, blogs aren't entitled to stay alive. If we find another mode of expression, another container, it's okay if blogs die, as long as we continue to learn and advance.

Are other social media platforms killing the need for blogging? Not yet! Blogs are alive and well because they provide value that other platforms don't.

Benefits of blogging for associations

Your blog, said Ben Martin, along with your website, is your homebase. Blogs, with pages full of keywords, are search-engine friendly, bringing people to your homebase and giving you the opportunity to educate and engage them with your content.

Blogs act as a trusted filter, said Ray van Hilst, helping members wade through information overload, a role ASAE plays with its Quick Clicks posts. ASAE's blog also hosts and sparks conversations about critical issues, like innovation.

Ray showed how the National Wildlife Federation uses their blog to get their stories out and extend their fundraising and political reach, turning readers into donors and activists.

Blogs are a platform for associations and individuals to share knowledge, build a community and market subtly. Maddie's blog posts about social media led to her reputation as a thought leader and speaker, and, eventually, her consulting business.

Bloggers as change agents

Shelly Alcorn measures her blogging success by the feedback and inspiration she's received from readers and  the relationships she's built. What about influence? Are bloggers change agents for the association community?

Bloggers are the voices who question traditional narratives in the association industry. Stefanie Reeves uses her blog to amplify voices that aren't normally heard, bring her unique perspective to the association community, and teach the community about ASAE's Diversity Executive Leadership Program.

Blogs are alive and kicking

Blogs aren't dead because organizations use them to fulfill their mission and achieve their goals. However, many associations don't take advantage of blogs and other technology. They don't experiment and innovate because they don't see it as an imperative; after all, they're not failing, yet. Maddie believes that if everyone on staff is invested in and has a role to play in innovation and the strategic use of technology, be it a blog or social media, associations would be more successful.

Jeff asked, "Are we oriented toward the past or the future? Not using more technology in our business plans is killing us." Technology empowers and transforms associations. It allows staff to spend time on meaningful work that creates value for members, and provides platforms for knowledge delivery and relationship-building. Now that's progress!

What do you think is in store for the future of association blogging? Is death imminent?

Stay tuned for more reports from Progress U. - Blogger Summit.

 

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