10 Minute Ideas for the Busy Blogger
April 26, 2007 | Comments (5) | Filed under: Blogging
I’ve found myself a bit under the weather the last couple of days and as always doing a little channel surfing while I missed out on work (Price is Right anyone?). Ultimately, I ended up watching a show on the Food Network entitled 30 Minute Meals. I’m not usually a random TV viewer (I prefer my TIVO) but the show gave me an idea for a post that I couldn’t pass up. Like any business, blogging has its up days and down days. Some days you have an endless supply of ideas while others you draw nothing but blanks. That’s life but as long as you’re prepared for the inevitable dry spells, you’re content won’t suffer.
One of the best ways to ensure you survive is to write articles in advance and queue ahead of your current day. Besides being able to think on your articles and extra day or two, you’ll find it much easier to keep up your posting schedule over the long run. In addition to keeping an advance queue, you should also stagger your articles to ensure your fresh and exciting content comes out at regular intervals keeping your readers informed and entertained as much as possible.
Sometimes this means filling in a gap or two with content that informs and excites, but is not an overly complex or deep article. The goal of 30 Minute Meals is to help you prepare food when you’re short on time. The goal of this post is the same. Here are some great 10 minute blog ideas that anyone can use to keep their site updated with fresh content every day.
Linkout list
As blog authors, many of us read dozens of other blogs on a daily basis for sources of inspiration and to actively contribute in our respective communities. A linkout list is basically a list of highlighted articles in other blogs that you have found interesting and also think your readers might as well. It takes easily less than 10 minutes if you’re constantly reading and bookmarking other sites already, and can be a really informative way to introduce your readers to fresh content they might be missing. Examples: Link Roundup, Great things I’ve Read, A Bit of Linkage
Comment on big news in your niche
Sometimes big news can be a great area of interest to your readers. If something big happens in your niche, you can comment on it and bring it to the attention of your readers. You’d be surprised how many readers may miss news you think was almost too big to bother mentioning. Example: Google buys DoubleClick for 3.1 Billion
Re-introduce new readers to posts they might have missed
For most sites, a constant influx of new readers can mean many of them have missed out on all articles prior to them becoming a regular reader. Most readers won’t bother going back through your archives, so a great way to introduce them to stuff they might have missed is to make a quick post highlighting your best work from the past. Examples: Blast from the Past, Get reacquainted with an old friend
Follow-up on a previous post
Some posts simply demand an encore. If you post about your daily happenings on your site, your readers would probably love to know whether something has succeeded or not over time. Following up on a previous post can be a very simple way to keep your readers informed without taking up much of your busy timetable. Example: Experimenting with comments and subscribers
Eat some humble pie
Similar to the previous method of following up on a previous post, eating some humble pie involves following up by admitting you made a mistake. As you get older, you get wiser and something you post one week may turn out to be wrong later on. Admitting your mistake in a follow-up post is a quick way to turn out some content and can also earn you respect from your readers.
Post an interesting video or image
Posting a video or image can help make your point sometimes better then words ever could. Linking to images and video can be as simple as a matter of seconds but can provide great content for your readers. Definitely a great way to keep your blog full of content when you don’t have a lot of time on your hands. Example: World’s greatest magician
Summarize someone else’s post
Just because another site posted about something first, doesn’t mean you can’t have something meaningful to say about it. If someone posts an article you’ve found interesting, chances are your readers will to. It takes no time at all to introduce your readers to the original post, and write up a quick one or two paragraph summary of what it says and why it was interesting. Example: Learning from the best designers, 10 blogging mistakes to avoid
Create a cliffhanger post
If you don’t have much to say, an easy way to say something without really saying something is to do a cliffhanger post. If you know you have something coming down the pipe, but its not quite post worthy, you can whet your audience’s appetite by teasing them with what’s to come. It works for 24 why not let it work for you?
Poll your readers
If you have a question you would like your community to help answer, setting up a quick poll is one of the best ways to get it done. Letting your readers know about the poll and why you’re running it is equally as easy and can be done in no time flat. Example: Is SEO Easy?
Post a List
If you’re pressed for time, nothing beats the good ole list. If you’re like me, you have hundreds and hundreds of bookmarks already saved for your own use. Why not turn those into a post? The size of your list really determines the amount of time it takes to put together, but a quick list of 10-20 items can easily make our 10 minute time limit. Make a list, check it twice, make it live, and get on with your busy schedule. You know Digg will love you for it 
Examples: 9 start-up business tips, 5 Free Wordpress Plugins to help you Monetize your Blog
Participate in a Meme
A meme is basically the equivalent of an Internet chain letter but with many more benefits such as shared linkbacks from many different sites and the ability to stand behind a message in support. If you get tagged for contribution to a meme, you can simply do your part, pick a few new links, and move on. It’s a great way to show your support for your community, show your users a little about your personality, and keep your your site updated with interesting content. Examples: 5 reasons I blog, Do Follow the D-List
These are just a few ideas off the top of my head to help you come up with a post at 2:30 am when you only have 10 minutes to spare. Just like a 30 minute meal can be the difference between eating healthy or eating fast food, a 10 minute blog post can be the difference between an actively updated blog and one that is down and out for the count.
If any of you have other great ideas for 10 minute blog posts, let me know. I’ll try to keep a running list going as a resource for those days of lacking inspiration.
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5 people have left comments
Nice read! Definitely useful for the average blogger.
I like the way you include examples to each of your individual points. Of course that helps your readers alot.
Thanks for the mention – this is a great list. Really good tips here.
Hello! I’m a Spanish Blogger and sometimes i made some of that thinks when i haven’t nothing good to post in my blog. This post really can help to bloggers when they haven’t got anything to say XD Sorry for my bad english. I add your blog to my faves. See you
Nice article. Made very interesting reading. Very original. Thanks!