Why Blogs Die

This has been on my mind for a while now. Really ever since Young House Love decided to say goodbye to Blogland.

You see, Young House Love was the first blog I ever started reading. The first one and I read it for years and years and through them ultimately found this thing I call Blogland. Finding Blogland and expanding my blog reading list ultimately led to my desire to start a blog of my own. To say that I'm taking YHL's goodbye hard is maybe a small understatement.

The last few weeks I've started thinking about why blogs die and I've got a few theories.

1. Critics
It happens to everyone at one point or another. You're putting yourself and your personal life and sometimes the lives of those close to you onto the internet where anyone and everyone can read it, critique it, and judge it. It happens. There are a hundred ways a blogger can handle the situation, but it basically comes down to if a blogger can deal with it or not. If they can't, then bye bye blog.

2. Privacy
Bloggers are typically straddling an invisible line of sharing too much and not sharing enough to please your readers. A blogger usually has a list in their head of things they can't share on the blog. Once that list becomes too long, it makes writing a post difficult and you stop getting readers because your post quality starts to decline. Eventually a blogger's need for privacy outweighs their need for a blog and then bye bye blog.

3. Expectations
Sometimes you'll get a blogger who comes on the scene who is in Blogland just to make money. Which is totally absurd. If this is you, quit now and save yourself the time. Yes, some bloggers can and do make significant money blogging, but that's oh so rare. When you consider how much time and money they put in to make that money? It's just totally absurd to get into this for that reason only. Usually when these types of bloggers don't see the results quickly then it's bye bye blog.

4. Inspiration
You've heard it before, a blog is only as good as its last post. Content, content, content is the key to any "successful" blog. You can usually tell when a blog is nearing its end, because there will be a uprise in guest posts and sponsored posts and very few original posts. Usually, at least in the few bloggers I've discussed this with, it's not that you have nothing to write about, it's that you don't have a creative way to write it. But also, sometimes a blogger just has nothing to write about. When the post inspiration goes, that usually means bye bye blog.

5. Fun
Honestly, for the majority of bloggers, blogging is a hobby. Sometimes a hobby that pays, but mostly a hobby. Hobbies are meant to be fun. Bloggers need to enjoy the whole process or things start to become a chore. Once they're a chore? Well then they aren't fun. Once blogging isn't fun, then it's bye bye blog.

6. Time
In my humble opinion, I think this is the big one. This is definitely the number one reason I see blogs die. I've said it before and I'll probably say it a hundred more times - Blogging is a time suck. Blogging is so time consuming. There is nothing quick about any piece of the blogging puzzle and typically you're "expected" to blog 3-5 times a week! I say "expected" because that's what a lot of bloggers do, but honestly, do whatever you want. I clearly do. I've seen blog after blog after blog end because they just don't have time for the whole blogging thing anymore. A blogger is getting married or having a baby or just got a new great job and suddenly Blogland becomes just a huge time suck and not much else.

These are my theories. I think that when a blogger ultimately decides it's time to say goodbye that it's a combination of all of the above. Even if you're a blogger and you aren't ready right now to say goodbye, I'm sure you've at least thought about it for one of those reasons or another. I know I have.

What do you think? Are there any more reasons that I missed? What's a blog you loved that has said goodbye? Are you as broken up about YoungHouseLove as I am? Because dude..