Sometimes you have to say things out loud to make them real. I’m quitting blogging. There, I said it.
My blog at JimKukral.com has been active since August 2001. It has gone through many, many transitions. I’ve written thousands of blog posts. It has been great. It has helped me get an audience and helped me build a brand. I love blogging for what it has brought me.
But I’m quitting it. Here’s why.
About 3-4 years ago I quit blogging for a year. I was bored with it back then too. So I committed to doing a video every day instead of blogging. And I did. I produced hundreds of videos over that year and because of it, a lot of things happened for me.
1. I became VERY good at being on camera
2. I learned how to shoot and light sets
3. I learned how to edit video using multiple programs
4. I developed a thing called the Online Video Toolkit which has brought me thousands of new friends and fans, it’s free.
5. I sold thousands of Flip video cameras as an affiliate
6. I became known as an expert in online video
7. I learned how to market on YouTube
8. So much more
So essentially, when I quit blogging and started making videos instead, I gained a ton.
I’m ready to do that again. This time, it’s eBooks. So from this moment on, instead of writing a blog post, I’m going to write an eBook instead. Some of them will be free. Some of them will be paid. But all of them will be eBooks.
Why? Because frankly, I have more to say at this point in my life and career than what can be put in a blog post. And Twitter and Facebook give me my outlets for instant publishing.
But the biggest reason is that I don’t believe that writing blog posts is doing anything to further my business or brand. If I can push out 12 eBooks of high-quality in the next 12-months, I firmly believe that those will do more for me than 1,000 blog posts.
So to make sure you understand. I don’t think blogging is dead. I simply think it’s dead to me for now, again. How can you learn when you’re stuck doing the same thing, over and over? You can’t. Something’s gotta give, and new commitments have to be made. This is mine.
Now I’m off to write this first eBook. I think I might call it “Stop Blogging: You’re Wasting Your Time (if you want to make money that is)”
Wish me luck.
Good luck Jim. And how about that ipadio?!
Thanks Rob. Ipadio is something else new I'm trying. Thanks for the recommendation.
I love the idea and can definitely see a ton of value since you'll be much more focused on one thing. I might have to give it a try as well. Thanks! :)
Though it's our loss, I get it, Jim. It's why I sold my writing blog. Sometimes you just can't bring yourself to continue to talk about the same thing day in and day out anymore.
Hopefully this is a temporary hiatus like the last time. I look forward to seeing what's coming next from you!
It'll only be temporary if it doesn't wield results. :)
I'll join you on the ebook bandwagon. I tried blogging for a few months only to realize, like you, everything I want to say can be said better and faster in an ebook. Here's to our success!
I think that's true.
Say it ain’t so Jim. I’ll miss seeing your blog posts. I started blogging after I watched a video of you saying “Just start blogging.” It was a video for Fathom SEO in Cleveland.
Blogging does work, it's just not right for me right now. Not meeting my goals.
Ha, linkbait for me was so 2005. Thanks for wishes.
Interesting idea Jim. While I don't see myself quitting blogging as you are. I do see myself writing more of what I write as ebooks and white paper. Something I actually plan to do more of this next year.
Good luck with the Ebooks Jim. I can’t wait until I can say those three words myself. :-)
Like I told you on Facebook, I think it's a solid idea, Jim. And you know, people said Calacanis was insane for going email-only, and as far as I know, he didn't turn into a massive failure as a result. Turning to eBooks will be an interesting experiment.
Being nimble and responsive to both your own instincts and the results you get from your efforts = smart. Good luck Jim
I understand your decision, and have been there a few times myself. But I cringe when I hear comments like:
"Twitter and Facebook give me my outlets for instant publishing."
If you subscribe to the "Hub & Spoke" model, your website should be the hub, with Facebook, Twitter, eBooks and other spokes pulling visitors back in.
How will you promote your ebooks? Without an active blog, will you get search engine visitors to your sites? It's just a rhetorical question… you know web promotion better than most people. But my point is simply that quitting altogether may not be the best option. Maybe it would be better to blog excerpts of your ebooks to generate some interest? Or to just blog once a week?
Then again, quitting blogging just as it's becoming increasingly popular COULD be a strategy you're using to get attention (yes, I DID read your book!). I think it might just work. :)
It's definitely not about getting attention Brandon. Really, I'm just doing what I need to do to move forward. I've done the hub and spoke model with my blogs for almost ten years. In my opinion, for me, it doesn't work to meet MY goals. That's what Twitter and Facebook do, and they do it much better I think.
Blogs don't move the needle as much as people think they do.
Blogging is just publishing. Let's not get too hung up on the platform, or the word. If you're writing things and distributing it to others, you're still doing the same thing, even if you do it primarily in PDF.
Very interesting. Why not put all that passion into ebooks? Great idea, Jim. I'm on my way!
Jim I think that's an awesome idea..but I do try to implement videos in my post for the lazy person who hates to read.
"TrafficColeman "Signing Off"
Well – I see that as a good decision. Vidoe is so much more powerful. You can express so much more to Your reader/listeners/watchers :P via youtube or any other page alike. I wish You luck and will check around on Your videos :)
Hmm..not sure if I agree with your idea.. When people read up a post, they usually glance at the title, few words in the article, and determine if its worth a read. If your gonna make them download an ebook and go to page 3 to see if its something they like, people will get turned off after day 2. I wouldnt mind seeing how it works though.
It seems I just found your blog, that's to bad. But I do wish you luck as well Jim, and I will be adding you on twitter to see "what's next".
Best,
Heather
"Sometimes you have to say things out loud to make them real."
Or get attention, eh?
This wasn't about getting attention. This was about saying things out loud. Case in point, I just finished a big eBook today because I started it the day I wrote this post. Check it out. http://www.fivebuckebook.com
I wish you the best of luck Jim.
Thank you for enriching our knowledge and thoughts.
Fanis
Jim… I'm a bit sad because I'm a somewhat new convert of yours (after recently getting your book "Attention.") But, I also absolutely admire you in this move. Why? Because it takes someone realizing that they need to "rock their own boat" to force them to focus on where they're heading, if that's the direction they want to go, AND if their current method of "travel" (blogging as mentioned here) is the best way to get there. So best of luck… and I'll be looking forward to watching your videos!
good lucks…
Good luck with your ebooks! Sounds very interesting if you ask me.
Are you really sure that this is your blog post, ever? I'm laughing when you point out that blogging is a waste of time. I guess, Vlogs are the way to go these days and people just want to watch than read. Let's hope they'll increase bandwidth soon and that search engines will be more friendly to videos on the searches. Good Luck!
I regulary blog about online affiliate techniques. I think great looking wordpress templates are a great way to start. We now see even theme and content friendly templates. I always encourage my reader (if they're bloggers) to use templates related thematically to their content. Yes, blogging should not be set up as a primary business at all. It should be secondary by monetization with say adsense, clickbank, amazon etc.
…and yet, you're still blogging.
Why the change of heart?