Songdo South Korea
I spent the past 20 minutes deleting blog comments.
I had to trim the blogging hedges.
After meditating earlier today I felt this idea throbbing in my mind:
“Delete all blog non-essential blog comments. Delete all comments that do not add value to your blog. Trim the blogging hedges to create more storage for insightful blog posts and visitors.”
I felt like the telegraph made me drop everything to get the job done. I only scanned 30 pages of comments on Blogging From Paradise. Yet I deleted 40 comments; 20 published by readers and 20 published by myself. I shall finish the job later tonight. Who knows how many comments I will delete? We shall see.
Why?
Every blogger needs to trim the blogging hedges from time to time. Consider it to be taking out the blogging trash. But never perceive that concept in condemning fashion. Frame this as getting clear on your blog. I appreciate readers. But I need to ensure that they always bring value to the blogging table. Everything on my blog needs to be top shelf; I got a helluva lot clearer on this over the years.
Getting Clear
I realized earlier today that my blog houses dozens of comments not genuinely deserving the light of day. The comments do not add true helpfulness for our blogging community. At the time that readers submitted these comments, I felt lacking so naturally I approved each comment. But I subsequently cleared out this lack of clarity; the full clearing occurred today as the idea popped up in my mind.
Respect this process. Gaining experience organically stimulates greater mental clarity. Consider this to be looking at your blog through a new, clear, confident set of glasses. What you thought in the past is not what you think now. What you feared in the past is not what you fear now. I feared not generating enough social proof years ago. I no longer fear this idea because I am not externally dependent in that regard. At least, I am not that way now.
Clearing non-value comments frees us server space for:
- readers
- blog posts
- customers
We all win.
No one loses.
OK; the few who appear to lose exposure – I deleted their comments – rarely if ever visited my blog after dropping comments. The few who still visit my blog fully understand my style by now.
Batty One
I also deleted a few genuine comments from someone who deviated a bit from their prior view of me, my blog and my authenticity. This is a nice way of saying: they went bat shit crazy on me.
Far from being a grievance or blogging revenge, I prefer to put them and any comments completely in my rear view mirror. I want nothing to do with fear, anger, pain, suffering, complaints or any non-matching emotions here. I have respect for myself, for you and for our entire blogging tribe. Nothing personal; just mindset training, folks.
Some soured blogging relationships and their vestiges deserve to remain dead and buried.
Critics need not apply here; you will not be heard.
I am here to help bloggers who want my help and to do nothing else.
Take it or leave it.
That’s my style.
I’m not running an emotional day care center for adults.
Why Do You Need to Take Out of Blogging Trash Periodically?
Visions change.
Income channels change.
Readers change.
Strategies change.
Getting mentally clearer reveals what needs to stay and what needs to go.
Clearing former mental chatter inspires one to look at their blog and say:
- “Do I really need that?”
- “How is that helping my readers?”
- “How is that helping me?”
- “Does that build my community?”
- “Is that dead weight?”
I perceived those 40 comments as minuses not pluses. Even with substantial hosting, why would I want my server to house waste?
Most bloggers never trim the blogging hedges for fearing loss. I got through this one after deleting 3400 posts and an entire blog well over a decade ago, the genesis of Blogging From Paradise Dot Com. Been there. Done that. But the blogging masses have not been there and never done that; this idea sounds terrifying.
No One Gets Ahead by Holding on to the Past
Bloggers grow by shedding what prevents their growth.
Maybe you published a heavy volume of somewhat awful posts during a beginner blogger stretch.
Stop condemning yourself for lacking experience.
But be quick to cull what holds back your blogging growth.
You may find it cute to chart blogging progress. Readers may perceive low quality content in different fashion. Organic traffic and blogging income depends more on their perception and less on your personal whims.
Every piece of content on your blog needs to:
- establish trust
- build community
- build a brand
- fortify your business
From blog posts, to comments, to income channels, everything should fit together perfectly like a puzzle.
Anything that no longer fits needs to go.
Trim the blogging hedges.
Be merciless with your blogging cull.
Your peace of mind and success depends on it.
Ideas for Trimming the Blogging Hedges
Keep these ideas in mind:
- delete irrelevant blog posts
- update blog postsÂ
- delete irrelevant comments
- remove dead links
- remove links pointing to less than reputable blogs
- trash worn out income channels (for example, I stopped guest blogging for links way back in the day after Matt Cutt’s fateful update)
What needs to go needs you to trash it.
Nothing disappears on its own.
Growth often occurs by releasing what appears to hold you back.
Imagine publishing dozens of 400-600 word blog posts with the traffic shelf life of milk in the tropics. Readers visit for 2-4 hours after the publish date. No one visits these posts after that impossibly short surge. Do you really need to hold on to posts that nobody sees for years? Nope. Trash ’em. Publish long form blog posts going forward. Make everything work for you around the clock. Drive organic traffic through multiple channels. Tap into Google traffic.
Deleting thin content that does nothing for you put the above process into motion.
Releasing precedes acquiring.
Never forget that core idea, especially in a world terrified to release and hellbent on acquiring through piggish consumption.
Conclusion
I nabbed the idea for this post after trashing 40 worn out comments.
Let go the old and worn out.
Make room for new, fun and growth-expanding activities.
Trim the blogging hedges once in a while.
