The next installment in GMT’s Blogging Series deals with the roadblocks that can arise during blogging. There are two major areas of roadblocks that bloggers often encounter: the roadblocks that can deter somebody starting to blog and the roadblocks that slow down the actual writing process (writers block). As discussed in the previous blog post a blog is one of the simplest ways to get involved in the conversation surrounding your organization’s advocacy issues, but a blog is not effective if you are struggling to add content. Below are some helpful hints to help you overcome three common blogging roadblocks.

1. Procrastination- Procrastination is a roadblock that creeps up in many different areas of work but it can be especially detrimental in blogging. If you procrastinate for too long between posts you can lose reader’s attention, have too much or too little to write about, or you may not produce the best quality content if you wait until the last minute.

Suggested Solution: A good tactic for overcoming procrastination is scheduling set time each week to work on your blog post. Setting aside time each day or week to do research on your topic, review your notes, and actually start writing can help you to stay on schedule and keep you from procrastinating.

2. Paying Little Attention to Readers-Readers are the most important part of a blog. Tailoring your blog to a specific audience that has interest in your organization and mission will help you to gain readers. People who like your blog are going to tell others who may be interested and they are the audience that you want to be interacting with. It is vital not to ignore your readers as they can make or break the success of a blog.

Suggested Solution:First and foremost, be sure that you are engaging your readers. This means not only creating interest-driven content but encouraging them to comment and discuss the issues that you are writing about. A good way to get readers to comment more or begin to interact with your blog is to end your post asking for their opinions. Also, be sure to consider reader requests. The people who like your blog and what you are sharing are going to want to see your posts be the best that they can be. Therefore, listen to them if they have suggestions on formatting or topics.

3.    Brainstorming- Coming up with ideas to write about and actually writing your blog post is likely the most common roadblock that bloggers face. A blog can’t exist without content so it is crucial that bloggers be able to come up with ideas for content.

Suggested Solution: One of the most common solutions for bloggers when they are struggling to produce content is to write down ideas whenever they come to you. It is very likely that some of your writing ideas will come while working on something else so keeping a running list of ideas to write about may be helpful.  Mind-mapping is also a common solution for bloggers when they are stuck. It is similar to an outline but a visual representation linking ideas that branch out from a central topic. Even if you have an outline and ideas actually writing your content can be the tough-part. Changing your surroundings, taking a walk, or simply writing in a more stream of consciousness style can help you to actually get some words on paper.

Every new blogger faces different types of roadblocks but these are the most commonly shared among bloggers and writers. Bloggers have found many different ways to successfully tackle writers block that you can check out here. Hopefully some of these tips will help you during your blogging ventures, be sure to check in next week for some information about common blogging mistakes.