Over the last couple of weeks I’ve wondered how I can keep up with the pace of writing articles for 2 – 3 posts a week. Including this post I have published 16 articles in April and I’ve two scheduled for May.
I’ve increased my output a lot since I started blogging again back in October. I’ve really enjoyed increasing my frequency of posting and I’ve also changed my blogging style to accommodate this. However, I miss my earlier long posts and at the moment have three or four that I’m researching that I’m having trouble finishing – but will eventually find the time to complete.
My blog was formed to disseminate history and I am an advocate of public history and like to hear stories not just of the elite, but also the regular people, although they are often harder to trace as the further back in time we travel the ‘ordinary’ people are not documented in the historical record.
I’ve plenty of posts (and ideas) in production, but do you think that ‘guest posts’ are a valid way forward? I ask because I do enjoy reading guest posts in other blogs but if you are a blogger your blog has room for whatever you write, unless like me, you try and stick to a chosen theme.
You may know people that do not blog but would like an outlet to share a post. It could be academic in style or more popular (such as an informal magazine article). It could be about something in the public sphere that they wish to comment on or some local or family history.
HistorianRuby can be a conduit for more than my notes about the past.
If I had a guest blogger I would need to have editorial control and certain guidelines that I’d want to adhere to, such as having an historical theme.
But also, no abuse, no discriminatory behaviour, no excessive profanity – I can turn the air blue with the best of them, but I’m not keen on reading it excessively in blogs (except when it’s in the actual archived document, I find that funny). I would expect references to original documents or secondary sources used when researching, this could be in the form of a ‘further reading’ list. Images used would need to be referenced.
It could be scheduled once or twice a month if there is interest.
What do you think about guest posts? Is this the direction I should go? Do I need to do a ‘call for papers’?
If you have any thoughts please comment or use my ‘Contact’ function. It will be interesting to hear others’ views.
HistorianRuby: An Historian's Miscellany 
It’s absolutely worth a try – there’s nothing saying you have to stick with it if you don’t like it 😊
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I guess it would depend on what you hope to gain by having guest bloggers. An increased audience? Would the guest blogger bring new eyes to your blog? Are you helping others to get their toes wet in blogging by being a guest? I’m sure there are other possibilities along these lines.
Based on the number of your criteria, you may just be increasing your workload.
As a reader, I’m always interested in history articles and would probably read your guest posts.
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Thanks for your input, you’ve added new questions. Possibly to increase audience but with a possible post of one a month it probably wouldn’t add many readers. I thought of other histories that other people may like to read that I tend not to write, such as military or niche posts that may not stand a full blog. My first ever blog post was as a guest of my university. 🙂
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Ah… the Guest Blogger approach. Whenever I see Bloggers starting to use guest bloggers, my mind immediately thinks that the Blogger wants to keep their Blog going, but they are tired of writing and doing it alone. Sometimes the Guest Blogger approach can work, but many times I have been following a Blogger, because I enjoy what “they” write about, then suddenly they post Guest Blogger articles that are really off topic.
You have a wonderful Blog that is very theme specific. I would think VERY hard about what you want to accomplish/offer your readers by using Guest Blogs. THEN I would suggest you plan out your Blog writing for a year and maybe in one month you cover a certain historical topic and your Guest BLoggers discuss something about THAT topic that you were not covering.
Also, I wonder why Bloggers feel they have to write 2-3 posts or even 5 posts a week?
I write once a week, usually posting on Monday. Sometimes I post twice a week and that is GOOD enough. I don’t get burnt out and I am happy.
It sounds like the reason you want a Guest Blogger is because you FEEL you need to post more than once a week… ASK yourself WHY you feel you need to post 2-3 times a week.
Personally, if your posts get to long, I do not read them, I skim through them, because I am reading A LOT of things (other blogs, news articles, things for work, etc.) that I cannot read one post that is sooooo long. I read your posts, because I enjoy history, but I am not a history buff.
So, think about your audience too. Just offering my point of view. 🙂
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I think it would be a great idea, especially as you said for people who don’t have their own blog and want to share a bit of history. But even if the person has their own blog, you would be gaining access to their readers too. I follow someone who posts about ghosts and the paranormal, who posts every day, and she often just provides links to other blogs or articles. I admire your output and dedication, once a week is enough for me, and now that the warm weather is here and gardening season beckons even that might feel like too much. I’m sure my 50 or so followers won’t miss me if I slack off….
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First of all , thank you for liking my post on Manhattan College . I have written three posts for a couple of bloggers, one was happy with what I wrote, the other not so much. Ask yourself why you want to have a guest blogger . Sometimes it’s to get your name and your blog out there and that’s great . You mostly talk about historical things, but you’d have a lot to offer if you teamed up with someone who has a travel blog, just saying. Also, if you want to post a blog 2-3 times a week and you feel you can do that without burning yourself out, do it. It’s YOUR blog, and no other blogger should tell you how often you should or shouldn’t blog. I like reading your blog, even if I don’t comment history fascinates me and you’re also giving the background location of the castle or event. Sorry for the rambling but I say go for the guest posting.
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Thanks for your comment. I’m enjoying the daily interaction but probably it is detrimental to my wish to write longer posts again as I’m frequently distracted. One or two in and I’ll be sick of them and long for the shorter posts once more! I do have a writer in mind, who agreed to write something for me, but I haven’t set a firm date to I may need to remind him . . . 🙂
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Hi! I’ve been enjoying reading your blog. My family is big into genealogy so some of the articles are very relevant to me.
In my case, I have been considering a guest blogger because my content is so all-over-the-place. You seem to have a more consistent theme going on, so I would be careful, but as long as your guest blogger understands what your blog is all about, it could be a good idea.
I’m fairly new to all of this though…
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Thanks for reading!
I’ve only published 3 guest blogs up till now, I like the diversity a guest post can bring. I approached an old university classmate after seeing her photos on the Manga exhibition, that is something I would never have gone to. Yet, I found the whole subject fascinating once I had delved into it. And I was very excited to share her blog.
I do have to retain editorial control, but to be honest, I’ve not had to worry about any of the posts I’ve published. And you are right, it has to fit into my history theme or it won’t make the cut!
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