I’ve Quit Blogging…

by

…For one day

I hope you’ll excuse my little trickery with the headline.  I wrote it to get your attention and talk about an important change on this site.

Today marks one whole year of a blogging streak.  February 15th, 2010 was the last time I missed a day of posting.  I don’t know how I managed to maintain this streak.  Especially since I lived out of a backpack for seven months.

Tomorrow marks another special occasion.  I’ll wake up, log into my computer, and for the first time in a year, I won’t read the responses to my latest post.

That’s because there won’t BE a post!

Yup, I’ve decided to take a day off.

Why?

Well, to answer that, let me talk about one of the greatest “streakers” ever: Cal Ripken Jr.

A Lesson from Cal…

Cal Ripken Jr. Consecutive Game StreakIf you know baseball, then you’ve probably heard about Cal’s streak of 2,632 consecutive games played.  From May of 1982 to September of 1998, he never missed a game.

What’s curious about this streak is one day he simply called it quits.  He wasn’t injured or taken out of the game.  One day Cal simply decided that he wasn’t going to play.

Now I’m not trying to compare myself to Cal Ripken.  The man is a living legend.  I guess what I mean is Cal ended the streak on his terms.  One day he decided it was time to quit.

Tomorrow is my Cal Ripken Jr. day.  I’m ending this streak at the nice, neat mark of one year of blogging.

Why Should YOU Care?

I know this post is a little self-serving.  So you might be wondering what’s in it for you?

Well, I’ve decided to reduce my blogging to 3 or 4 posts a week.  The quantity will go down.  But it’s my goal to dramatically increase the quality.

I’ve decided to refocus my energy.   Each post will be filled with actionable, information-packed content.  I want readers to get a lot of benefit from everything I write.

No longer will I post something just to keep a streak alive.  It’s my aim to make this blog the best site on the Internet Lifestyle.

What’s Next???

While I’m blogging less, I’m still very busy with a number of projects:

1.       My YouTube Channel: I’ve decided to dive in and go after YouTube.  I’m learning a lot about this technique and I think it’s going to be the number one source of traffic to my blog/email newsletter.   To see what I’m doing, subscribe to my YouTube channel.

2.       Affiliate Marketing without the Bulls**t:  I’m writing my first information product for the Internet lifestyle niche.  It’s aptly named Affiliate Marketing without the Bulls**t.  Basically it’s a step-by-step system that contains everything I’ve learned in the last few years.

The way I’m positioning this course is it doesn’t follow the get rich quick format I see with other eBooks.  Instead it’ll provide a no-nonsense approach to building a legitimate affiliate business that earns a full-time income.

Actually I just finished the rough draft.  It’s at the 70,000 word mark.  So it’s going to need a lot of editing and rewriting.  I hope to have this product completed by the end of April.

3.       Go Large Project:  As you probably know, I’m also doing the Go Large Project.  This is an attempt to maximize earnings with my affiliate marketing business.  What I learn will be put into my course, posts on this blog, and videos on the YouTube channel.  While I like earning extra money, I’m mostly doing this to provide more content on these different channels.

A Big Thanks!

Anyway, back to the main point of this post.

I’m glad I blogged for an entire year without missing a day.  But I’m equally happy that I’m slowing down.

I thank you for reading my posts – Specifically the really long articles.  It’s been a lot of fun writing them and I look forward to providing a lot more value in the months to come!

So no post tomorrow.

Instead I’m gonna have a beer!

Take Action. Get Results.



66 thoughts on “I’ve Quit Blogging…”

  2. Steve, I know I’m speaking for a lot of your ‘fans’ when I say I think you’re more than entitled to a day off – but increasing the quality of posts – seriously?

    There are very few blogs I got to for quality information. This is one of them. The idea that the quality will improve is blowing my mind! I completely understand the need to concentrate your efforts and I can’t wait to see what Stevscottsite will be like in the future.

      • Lesley/Lisa

        Thank you very much for your kind words! Much Appreciated. I do try to put out quality here. ut I know I slipped in one or two posts just to make sure I posted, “something”.

        Thanks for your nice comments and I will surely do my best to keep good stuff coming!

  3. Steve, Ive only vistied this site a few times and Ive learned lots. I’m very much a newb, but I am very grateful for the information you’ve already published here which is really helping with my flower site.

    I really enjoy video – its great for flowers, so I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

  4. Hello Steve. My friend Jane suggested I visit your site as there was lots to learn in it. She was write! But I don’t think 3 or four blog posts a week is a problem, lots of other blogs don’t do that many, and yours are much better than theres are anyway.

    I’ll look for your videos on youtube. Will you be writing much about how its done? I am hoping to do some for my flowers.

    • LOL,

      That would be a funny way to go out. In a way it would be nice if people quit blogging with a farewell, though. usually you just keep going to the site looking for them simply to never know why they quit.

      No worries about me really quitting. I have been actually waiting on this landmark since around xmas time, when I was deciding whether to change up at “New Year” or go for the 1 year mark.

  6. Steve,

    As for me, I never felt that you were writing to keep the streak. Everything has always been full of quality.

    We understand that you have to re-align your values and priorities. This is not a bad thing at all. This bespeaks of growth. It means you just need to distribute the load.

    We “forgive” you. 🙂

    • Thanks Marlon,

      Hopefully I will be able to free that little bit of time into some really positive ventures. I did try to still have high quality every post. But I know a few slipped by that were just 300 word posts for the sake of posting. Certainly no more of that, because I have enough to say that it will be the other way…hard to contain in “just” 3-4 days

  8. I’ve only recently started following your blog, but I’ll say it is one of the best. In the affiliate marketing world, there are few blogs that really stand apart from the rest, yours is one of them.

    On another note, since I know you are big on list building; do you have a post about list building if you don’t have a website of your own? Is this even feasable?

    • Thanks Daniel!

      It is nice to know you get some value out of the blog. I am trying hard to put value that i never found when I was starting affiliate marketing specifically and trying to make money online (and blog) in general (at least not until I took a course that cost mega-bucks)

      It makes me feel good for you to say that you are finding the good information here that I hope I am putting out!

  9. Steve:

    Kudos on a job well done. That is an amazing streak and yes indeed a well deserved day off is due. I have to say though, you always provide quality so no change there. Looking forward to your information product as well.

    • Thanks Lisa,

      I appreciate your kind sentiments. The eBook is coming along nicely. I am quite excited about that, still a lot to do…but the first draft is all done.

  11. Steve,
    Considering that I have never read a post on your site that wasn’t first class, I will be eager to see what your IMPROVED posts look like. I’m upping my effort too but since I only post five times a week at my main blog and twice at Coots, this just means better focus or more time.

    • LOL,

      Thanks Ralph, as someone who has been a reader since almost the beginning that means a lot. I certainly have to swing by coots. Just realized I haven’t been there in ages. Think I might have messed up the link in feedburner.

      Anyway thanks for the great comment. Have an awesome week!

  12. Hi Steve:

    Hey It is one year to your blog. Wow. You deserve at least off from your blog.
    You need a break. a well deserved break. It is awesome to have year without a single day off. Congratulations,and enjoy tomorrow.

    I will see your post on Thursday.

    Fran A

    • Thanks Gabi!

      I certainly will enjoy my Cal Ripkin day. I will still be working, answering comments etc. Hopefully there will be a lot less and I can get out to other blogs, which I have been falling behind on. I am looking forward to that!

  15. I think is definitely the better choice overall yo!

    Your MVP’s are the BEST – if you were able to pump those out on a regular basis, your blog is going to become basically the only one I go to for information haha.

    Additionally, I think you do need all the time that you can to work on your other online projects because (as you’ve heard me say before) your real world experience is always 1000x better than someone’s theory.

    As for the product, don’t censor it man. We all know what it is, just let it rip. Be right in your face.

    Lemme know if I can do anything to support ya 🙂

    • Definitely keeping the Monday MVPs. The Sunday selections (that may become Saturday selections and likely making Wed an MVPish post. Thurs will be guest post/something that doesn’t fit/ or no post.

      I have been trying to provide solid quality 7X a week. But I know some are better than others. Hopefully with only the 3-4 they will all kick ass.

  16. Happy birthday? Happy anniverary?? Congrats!

    I, for one, will be glad you’re going to stop posting so much so I don’t have to hop over here every darn day and hang out like a Steve Scott groupie and soak in all that high quality information you provide so readily. 😀

    Let me know if you need an extra set of eyes to look at your ebook (how exciting!) before it goes live. I’m Mrs. Typo-Finder.

    Peggy

    • Will do Peggy, thanks for the offer on typo finding! 🙂

      I will still come over here and answer comments daily that won’t change, so if you feel lonely on an off day, feel free to drop on by. 😉

  17. Stevo!

    I knew something was up with that catchy title though. 🙂
    Man, that’s one heck of a streak and shows you complete dedication to success. I know all about Cal, being a life-long Baltimore resident, and that is a perfect comparison. blogging for a solid year is phenomenal. Congrats!

    Streak or not, there has been nothing but high value posts here, for which you are to be commended. I am personally happy to see your progress as it sets a great example to follow.

    You’re on an awesome ride, man. Rock on!
    Enjoy that day away and the new pace of creating awesome content and products.

    • Well blogging for a year is stretch to meet Cal’s amazing streak. Really it show HOW amazing his was. Because all I had to do was get ‘ahead’ and make sure something was scheduled for everyday. He had to show up and play every day for years.

      Lots of respect for that guy. Thanks for the kind words Jimi!

  18. That’s awesome that you’ve been able to blog every day, even when you were travelling through Europe. I barely manage to find enough time to read everything you wrote between my own writing and my daughter occupying my time, so I can only imagine the effort that it takes you to keep pumping out quality stuff.

    It’s hard to think of you writing even better posts, but I can’t wait to see what you have hidden up your sleeves.

    • Thanks Tristan,

      Yeah I took the idea on cutting back a little a while back, but at 10 + months into it it seemed silly not to push for 12 months at least to be able to say I did make it a year (and accumulate a little more “backlog” of info.

  20. Good for you Steve!
    We all deserve a day off once in a while.
    Giving your other projects some time will make a big difference for you down the road.

    Keep up the great work, your 12 month streak is least to say impressive.

  21. Lol Steve!

    You really got me into reading it. At first I was like… “Are you for real?” then i though naah.. can’t be. I totally support the transition Steve. I’ve always thought that blogging every few days once is better than trying to do it everyday. Regardless, I’m still always coming back here, cos your content is always worth looking out for!

    Cheers to your on your blog birthday 😀

    • Bryan,

      LOL, sorry for the “ruse” but I thought it was a pretty funny way to go about bringing up the topic. I do think there is a general concensus that every other day or so is more than sufficient. I know for a fact I have a very hard time making all the blogs I read every day (even every other day for that matter) so I can assume the same for here.

      I am curious to see if total traffic dips some (it may) but I am sure that the total amount of people reading each and every posts will surely increase.

  22. lol you almost got me there with the headline. I though you were about to quit blogging and I was curious as to why a successful blogger would do so.
    It is acceptable to take a day off in order to refresh yourself and to keep up posting quality content.

    • LOL,

      sorry for the trickery Andreas, thought it was sort of a funny way to broach the topic.

      Ya I think this way will be a lot better in the long run. Certainly more eyes on every post, even if total visits per day go down (which I hope they will not)

  23. Steve,

    As someone mentioned already, I’m looking forward to see your quality posts – I think they are already super quality 🙂

    You know, I started my YouTube journey a little while ago as well and I would be more than interested to see you sharing the tips and lessons related to that topic.

    Also, can’t wait for your affiliate marketing product!

    • Timo,

      Thanks for the kind words. I have been trying for a lot of quality in my posts previously. Just I occasionally did a short nothing post, “just because” there will be no more of those. Hopefully every post shall have some sort of good info.

      I am definitely going to be adding content on how to better use YouTube, since that is something I am working on most days myself now.

  24. Hey Steve,

    I am not kidding when I say that my heart sunk when I read the title (I don’t know why but I always feel nostalgic when I hear about someone quitting something).

    Well, I think everyone deserves some days off, especially those that work hard everyday and have a tight schedule.

    Congratulations on your incredible streak and I hope you have a nice day off.

    Keep rocking!

    • It was nice Alex, thanks.
      I think the slight decrease in posting frequency shall have some good benefits too. I was finding it hard to keep up with comments and going out and doing my own commenting (and reading) in the time I give myself to do it.

  25. Hey Steve

    When I started my first blog, I think I went 9 months blogging every single day so you beat me by a few months! It is hard to write that frequently I find and I generally do 3-4 times per week now too.

    Good luck with the beer(s).

    Carl

    • I actually don’t think writing everyday is bad starting out. At least for people that do not burn themselves out or wear out all the topics. It gives a nice backlog of information that Google can use to find your site.

      Ultimately though, for a single person. I think 3-4 times a week is a good balance. I have just been a bit stubborn taking this long to decrease to that number.

  27. steve, you ‘ve done an awesome job this last year. You inspired me when I launched my blog in Autumn. You were the first one to contact for my guest posting, (the 5 ways positive thinking can help you expand your business) so how could I forget you, and how could I NOT FAINT WHEN I SAW THAT DAMN TITLE 🙂 see you in youtube

    • Steven,

      Haha, sorry for the little bit of trickery. It seemed like a “fun” way to do it. Particularly since I allready did a , “Steve Scotts day off” post, even though it was, ironically, not about taking a day off.

  28. And a well deserved beer that is Steve, enjoy it and your day off.

    Frankly I still think your list of stuff you’re doing seems a little thin. Only 3 large projects? Come on man, you can do more than that.

    Of course I’m kidding and am glad for this as I’ve been waiting for your affiliate marketing e-book ever since you mentioned it. I’m trying many methods at once and can’t wait to try the ones you suggest as well.

    • Well, I thinned out the list to not bore but there is also commenting, more work to be done on the layout of the site, more auto-responders posts for other niche (and maybe this one), analyzing results, writing guest posts for OTHER sites (something I have been putting off but need to do), networking more, connecting more, doing more twitter/facebook, making more YouTube videos for video marketing and a (little) article marketing… I don’t need to go on.

      I know you were being sarcastic, but was fun to list ALL the stuff (actually just part) of the things I have upcoming. Most of those are the things WE ALL have upcoming. There sure is a lot to being successful.

  29. Steve, you sick freak, amazingly done my friend. I love to write, but the task you’ve just completely truly takes a discipline and passion that simply put, most people don’t have.

    I look forward to seeing your blog continue to develop, and what’s in store for the readers out there like me. One thing is for sure, I see value with every article you post, and that keeps me coming back.

    Well done bud,

    Marcus

  30. Well done Steve, 12 months of blogging every day. A streak that has got you an Alexa rating of 36,000. This is the sort of target I like, hard but neat and simple.

    Blog every day for a year. Even I can understand that. Then a day off with a beer. Can you imagine a year without drinking? I can, it’s called a nightmare.

    A streak that earns money is worth doing. I also like the fact that you started in February. A year doesn’t have to start on 1st January.

    I’ve just written a post on restarting my own New Year Resolutions from 17th Febuary…17th February 2012 here I come. I want to earn my day off and beer, just like you.

    Thanks for the inspiration Steve.

    John
    Blogging in Leamington Spa, England

  31. Steve,

    First of all, CONGRATULATIONS on a great year of blogging! And I must say you did it with style. Hats off to you on your accomplishment!

    While you are reducing the frequency, I know you will just get busier with the things that are working for you. I can see you practicing your philosophy of trying out various things and seeing what works, and then giving more time to those things that work.

    It had been a nice journey reading your blog for close to an year now. I think I started reading it in its first month itself, thought I started commenting on it a little later.

    At one point I remember you asked your readers whether they would like you to post more than once a day, and everyone came back with a big NO NO! I am sure some of us would be slightly relieved (well, I am!) that we will be able to catch up with reading all the stuff that you write. And probably there will be a little more time to visit other blogs as well while you take take your days off from blogging and give us some respite from reading. LOL!

    But having that said, I just can’t wait to see what the IMPROVED quality of your posts would be like. I know you would not be aiming for perfection as you are well aware of the 80/20 rule, so I am eager to see what the difference is going to be like.

    Er… Looks like my comment might take up too much space on the page, so I’ll stop here for now. I wish you the very best in your endeavors, as always! Keep up the spirit!

    Cheers,
    Mark

    • Mark,

      thanks for your comments. It has been a wild ride. I’m not sure if my,”big” articles will get a lot better. But hopefully they will all be of that same quality. I won’t be posting simply to post. it way back when I ask that post about blogging frequency, that was about the time I was wondering about shifting to three or four times a week. I wasn’t super keen on the idea, but it was always percolating. now should have time to do things like guest posting too, at least once I finish my e-book.

      Thank’s again for the comment, have a great day

      • Guest posting! Yet another reminder for me. Man, I must make more time to get all this stuff done! There’s a lot on my plate (not to make any excuses), but the first thing I want to get out is a site redesign. I know my current site sucks (It’s on an old version of WPmu you know, and it doesn’t even support all the latest plugins). I’m aiming to get my new rite rolling within another month’s time. I hope everyone likes it. Wish me luck 🙂

        Here’s wishing you all the best for your information product too!

  32. Hi Steve,
    Well congratulations on making a healthy well thought decision. I do have one question but I’m not sure it’s possible to answer. Do you have a feel for the correlation between frequency of blogging and amount of traffic generated. Ana Hoffman said that when she decided to blog daily her traffic double which is rather dramatic. That being said I’m in your camp and will not commit to daily blogging. It’s always at the expense of doing something else and I have a lot of “else” that I want to do.
    Riley

    • Riley that is a very good question. ONe that hopefully I can give a better answer to once I have more data. So short answer is “I am not SURE yet”. Longterm answer is that I think traffic will slightly increase.

      There will certainly be more traffic on a per article basis. It is hard for even ‘fans” to keep up every single day. This should lead to a few extra stumbles and RT’s which may increase traffic. Of course with 2X the posts you give 2X the chances people will see something they like, and @x the old articles to be found.

      Ultimately I expect traffic should be fairly close with (like I said) per article traffic definitely increasing.

  33. While im sure this break is a great thing for you. I want to let you know you have been my model to work towards. In 2010 my postings were about 1 time a week, but was less when you look at what its posted. This year im shooting for posting every 3 days with a goals to reach 5 times a week by end of year.
    Of course my business is different from yours most of my income comes from coaching which I love to do. However your daily blog is a great place for me to shoot for.
    Rock on in your new model, change is good we should never stay routine, should always be looking to better ourselves.
    Tim
    Rocker Life Coach

  34. Steve, firstly congratulations on the one year milestone. You’re mirroring exactly my thoughts. Whilst I never posted as much as you I was posting 4-5 times a week. I have taken the decision to post 2-3 times a week. My objective is to be more useful than interesting with my content. The idea which I’ve ‘borrowed from Tim Ferriss is for each post to be more valuable a year from now than they are today because of the comments and expression of ideas from the community.

    Keep up the good work, I look forward to seeing how the next year pans out for you.

    Matthew

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