Lazy blogging has less to do with the frequency of posting than it does with the quality of interaction with readers, other bloggers, and people of influence.
What makes someone a lazy blogger? I’ve compiled a short list, based on all of the browsing and visiting I’ve done over the past several weeks:
Photo Credit: oddstock (flickr)
1. Biting/copying material from other bloggers.
It’s OK to be influenced by another blogger; it’s definitely not OK to copy/paste their material into your blog. Think people don’t do that? Think again. Using an RSS feed to auto-post to your blog is copying material, and even if it were totally ethical (and there are cases where it is ethical), it’s still lazy.
2. Not giving photo credits.
Ick. This is a big one for me. If you use images in your photos, please give credit where credit is due. It doesn’t take long. It is a great way to establish a relationship with a photographer, too, if you use them often. In fact, here’s a tip: if you’ve got a local photographer who is awesome and you want to use her/his work often, reach out and ask if it would be OK. You might even give the photographer a feature post, introducing her/him to your readership and publicly giving a thank you.
3. Expecting a guest blogger to do all of your blogging.
Ick take 2. I recently got plugged in with Blogger Link Up thanks to Karen who left a comment about it. GREAT tool for connecting with other blogs and finding guest post spots/finding guest bloggers. Downside: a lot of marketers whose blogs exist solely to sell stuff are going to contact you and ask you to blog regularly. One site hadn’t been updated in a year, and they wanted me to do a regular post. No thanks! No updates in a year = no readership, and there’s nothing in it for the guest blogger. LAAAAZZZY!
4. Not responding to comments.
I’m aware that people receiving a massive amount of comments cannot possibly reply to each one. But even periodically acknowledging all of the comments is better than nothing. Try to facilitate a two-way conversation on your blog, instead of it just being a sounding board.
5. Just spreadin’ the news.
Don’t just spread the news – say something about it! It’s OK to have an opinion on your blog, you know. In fact, most of us are interested in exactly that. Don’t be shy! Your blog is the one place where you can admit that you like Miley Cyrus or that you’re a libertarian. The more honest you are, the more you will attract like-minds and turn your blog into a village.
The Remedies
This wouldn’t be a useful post if there were no flipsides to the above. 
Here we go:
1. Be original. Don’t just blog about what someone else blogs about. This is hard, even for blogs like mine, because 50 million bloggers are blogging about blogging. It can become so repetitive. Here’s what I do: try to have an edge. Don’t write to get comments. (If I did, I’d probably have more. ) Instead, write what you think will be interesting or helpful. If someone else has already said it, fine; just say it your way. No one else can say it your way.
2. Give photo credits. I do it by using the Image Caption feature in WordPress. Do it however you are comfortable; just do it.
3. If you have guest bloggers, sprinkle them in. Don’t make them do all of your work. It’s your blog. You blog. They add dimension.
4. Interact with the people who leave you comments. Show that you are interested in what someone has to say by acknowledging it. Try installing Top Commentator (see it in action in my sidebar). This gives the commentators a link back to their blog from yours; it’s a fantastic way to say thanks for being part of my tribe/village/community.
5. Say what you mean to say. If you are spreading the news, awesome; now, add a little interest by talking about why it was good enough to share. That’s it. Easy.
Your Turn
What do you think about lazy blogging? When is it OK to do any of the things mentioned above? What’s your laziness threshold?
About Tia Peterson
