Planning to go on a long vacation with family? Have you ensured your blog won't go on vacation with you? Sometimes, we tend to procrastinate (haven't you ever?) even in the most favorable conditions and a long vacation can really trigger this deadly virus within you, unless you do the preparation in advance. Careful planning can keep your blog alive even during considerably long vacations. All you need is a meticulous plan to place everything in the right place.
Schedule beforehand - Unless you explicitly declare your non-availability during vacations, you can't afford post-less weeks without intimating the same to your subscriber base. The larger your subscriber base, greater is the risk of losing your credibility if you keep your blog starved for a long time. It's better to write some posts in advance and schedule it for the vacation time. You can reduce of the size of the posts as well as the frequency to speed up the scheduling process.
Invite guest posts - This is the second best option to fill your editorial calendar with content from your peers and readers. Gently push a message through popular social media platforms (Facebook, twitter) asking for guest posts. You can send direct message or email to some of the close blogging peers asking to contribute during your vacation.
Repurpose old content - This is an art that comes handy in such situations. It's like packing the old wine in a new bottle. Pick some of the least performing posts from your archive and create a fresh one improving on the old version adding some more spice to it. It's like adding bells and whistles to the old car and presenting it with new looks to the buyers. Needless to say, this method speeds up the post writing process and helps you in filling your editorial calendar at a much faster pace.
Interview peers - Who doesn't like to get interviewed and featured in front of qualified traffic? Quickly jot down a set of questions and create 4-5 different sets. Mail them to your network (selective peers), sit back and relax. In a day or two, you'll receive completed questionnaires ready to be scheduled. Just be careful not to post them in quick succession.
Miscellaneous tips for blogging on the go
Here are some essentials guidelines to make your routine blogging tasks as smooth as if you're doing them from your usual blogging workplace.- Don't forget to pack your blogging gadgets (laptop, smartphone and tablet) loaded with all the essential software.
- Make sure you've turned off automatic software updates; else you may get a hefty bill (in case of metered broadband) from your hotel.
- Blog about your entire day spent with the local people/culture and co-relate it with your blogging activities.
- Switch-off comment notifications while you're on the move. Don't forget to enable them when you're back in your hotel room.
- Avoid geo-tagging your social networks updates during vacations.
- Nothing's better than editing and posting the drafts while sipping coffee in a local cafe.
- Visit a local bookstore and you're guaranteed come out with dozens of new ideas to post during your long vacation.
