I have also read some group blogs where I have no idea who is saying what. I recently visited a blogger's blog who used to have their own blog and now have taken part in a group blog and I had no idea who was writing what. Their voices are lost. While the posts may still be good I prefer to know who I am talking to. Having an author signature in these types of blogs is very important. Seriously... important! There is another blog Picture Us Reading that does a fun husband/wife team. I do keep trying to get my husband to contribute to my blog but alas... he has not. Though he has helped me with graphics from time to time.
I also feel like having a group blog just to get up more posts is bad... bad. I don't want to read a blog because it posts once a day. I want to read a blog because it's fun and interests me. I would rather the blog have one blogger who is fun and interactive then a whole group. I like to see the group bloggers interact with each other too. That is why the two blogs I listed are great group blogs... they interact with each other. Another good example of this is goodreads. If I am apart of a book club on goodreads and the moderators don't interact why am I even in the group. The moderators should be what keeps the group actively discussing and new.
So sometimes group blogs really work... sometimes they don't for me. I know that some people think by taking on a co-moderator or a few co-moderators is great but if they don't put in the work to make these co-moderators fit in the blog could just fall flat. What do you think?? Any great group blogs you know of that you want to tell us about? Do you have a group blog... how is it working for you?
It took a bit of trial and error for us. I became the face of the blog and most active contributor sometime in the second year and many new readers didn't even realize it was a group blog. While not as visually stunning at Oh The Books just adding a bio box at the bottom of the blog fixed some embarrassing comments where people responded to me on my co-reviewer's posts.
ReplyDeleteI don't pay too much attention to whether a blog is group or not. I think it depends on the focus of the blog - how important the personal voice will be. If the substance is interesting, I'll keep reading regardless of whether I get to know the voice. But I agree that it can become confusing when part of the appeal of the blog is how one of the users writes.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic Angela! I think it's important to determine a personality for a blog, and if having too many people sort of diminishes that personality, then it makes it less likely for people to follow I think if they can't distinguish it. I love group blogs and individual blogs alike, as long as they are fun and interactive and have a strong personality as you said.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post! I think the "group blogs" I read (French Toast Sunday, Your Face, The Film Experience, It's Just Movies, Cinematic Katzenjammer) all work very well. There's always a lot of diverse opinions there and it's fun to read.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually read group blogs because I don't now who is posting. I like getting to know a blogger.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you had a group blog!!! WHAT! I thought it was just your blog. I have kind of been thinking about adding someone to my blog but I have no idea who. Or even where to begin to find someone.
ReplyDeleteI like to comment to the person who wrote the post... so sometimes it can be confusing. I wouldn't stop following the blog though... if I love the content. I have been looking for some new blogs to follow lately.
ReplyDeleteI really love interactive blogs. But it's a lot of work people have to put in to get it to the point where there are many followers. I haven't really worked on that lately though I should.
ReplyDeleteI need to check out those blogs. Thanks for listing them! Going to check them out now.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I love to really get to know a blogger.
ReplyDeleteI tend to not pay too much attention to if it's a group blog or not but the more I think about it I realize I probably don't connect as well with groups as I do with individual bloggers. It's probably for the same reasons you mention - where all the voices blend.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great topic - I haven't really thought about it, but I do find that group blogs can change how I interact with the blog. Mostly because I too like to get to know the blogger, and I sometimes feel more comfortable commenting on post written by the blogger I know. I definitely admire blogs that do group blogging well like the two you mentioned. It's also nice when group bloggers interact with commenters on each others post - it makes it feel like the whole blog is more of a group effort and it's a way for me to get to know all the bloggers together. I think you are right that some group blogs really make that kind of blogging work for them and it's great to see that.
ReplyDeleteI agree... I think I connect more to a blogger who is the sole blogger. When it's a group sometimes I don't even know who I am talking to. I have really found some great bloggers over the years.
ReplyDeleteYeah... it can be harder to get to know a blogger on a group blog. I have recently become more personal on my blog about some of the things going on in my life and I like that some blogs do that. It's nice to not only read about books but to read about people.
ReplyDeleteThe first year we only did reviews and it was pretty even. This year I really became the face of the blog and the other two slowed down for various reasons, I probably post 85% of the content or so.
ReplyDeleteI prefer one person blogs myself. I follow a lot that have 2 people and those can work I think but much more than that and yeah the voice is lost or the trust (or maybe certainty in the rec)? Not that what they're saying isn't true but it's harder for me to get a feel of the recommendations since I don't "know" all of the bloggers. There are some blogs with one or 2 people I know if I'm there I can trust if they liked it it's an almost guarantee that I'll like it since I've gotten to know them and their recs over time. But when there's 12 people on a blog there's just no way for that to work. I like consistency and it really drops a lot of times when too many people are contributing. Especially if they're each formatting differently.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I don't follow any blogs on facebook except yours. I find I have discovered the blogger behind the blog. Which of course I like. I don't really ever get recommendations from other bloggers. I have so many books I want to read myself so I don't actually go looking for books. But those who do I totally get it... you want to know if you have similar tastes or not.
ReplyDeleteYep. I wouldn't say I go to blog specifically to get recommendations since most of my reads these days are ARCs but since I try to visit everyone often I tend to add books to my ever growing wishlist and now and again dig into those when I can. It's nice to have some kind of idea based on the blogger who I'll like for my very few just for fun reads :)
ReplyDeleteI love group blogs like Oh The Books too. I've very rarely come across a group blog I don't enjoy. It doesn't matter to me how many people are producing the content, as long as the content is good. I also agree with you about co-blogging to create more content. That's not fun! Lovely post, though. :-)
ReplyDelete-Samantha @ Bookish Serendipity
I do think group blogs can be fun, but I agree with you, I prefer to get a feel for the person writing the posts. I have come across a few groups blogs where I enjoy the posts of one or two bloggers and not so much of the other, that's always a risk with groups blogs.
ReplyDeleteI love Oh The Books, they really managed to find a way to do this whole group blog thing the right way.
I started out as a co-blogger, it was a great way to leanr the ropes, but eventually it just felt like it was her blog not mine and I started my own blog. Ever since I started my own blog almost two years ago I felt like I had the chance to really develop my blog and focus on the things I want to write, while I felt that wasn't possible when I was a co-blogger. Although I am sure that some people find a good way to manage it. I also think it helps if you start your blog together instead of joining an already existing blog, but that's just my point of view.
I have been tempted to look for a co-blogger. Especially lately. But then I think if I fall behind on my side of things I don't have to worry about it making my co-blogger's experience worse. I do love geeky stuff so when I see a blog that is all about being geeky I am in! I am trying to get back to my geeky roots on the blog.
ReplyDeleteThere is a blogger who was once a co-blogger that I enjoyed so much I followed them off to their new blog. Their blog is Not Yet Read. She is so sweet.. and even was going to help me learn how to knit over the internet. I never ended up doing it but it was still really cool of her to help.
ReplyDeleteThey are really some of the BEST bloggers out there. Now why can't I think of the posts they think of???
ReplyDeletegreat discussion post. I like that my blog is mine, every so often I have a guest review from my sister, but that is about it. I like group blogs, but you are right - sometimes it is harder to get a feel for the person behind the post. :)
ReplyDeleteI wish my sister, husband, mom someone would do a guest post on the blog! I do love some great group blogs and hope to discover more great group blogs.
ReplyDeleteI haven't thought about this! Maybe because I don't pay too much attention :-P. But, in my opinion, group blogs are hard to handle. Because you have to do something to stand out or less people will forget that you have been there all along. And, I love Oh The Books!
ReplyDeleteI agree.... you really do have to do a lot to stand out on a group blog. Otherwise I just think of the blog as one person. I do tend to do that a lot too.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with group blogs too, I rarely follow them as I love one individual voice coming through a blog.
ReplyDeleteI agree... if the content is good I enjoy it but I do like to know the blogger more.
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