How many unread blog posts pile up during the week in your Google Reader? I can start with zero unread posts on Sunday and by Monday night there are a few hundred unread posts in there. I even schedule time each day to read my subscriptions but it’s never enough time to read everything I’d like.
However, on the weekends, if I’m hanging at home, I luxuriate in reading. I skim through my unread posts, reading what piques my interest and marking as ‘read’ anything that doesn’t.
This past weekend I noticed something. During the weekend, the time when I’m doing most of my reading, most organizations aren’t posting. If an organization published an update or a link to their Facebook page during the week, there’s a good chance I didn’t see it. It probably got lost amidst all the updates from my friends who are also very active during the week. But if you scheduled something in advance to be pushed out over the weekend, guess what? I’ll actually see it and read it.
It’s the same with blog posts. If I have some time on a Saturday morning to read, I can often get down to ‘zero unread’ in my Google Reader. If a new blog post arrives over the weekend, it doesn’t share my Reader with hundreds, maybe thousands, of other unread posts.
Closed by Flickr: Jasoon
If the idea of creating additional content for the weekend freaks you out a bit, you could publish curated content, many do. How about ‘recommended reads’ or a ‘week in review’ of blog posts? As a reader, I love these posts. I find out from a trusted source if I missed something good, and sometimes I’m exposed to a blog or a topic I might not have normally read. Here are some recent curated posts that I enjoyed:
- Friday Top Five from MemberClicks at Splash: Refreshment for Your Small Staff Organization
- Recommended Reading for Writers from Michelle Rafter at WordCount
- Copyblogger Weekly Wrap
I publish here on Reid All About It on Tuesdays and Thursdays and on Grabbing the Gusto on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. But I’ve been toying with the idea of a Saturday post for Reid to even things out. I’m curious:
- Do you read blog posts on the weekends, or am I odd?
- Do you or your organization publish blog posts or Facebook updates on weekends?
November 16, 2010 at 11:18 am
Deirdre,
I know what you mean. I did that this past week. I knew I would always have at least one lazy day and in keeping with tradition I made it Sunday. But I also did so knowing that most people are NOT reading on the weekends.
I did it this past week: http://www.toddlyden.com/dissecting-a-week
I think you are the outlier, but the reality with blogs is that the material exists as long as you keep it up. I think the important thing is to occasionally recycle by retweeting or highlighting past stuff
I like what you did with your happy 100… I’m almost there so I need to consider something as well.
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November 16, 2010 at 11:27 am
I saw your post, nice recap. My weekend traffic is slower than during the week, not by huge amounts but enough to see. I’m probably an odd one who reads more during the weekends. I read my ‘priority’ blogs during the week but a lot of other stuff piles up. I’m definitely on Facebook more during the weekends, that’s where I really notice the lack of new updates from companies and associations.
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November 16, 2010 at 11:28 am
Don’t disagree with you.
I see no reason for a completely lack- but then again many are only posting a few times a week period if only ONE time.
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November 16, 2010 at 11:52 am
Nice blog Deirdre. I guess my response takes a slightly different approach. I try to unplug for the most part on the weekends and do most of my reading in the early AM in an attempt to not feel like I’m always working.
Creating expectations of blogging and Facebook updating on weekends only makes it more difficult to have a few days away; both for readers and the staff who are creating the updates.
As IT becomes more deeply ingrained in our lives, is it good to establish nonnegotiable borders? Banks are closed on weekends so we get our banking done during the week. Should blogs/reading be the same? Guess I have a little case of Devil’s advocacy going on here, but just wondering what your thoughts are.
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November 16, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Like you, I set aside time to read early each morning, but there are a lot of blogs that I don’t get to in the limited time I have during the week, so I catch up on the weekends, if I can. I love reading during the weekends, it’s more relaxed, my mind wanders more, I get ideas. It feels different than my weekday reading, and I’d never want to give that up. Maybe I have a Reader addiction and when it’s empty I’m jonesing for a refill, who knows.
I certainly wouldn’t expect staff to update during the weekends — they can schedule the posts to publish. If they’re curating content, there most likely wouldn’t be a lot of comments, so there would be no need to worry about that. Or, if no one is moderating during the weekend, you could say that in the post, not sure how that would work, it definitely wouldn’t encourage conversation.
I don’t really see my social media use as something I need to unplug on the weekends, but then, it’s a joy for me. If it’s the weekend and I’m in the mood and have time, I’m there. If I’m hanging at home with my guy, I don’t want social media to be the distracting third person in the relationship, so I bear that in mind too.
Thanks for playing devil’s advocate, Garry.
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November 16, 2010 at 12:11 pm
Love this conversation because I think it adds to the fact that there are no hard and fast rules about Social Media… and that it’s centered around people, and different people have different habits. Thanks for the thoughtful response to my response!
G
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November 16, 2010 at 12:29 pm
You are correct in both your assumptions. I do “catch up” with my reading on the weekends (I just read every morning regardless of the day) and our website business does not post or email on the weekends. They may have a late mailing on Friday afternoon, but rarely does anything go out on the weekends.
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November 16, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Thanks for adding to the conversation. Good to know I’m not the only weekend reader.
Blog posts published during the week can live in our Readers and so still be ‘alive’ for weekend reading. But what about Facebook updates? The updates from the week are out of sight, out of mind. I think that’s where orgs can take advantage of our Facebook reading habits. I’m likely to be on Facebook more during the weekend than during the week — once again, am I an anomaly?
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November 16, 2010 at 3:34 pm
D- I get what you are saying about FB, but in my experience in general aren’t most orgs FB dead on the weekend too?
Not only that it’s about as useful as trying to suck in all the info from Twitter too
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November 16, 2010 at 6:10 pm
Exactly, orgs don’t post during the weekends on FB. But that’s when I’m on FB! I understand that staff shouldn’t have to do that on the weekends but can’t you schedule updates? With all the recent changes on FB, I’ve given up trying to keep up so don’t know if scheduling is possible through FB or an app.
Twitter is a river, dip in, dip out, don’t worry about the stuff that passed by and is further downstream. That’s my approach to it.
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November 17, 2010 at 2:39 am
I do that a lot except I had to shut down my facebook becuase I was always on it! I was having facebok withdraw for weeks!!
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November 20, 2010 at 10:51 am
I usually spend some time reading every morning and then catch up with the rest on the weekend. It’s Saturday morning and I’m doing that right now. I’ve also noticed that most organizations are not active on the weekend. It’s especially evident on facebook when my news feed becomes filled with mostly friend’s status updates.
Writing a blog is not my day job, I do it because I enjoy it. I do post on the weekend, I have a Saturday feature, and I do get comments, so people are reading.
I found your blog through Freshly Pressed, liked what I read and saved the page to come back later and read when I had more time. So, yes, I read on weekends.
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November 20, 2010 at 3:21 pm
I’m not alone! Good to hear that you’re a weekend reader too, Leslie. Thanks for visiting and keeping me company.
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November 20, 2010 at 5:57 pm
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December 7, 2010 at 9:28 am
[…] few weeks ago I wrote about my wish that more people and organizations published Facebook updates and blog posts during the weekend – […]
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