It happens to everyone: you lose power or your internet or your computer crashes, and so you can’t get online to work on your blog. This is bad news, especially if money is at stake, because if you can’t be online, you can’t tend to the health of your blog. Even a small pause in your updating can cause your traffic to dip. Lack of new content can hurt your blog’s standing in the community. Here are five things you can do to protect yourself during blogging emergencies so your blog stays healthy.
Schedule Posts Every Day
At least have one main post scheduled to be published during the heaviest traffic times each day. That way you can make sure that your readers will have a chunk of new content to work with, so even if you can’t personally publish it, it’ll still come up in their feeds or when they visit the site. Then, once you get your internet back, you can handle the comments section later. Prepare these posts in advance each week.
Keep a Writer’s Notebook
Keep a little writer’s notebook, like a Moleskine, in which you can jot down any ideas that come to you when you’re away from the computer. Later you can take these ideas and turn them into posts to publish on your blog. Unlike an electronic device, a notebook will never run out of memory or have its hard drive crash. It’s one great way to back up your files. Of course, you shouldn’t lose it!
Vlog Your Thoughts
Create a video blog of new content that you can upload either from a mobile device or later on your computer. These can add variety to your content, especially since they’ll show you in a new light, which will add to the text content of your blog. For example, vlogging about ‘the real world’ can give your readers some context to understand your other posts.
Tweet a Question
By using your phone to send messages, you can also Tweet if you can’t get to your computer. If you have a widget installed on your blog that shows your latest Tweets, then you have a way to communicate with your readers despite your technical difficulties. Use your Tweets to ask questions of your readers when you’re away from your computer, so you can get some inspiration to start a new blog post right when you get back.
Relax and Enjoy the Day Off
If all else fails, then there’s no use worrying about something you cannot control. After all, the electricity will eventually come back on, your internet service will go full power again, and you’ll be able to rejoin the blogging community. Maybe an unscheduled day off is just what you need to refresh your creative abilities. Go outside and enjoy yourself.
