Faina,

Great topic!  I try not to spend more than 15 minutes on a post, I love the advantages of blogging but my reality is that I have other things to do as well.  So I budget my time.  However, my blogs are not as pretty as yours.  Yours are like a work of art. Congratulations.

Coco

Faina, I just looked at the statistics for my blog and the average duration of a visit is:

approximately 1 minute 25 seconds.

Not bad, considering today's short attention MTV & soundbite culture attention spans.  These numbers are for an average over 1 year and 3 months.

This takes into account people who mistakenly come to the site and don't find wha t they're looking for as well as more serious readers. 

My hope is that the majority who click away are clicking into my home search or to a link to one of my other websites. :)

Faina, forgot to mention -- sometimes I can spend 15-20 minutes on a post.  Others may take several hours especially if I'm researching a bunch of relevant statistics.  However, those long researched posts often have good SEO and "legs" -- they'll show up in the searches months later and still be relevant for consumers.

Faina,  I write the posts for the content that I'm giving.  Even if you don't have the ranking or readers now, they will still be forthcoming in the end. 

Faina, I spend way to much time writing my posts in Word or nuvu then uploading to AR. It now has to have all the links added again.

I need a faster way of doing things. Of course I don't post but 3-4 times a week. But, you are right.

I think it is a case of being inspired.  If you are not inspired your posts are going to take longer to put together then if you have true inspiration.  Most of my posts that I post different places come out quickly.  Ironically this has been one of my challenges of posting real estate related posts themselves.  Its sometimes harder to come up with some great blogging posts for real estate however its easier to make posts relating to marketing in my opinion.

All the Best,

Glenn Sanford
--
Founder / CEO
BuyerTours Realty LLC &
Working The Magic LLC

Coco - from everything I hear the "reasonable" amount of time is around 20 minutes. You are doing great if you can write a substantive post in 15 min.

Brian - I should have been a bit more specific. I think there is a difference between the time AR members spend reading other members posts and consumers. When I read other AR members' posts I read it carefully, so I could have a substantive comment. Consumers seem to spend quite a lot less -they are just skimming to see if it there is anything of interest -that only takes seconds. It is interesting that your statistics average 1.5 min. I had few readers who spend hours -they probably did not log out:)

Unfortunately for me, I spend  a lot of time writing, especially when it involves research (which it often does), or anylysing results with Excel, because I do my own calculations.

Missy - I am mostly writing on my other blog. Then I modify things for AR, because I am concerned with duplicate content. All in all -I spend lots of time. Like you, I would like to somehow be much faster. On the other hand, I want the quality to be there, even if the blog is now mostly for Google eyes.

Marc- if I understood you correctly, you spend the time neccessary to provide quality content.

Glenn - I agree about the inspiration. For me it's also faster  to write about marketing then posts focused on the consumer. Thanks for sharing your views.

Hi Faina, depends on what I want to say and how "important" I think I am at the time. ; )

I am happy with my responses and I am really happy with my seo results. AR is doing really well for me as my internet leads are 3-5 a week! I spend more time reading still than posting. You guys are all toooo interesting!! Thanks.

(quandong-hate to think what that is!)

I don't wrtie quickly, so I know I spend too much time.  But to me quality is better than quantity.

I spend a little too much time writing, I think, I don't write often enough and am still in the keyword phase - and it is working.

I spend too much time, but am still learning the mechanics of embedding things and how to use some of the "spiffy tools" AR folks have been kind enough to share. On the other hand, I had two sales from my blog this month so I am happy with the investment of my time.

Andrew Lenza was not that long on AR (unfortunately he left AR recently), but he amassed 260 or 270 subscribers, and when he left, many of those were trying to find his other blog to stay connected to this terrific blogger.

I do not think that he was quick, but boy, he was so good.

If I spend on the blog 5 minutes, who would even want to read it? It would be another "drive-by blogging". I think we need to do the best, and if it is good enough, people would start watching you.

Just my 2 cents...

Some of the most successful posts I've written were ones I dashed off in five to ten minutes. 

I usually get most of it written "in my head" before I ever set a word down in Draft mode. 

Great thought!  I have had writer's block lately because I read so many wonderful posts, and I think mine have to live up to that standard.  I have become intimidated.  I guess I need to pull up my big girl panties and deal with it!!!   I need to just get going so I can get noticed by google and realize I am not writing a novel! 

Congrats on the gold star my twitter friend!  You wear it well and its a great blog. I can spend hours on blogs - particularly localism blogs with photos and blogs that require statistics.  I just posted a blog about flat-fee brokerages vs. full-service that took about four hours to research and write.  I did check my stat counter and I'm getting about 100 visits a day and about 3:15 per visit.  Not bad. Those who do read me actually stay there more than five seconds.  The blogs that are short and sweet get the most comments, but I seem to get a lot of page views on blogs that get very few comments and are localism oriented.

Now I have to make this work on my "other" blog and tweet more and do more social networking....

I try to keep my posts under a certain size.  If the post gets longer I try to get the important stuff in quick and the rest supportive information.  I also like bullet points.  As far as time, I find that the articles that get then most response are usually the ones that did not take as long to write.

That's a great question!  Personally, I would go for quality over quantity.  Posts on a business blog are like floating love letters in a bottle that you hope will read by a potential client or at the very least be helpful to someone who needs the information you share. My analytics stats show above the "benchmark" by comparison. But I think the search engines reward quantity. Good post and food for thought!

great point...i guess i never thought of it like that... with such a busy schedule I usually don't spend more than 20 min or so depending on the links and pics that i also use in my blogs.

Faina...

I usually spend an hour writing a post, longer if you include the photography time.

I can completely read a well written post in ten seconds. As long as it flows and makes sense, good grammar etc. If I spent more time I wouldn't get to read the 100+ blogs a day I peruse.

FAINA - Ironically, the posts that take me the most time are the ones that are the least read, but they serve a purpose.  Most of the consumer-oriented posts receive fewer views, clicks and comments.  I enjoy writing the Localism posts, especially the ones about my life with my family.  The market reports are bit tedious, but hopefully they are helpful to consumers.

My scribble pad of topics follows me around...I get ideas for blogs...I read one...we have an "event" that triggers one...it depends on the topic and to whom I am writing...I think it is as important to "give back" to the industry as it is to make your talents known to consumers.

Faina,  I know this is a generic answer, but I take as long as I need to make a point.  My blog tends to be shorter than most.  While I am long winded in speech I tend to make points quicker when writing.  However, researching and taking and adding pictures can add to the time I spend on a post.

Faini - The average is about 15 minutes, but some have taken over an hour, been edited 20 times and included links and photos.  It's all relative.  I do prefer short and sweet though.

It depends on the subject and depth you are writing about.  Some blogs are easy to get finished and others really tax the creativity.

I really don't dwell on it....I just write the best I can and if I get business then that's great and I have.

DANGER AHEAD!!  DO NOT, REPEAT, DO NOT compose on the ActiveRain blog.  You risk having the entire post lost when you upload and get the dreaded "You must be logged in to use this feature".  UGH.

I compose in Eudora because the links transfer.  I just have to add images. 

Some of my posts take 10 minutes and some may take 30 minutes or more.

Posts go pretty fast when I'm inspired.

DANGER AHEAD!!  DO NOT, REPEAT, DO NOT compose on the ActiveRain blog.  You risk having the entire post lost when you upload and get the dreaded "You must be logged in to use this feature".  UGH.

I compose in Eudora because the links transfer.  I just have to add images. 

Some of my posts take 10 minutes and some may take 30 minutes or more.

Posts go pretty fast when I'm inspired.

Faina, I write very quickly. I normal posts takes me about 20 to 30 minutes from start to finish. The majority of that time is maing it eye appealing. My posts are written in my head way in advance of putting them "on paper". Some of my best posts were written while floating in the pool then I just jump up type it up and post. 

Once a month I do a marekt report and those can take me hours because I have to do the research.

I have no idea how long folks spend on my blog. How do we find that out?

Most of my posts take 10 - 20 minute to compose, load photos, etc

(and my husband and I love spending the time taking the photos of our area - usually while walking on the beach or biking on Jekyll Island so I will not consider that work - that is time well spent with my husband who is also a broker in my firm)l

Great topic for discussion! Now we need a sequel: 'How much time to spend on a comment' :-)

I would say the amount of time is different - some are quick - others not so.  It really just depends. 

Hi Faina!!  Being fairly new to blogging, it takes me a little longer to get my posts together.  I like to use color & pics.  I read that you should be posting at least 3 to 5 posts a week.  With that in mind, I really need to keep my time to a minumum.

Last night, I did a post & in record time!!  I was so happy that I did 2!!  Woo Hoo!!!  I will be happy when I can get it down to 30 min per post.

Great post!  BTW, check out my posts!! Thanks and have a super day!!

good post..I try to do my posts early in the day before I get busy..I always enjoy reading all the blogs here on AR...

OK, we seem to be focusing a lot oif attention on getting people to read our blogs, but what end-result are we looking for?  Don't we want qualified buyers and sellers to read pur blog, and for them to contact us?  I love to hear the success stories, like Diana C.'s!

Honestly? 2 hours is what it takes.

I am inspired each and every time so there is no struggle time in those 2 hours....although I think to be a really successful writer you must write routinely and even when uninspired...you know, get up at 6 AM, sit there and write every day...like a novelist or something.

So I am only a several times a week poster. Lenn, you are always an inspriration....that you can write without inspiration, and that you can crank out the quality you do in 30 minutes.

It all just depends on the subject matter I am writing about. When I was writing my military relocation package blogs a couple fo those took 8-10 hours. They have brought me business. I can't write and publish a blog under an hour with text, layout and proofing.

I spend whatever it takes...  There are some pretty long posts that have taken a couple of hours to put together, and there are posts that have happened in less than 5 minutes... or two minutes. 

I want to spend enough time to make the post right.  Even when I didn't have many readers, I still wanted the content I wrote to be correct and enjoyable.  If it isn't, then the visitor won't come back. 

I think that one should write fewer posts to start and/or write on a platform that is more likely to be read (like A|R).

We do have to be cognizant of the return on the investment of ime. Good post, Faina.

Wow, what an interesting combination of opinions. I did not realize there were so many comments:)For the first time, since I started blogging on AR, I would answer by one response, since it would answer most all comments.

I think that different approach could be used for understanding time spent by the readers vs. time spent wrting for AR blogs then for the other ones. On the AR blogs, if they are focused on other members, I would spend as much time as possible to make it really shine, especially if your blog is new. Chances are, someone will read it and it needs to be good, even if it's for one reader. If it's excellent content, the readersship would grow over time.

For the AR blogs focused on consumers, it is important to make them the best possible, not because you may get a lot of comments. It's important to maintain the quality of your blog, because other members could be reading, even if they don't comment, and they could be the source of your referrals.

The blogs found through organic search by consumers are usually not read "cover to cover" -they are just skimmed to see if what they were searching for is there. The time spend by consumers on each post is very short. Writing a lot with enough key words, i.e. writing for Google is important for new blogs. Google doesn't very much care if it's very inspired, they just index the words.

That said, I spend a lot of time on each post (I am almost embarassed to admit how much time). I spend a lot of time on inspiring graphics, because this is what the reader sees before they even read one word of the post. I want the graphics to be thought provoking to make the readers think a bit about what it means and how it ties to the text.

To find out the time your readers spend on your posts, it would make sense to separate the AR members form non-members. One way to do it is to look at the Google searches (using Statcounter.com). These mostly would be from the consumers. You could put it in Excel for a quick calcualtion. AR members spend more time on each others blog, sometimes they just don't log out, which makes the stats show longer time then it actualy was.

Faina,

I think it depends what you want to get out of blogging. Being serious for the long-term benefit, then you should spend the needed time, perhaps up to an hour, maybe even more, to get solid content in there. Doing it that way will eventually bring in plenty rewards, including Google placement and phone ringing.

It appears that a lot of people spend lots of time on blogging.  I don't have that much time to spend but enjoy doing it a small amount of time each day.

Thanks for sharing....I blog in between doing research!!and I've made mistakes!  But I learn everyday! 

Well a lot of people do blog, and I personaly blog everyday.