You Don’t HAVE to Write Discussion Posts…Right? | Book Snacks Babbles

Whoa, the first month of 2016 is over already?!! Yep, it is! I swear, time flies by so fast these days. I had meant to post on the last day of the month (yesterday), but I kind of didn’t manage to do so… oops! So I hope your January had been good, and your February is off to a good start. 🙂 So, to kick off the month, I’ve decided to present you all with a discussion post!

Ahem. Let me guess what you’re thinking right now, as you look at the title of this post; Is she writing a discussion post… about writing discussion posts? Right? You can’t deny it. Even if you weren’t, you are now, so ha. Point still proven. I don’t blame you, either way! I’m not gonna burn you at the stake, don’t worry. Because yes, I am indeed writing a discussion about writing discussions. Why? Well, most of you must’ve noticed by now the uphill trend of discussion posts among book bloggers (and other bloggers too, maybe, but I wouldn’t exactly know) these days. At the very least, you’ve probably read and have seen at least a few bookish or blogging discussions across the book blogging communities. Right? If not, well now you know and your subconscious will probably keep an eye out for them now.

The thing is, it seems to me, there’s become a sort of expectation, a sort of requirement, for all, or at least most, bloggers, to write discussion posts. Maybe that’s just me?? It’s often noted that discussions, being very popular among readers and interesting to read, bring more traffic to your blog—and I’ve noticed that this factor often causes other bloggers to feel as if they HAVE to post discussion posts (in order to get views or popularity, and whatnot). Again, maybe that’s just the pesky little imaginative side of my brain talking and I’m seeing this all in my head, but… no harm in talking about it, right? LET’S DISCUSS!

When thinking about any of this, about discussion posts in general, and whether it’s a requirement or not, one of the first questions that came to me is; why are they so popular, anyway? After all, these are the kinds of posts that usually get the most views or comments (depending, of course, on many other things) and the fact that they’re popular are probably one of the major things that make bloggers want to write them. (Not the ONLY reason, mind you, just one of them.) So, a very helpful list, off the top of my head of why discussion posts are popular—I’m sure Cait @ Paper Fury would agree that’s the right way to do this. 😉

• They provide exactly what their name says: opportunity for DISCUSSION. Duh!! This one’s so obvious, it’s basically staring me in the eye. Discussion posts are meant for discussion, and discussion is always fun! It opens up new perspectives and different ideas, and that’s definitely one of the big reasons why they’re so much fun and so interesting to read. For me, anyway.

• Sometimes they talk about things you’ve never thought of. This one kind of ties in with the first point, in that discussion posts open up different ideas. Because it’s true. There are times where I come across a discussion post where I’m like, whoaaaa, that’s so true, how come I never realized this before?! This has actually happened to me several times and I know I for one appreciate this quality in discussion posts.

• They can be helpful (sometimes). Just hear me out here. Not all discussion posts are written in the objective of helping readers with something. Obviously the primary objective is simply to discuss a topic. But they can be helpful and I feel as if that’s one of the reasons readers may like them as well. Whether it’s a discussion about ereaders vs physical books, or ARC envy, or anything of the sort, even a little thing in the discussion posts can be helpful.

Okay, obviously there’s way more reasons why discussion posts are so popular, but since this isn’t even the main topic of discussion (You all probably have seen by now how bad I am to stay on one topic…) and those are few of the biggest ones I’ve come up with, I’ll just leave it at that. But let me know if you have any more!!

BUT anyway, about the fact that discussion posts seem to have become a must for (some) bloggers. The thing is, it’s clear that the reasons why discussion posts are so popular are definitely justified. There are many reasons why they’re so appealing to readers. But the question still remains: with so many readers wanting to read discussion posts, does it put pressure on bloggers (who perhaps think they aren’t that good with discussion posts) to write them? And is that a good or bad thing? Well, because I’ve recently become very fond of lists… here’s another one for you, this time on the pros and cons of writing discussion posts!

Pros

• They bring traffic to your blog. Whether this is an important or not is completely personal, but from what I’ve noticed for other bloggers, and for myself, discussion posts are pretty popular, and generally well-recieved by readers. But the fact over whether this is important or not is completely your own idea!

• More interaction with other bloggers! If your discussion post provokes, well, discussion, then it’s all the better for blogger relationships. You get to learn more about the preferences of other bloggers and their opinions on a topic, and that’s (usually) not a bad thing.

• It can be a great way to rant, ramble or even both! Discussion posts are your own way of expressing your thoughts, whether it be that you’re ranting about cover changes in the middle of a series (AKA ME ALL THE TIME) or if you’re rambling on the uses of ebooks and physical books. I don’t know. But either way, discussion posts are a great outlet for any thoughts you may have. (And fortunately, most bloggers like to read them! :P)

CONS

• Sometimes, it’s not so easy to write them…hence you feel forced to write them (or don’t write them at all). THIS IS NO GOOD. Believe, I’ve been in this situation before—mostly in the time before I started writing discussion posts—where I was like, agggghhhhh this is so hard, I don’t know what to write, how to write it, etc etc. Then soon I just lose the motivation to write it at all because I simply couldn’t find the inspirtation or the how-to of writing one. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who was in this position before, right?? If you don’t WANT to write a discussion, that’s one thing. But a definite con of discussion posts in general is that it can be hard to write, sometimes, at least. And that can cause, say, a sort of grudge toward writing discussion posts, you know?

• After a while, the discussions might get repetitive anyway. Maybe this is a weaker argument?? Possibly?? But if EVERYONE and their mothers start posting discussion posts… well, there’s only so many ideas they can come up with. However, obviously everyone has different opinions, but it might get repetitive to read about. (Although that doesn’t mean I’m trying to say that we should stop writing discussion posts!)

• Ehhhhh… I can’t really think of anything right now. Oh! Wait! Another con (although this may be a small one) is that they can become time-consuming. Blogging in general is time-consuming, but specifically, discussions take lots of time! Good discussion posts don’t just pop out of nowhere! Time needs to be put into it and sometimes that’s something that not everyone has all the time. (ALSO ME, because SCHOOL, UGH.)

So… do you have to write discussion posts or not?

Obviously everyone says, ‘You don’t HAVE to do anything, do what you want.’ And I agree with this statement whole-heartedly. Because you most certainly DON’T have to do something you don’t want to. Noppity nope nope. Definitely not. However, you know what they say; if there is a will, there is a way, so if you want to write discussion posts, go for it! If you just put a little effort into it, you can most definitely come up with something that readers will enjoy. After all, no blogger can have absolutely no opinion on anything, that’s kind of ridiculous. So if you think you don’t have a good idea, just take one of your opinions, whether bookish or otherwise, and turn it into a post where you can share that opinion… and voila! That’s at least a start. 😉 BUT AGAIN. I emphasize the fact that you do not have to write discussion posts. You can, but that’s totally up to you.

---

So. TALK. Please. (I hope the ‘please’ makes me sound less commanding haha.) Do you write discussion posts? What are the reasons you write them? Do you believe every blogger should write them? What other reasons do you think there are for writing discussion posts? Let me know what you think below!! This Monday is boring as it is, let’s get it a bit more interesting, haha. XD