I stifled my blog, too.

It's easy making social media the scapegoat for why one stopped blogging, as mentioned in my previous post. Of course, there are other reasons that contributed to the publishing of new posts grinding to a halt. I revisited this topic a couple of times over the recent holidays and have come up with a couple of other reasons that have influenced the silence here.

1. What my friend Rickey said, "Because it is always interesting to tell one's story", wasn't true anymore. At some point, I grew bored with sharing my thoughts or what I did and publishing them on the internet. I no longer felt compelled to share my stories.
2. Privacy. What I did feel like sharing, I no longer wanted to post publicly. Social media platforms allow you to control or set the desired audience of each post, each photo or video, each mundane brain fart. I became more selective of who I wanted to share posts with. I know that you can do the same on a website, but that requires things like a mailing list, which I don't have nor want to bother with building.
3. What I used to call "push-button web publishing" was no longer convenient enough (compared to older workflows such as creating HTML files in DOS Edit or in Notepad and uploading them via FTP). It all felt like such a chore. Aside from posting, just thinking about all that I wanted to change in the current state of my website felt like it would require the usual monumental effort and chunk of time that I no longer had.
4. I became busy doing other things in my life. Blogging had little to no return in real-world terms. I felt that I now had little to say (at least publicly, out loud) or that what I did was insignificant in the grand scheme of things - especially when I would come across posts by others who made the time to write proper articles about helpful or useful topics (Imposter syndrome!). Kudos to them. I became lazy or occupied with other things.
5. I'm sure there was another reason that I recently thought of, but it currently escapes me. Purpose (Passion?). Why blog? What was it all for again?

To add and cap this off, I googled "reasons why people stop blogging", and this is what the AI Overview returned:

People stop blogging due to lack of time, lost motivation (no traffic/income, losing passion), unrealistic expectations, fear of judgment, feeling overwhelmed by technicalities (SEO, promotion), procrastination, or perfectionism, with modern trends like AI content and short-form video also shifting user focus away from traditional blogs. The initial excitement fades, requiring consistent effort and community engagement, which many find difficult to maintain long-term. 

Common Reasons for Quitting

• Time & Commitment Issues:
  • Life gets busy with work or other commitments, leaving little time.
  • Difficulty maintaining a consistent posting schedule.
• Lack of Results & Frustration:
  • Not getting enough traffic or readers.
  • Failure to generate income, leading to disappointment.
  • Unrealistic expectations of quick success.
• Motivation & Passion:
  • Losing interest or passion for the topic over time.
  • The novelty wears off, and the ongoing effort feels like a chore.
• Technical & Skill Barriers:
  • Struggling with SEO, promotion, or the technical aspects of blogging.
  • Feeling they aren't a good writer or that their grammar isn't up to par.
• Psychological Factors:
  • Fear of negative comments or what others will think.
  • Perfectionism or procrastination hindering progress.
• Content & Niche Issues:
  • Running out of things to say or having no clear focus.
  • Feeling their topic has already been covered extensively.
• External Market Changes:
  • Shift towards short-form video and AI-generated content reducing interest in traditional text blogs. 

Key Takeaway

Success in blogging often hinges on commitment to quality, finding a specific niche, and being prepared for a long-term effort, as the initial enthusiasm rarely sustains itself without tangible rewards or strong community support.

Does any of this sound about right to you? Which ones? What's your take? Thanks for getting this far. This is the most I've written creatively in a while.

These are follow-up thoughts to my previous post: Social media killed my blog, too.

Addendum: This post was partly inspired by Jerico Aragon's consistency in maintaining and publishing on his personal WordPress website.