Team Blogs: Scheduled vs. Free Posting

In my experience having been part of several team blogs, one difference I notice among these is the “policy” that editorial teams have on posting frequency. Some team blogs allow–and encourage–writers to post as frequently and as regularly as they can. Others, meanwhile, prefer to put limits to how frequently a writer can post. Moreover, those that would rather limit posting have different scheduling schemes. For instance, some blogs limit the number of posts an author can make in a day. Others, meanwhile, schedule one post per day for the entire blog, regardless of writers.

Here are some observations I have with a few of the team blogs I’m (or have been) part of.

ForeverGeek – FG is a tech blog, and has no limits as to how many posts an author can make in a day. I guess it’s apt for this niche, where a lot of updates can happen in a day. Besides, the blog covers geek stuff in a generic manner, and hence can cover a broad range of topics. The blog is also designed such that the front page displays more entries than the usual. So it’s all right for authors to post as necessary, even if this means multiple times per day.

The Man Blog (May be NSFW! Trust me.) – When the editorial team came up with the concept for the Man Blog, they (err, we?) agreed to focus on substance rather than quantity when it comes to posting. Hence the editors schedule posts on a per-day basis (regardless of author) so each entry gets maximum exposure at the top of the home page.

Pinoy Tech Blog, Pinoy Urban Blog – These are team blogs that focus on the local scene (tech and urban/metro topics, respectively). This is middle-of-the-road, as each author is given a maximum allocation of one post per day (and a certain minimum per week). This is because of the sheer number of contributors–having a schedule ensures that posts don’t get pushed off the front page too early.

Here at the Blog Herald, writers have three options: either to post a daily article, a weekly column, or a combination of both. The columns are what you see on the “featured articles” box on the home page. These are more substantial, and usually deal more with commentary rather than news or updates. The home page was designed so that the featured articles have maximum exposure on the front page, while allowing for the newsy . We probably intend to keep this feature in future re-designs.

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I’ve been thinking about which practice is best. I came to realize that there’s no rule on which scheduling system is best, although having guidelines for writers should help with goals and expectations. It depends on the blog, the niche you’re covering, and the message you want to put across. If you want to present as much information as possible, then go for a free posting scheme. If you want to give each entry more exposure, schedule the posts such that the most recent entry lasts as #1 post on the front page for a longer time.

Also, if you’re concerned about finances, then it can also depend on your plans for advertising and revenue, and also your compensation scheme for writers. Some team blogs pay per post, and it might make sense to have limits so you don’t overspend. Some team blogs pay a flat rate, so it’s all right for writers to post as they please. Others, meanwhile, pay a share of the advertising revenues, in which case it makes sense to give each post adequate exposure so the writer involved doesn’t lose out.