The Buzz Bin

With the July 4th holiday upon us, it’s clear that we’re all set to see a significant dip in traffic over the next couple of months. Bloggers and industries (even sports!) go on vacation, news tends to slow down, and overall people are spending less time on the Internet and more time outside (as they should be).

(Picture Credit: Michele Killman)

There are a number of things that you can do to beat the slump, but the most important recommendation I have is: stick with it, no matter how you do it. Some options:

Utilize Micro-blogging: Twitter continues to grow up. Geoff and I were talking the other day about how many views Parasocial received via blog and via Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook, etc. Hits were overwhelmingly in favor of social networks. It makes sense – people are more likely to click through to links from their trusted networks, rather than through a blog. Not only that, but it takes a few minutes to browse a Twitter feed or FriendFeed, it takes much more time to go through an RSS reader or blogroll.

Keep it Short and Sweet: Start a meme. Participate in a meme. These are fun and easy posts that get people involved, don’t take a lot of brain power, and create lots and lots of link love. Keep up with links posts (if that’s your kind of thing) and provide short posts with commentary on what other people are writing about. Anything to keep your mind, blog, and readers going.

Be Discreet: If you don’t normally blog every day and you haven’t blogged in a few days or a week, don’t apologize for it. It simply draws attention (through RSS feeds and site visits) to the fact that you haven’t been blogging. Many people may not have noticed. However, if you are a daily blogger or blog professionally, it’s good to give people a heads up if you plan to take a mini-break. Again, take advantage of micro-blogging tools to keep in touch.

Choose to Go Dark: People will respect that. Everyone needs time away from the Internet, and what better way to spend your summer hours than enjoying long sun-filled days with loved ones? Get out and do something!

Build Up Readers and Content: Since so many bloggers do take off during the summer, use the downtime to boost your own blog. You’re guaranteed to pick up a few new readers that way. Come up with some great thought leadership pieces that can be carried over to the fall.

Just to keep things fun (and follow my own advice), I’m starting a meme.

(Photo credit: Flickr)

SUMMER MEME

4 things you like about summer

1. Longer days = more sun!
2. Rooftop dining, especially through the sunset
3. Laying out at the beach/pool and tanning
4. Driving with the top down (metaphorically speaking)

4 of your favorite vacation destinations

1. Midwest – warm days and cool mountain air at night
2. Caribbean – because it’s always a good time to go
3. California – Northern
4. Maine – love to visit my friend in Kennebunk

4 of your favorite summer foods

1. Berries
2. Corn on the cob
3. Slurpees/frozen lemonade
4. Anything that I grill outside!

4 concerts not to miss

1. Rascal Flatts
2. Any music festival – Virgin Festival, Lollapalooza, etc.
3. Old school bands – sometimes perform at local fairs, events, etc. Think 70’s, 80’s, and early 90’s bands
4. Musicals – I saw West Side Story at Wolf Trap last year, great for outdoors!

4 things to avoid during the summer

1. Sunburns
2. Bug bites
3. Brain freezes
4. Spending too much time inside with the A/C!

Tagging:

• Sarah Wurrey
• Andre Blackman
• Rachelle Lacroix
• Maddie Grant
• Leslie Bradshaw
• Shannon Whitley
• Brad Levinson
• Nicole Brazell
• Karen Snyder
• Cece Salomon-Lee