Blog neglect syndrome is a serious affliction, and it is far more common than one might suspect. Day after day, countless abandoned blogs slip into the darkness as neglecting authors turn their backs on their once cherished blogs... (true story!)

Here are 5 tips on how to prevent blog neglect syndrome (and how to resurrect a neglected blog)

Keep it concise - a.k.a. Write shorter posts

It's true, bloggers are lazy. Why bother writing your own blog post when you could easily be doing something much more enjoyable, such as reading other people's blog posts?

The fact is, we avoid large responsibilities. And editing and proofreading a 10-page manifesto is a LOT of work. If you're like me, you are much more likely to be inspired by, write and publish 10 short posts than 1 epic odyssey. My last blog collected dust for 2 years because I simply couldn't find the energy to finish writing & editing my half-finished posts.

Keep it short. Keep it simple.

Own the content / have a personal stake in your blog

When I first started out blogging, I decided not to associate my writings with the rest of my online identity (R.I.P. blog-shmog.com!) My thinking was that by having a little distance between my blog and my personal site, I would have more freedom to write about something off topic or controversial (like negative reviews). That disassociation is a large part of what killed my old blog.

It may sound self-absorbed (maybe it is?), but having your blog directly contribute to your online identity helps to make blog-upkeep a much higher priority. If your job is internet-related (like mine), your online identity builds trust & confidence around your name and your profession. Likewise, if your family/friends/followers depend on your writings, they'll encourage you to keep going.

The truth is, keeping a blog does take effort (writing content, moderating comments, keeping your CMS updated, etc.) and incentivizing yourself to keep up is a good thing. Whether the inspiration is to build your online identity, or keep your relatives up-to-date with your recent travels, your content needs to be important to you.

Write about what you love. Be flexible when that changes

OK- this one probably goes without saying, but if you're not interested in what you're writing about, you'll lose interest very quickly. The real point here is: When your passions evolve, so should your blog.

If you take a look through some of my old content, you'll quickly realize that I used to write a lot about GPS gadgets (circa. 2008). But now that smartphones do automatically what a these clunky GPS loggers did back then (geotag photos, etc.), my interest in GPS hardware is now over. And so my blog will evolve with me. I'm much more interested in writing about User Experience and Interaction Design these days, so that's just what I'll do.

If you feel like your passions are evolving and you want to write about something else, do it. Create a new category in your blog and write about whatever makes you happy. Feeling restricted by "genre" will give you a nasty case of rapid-onset blog neglect syndrome. Guaranteed.

Keep a list of future topics

This one is fairly simple, but often overlooked. If you have a blog and you're not already keeping a list of topics you'd like to write about, you're doing yourself a big disservice.

I'm pretty much an all-around super awesome guy, but I do have the memory of a goldfish. Whenever I get inspired by something and decide that I want to write about it, I immediately write it down. I never used to, and that's why my old blog sucked.

Inspired? Write it down!

Operation newblog - a.k.a How to de-neglect a blog

If you suffer from blog neglect syndrome, you may notice the following symptoms:

• In its current form, your blog still bores you. You won't be inspired to write again without making some big changes
• You may not have a large-enough stake in the success of your blog to feel compelled to maintain it.
• Your interests have probably shifted (especially if you've neglected your blog for several years, like me).
• Your old blog probably sucked anyway

The best way to get inspired again is to make a big change. In my case, I started a new blog, migrated my old content, redesigned everything, upgraded my CMS, started a list of future topics (stay tuned, y'all) and changed what I plan to write about. OK- it's a bit excessive, especially for the less DIY-inclined, but even something small like choosing a new theme/template for your blog can kick-start your passion in a big way. Seriously.

Conclusion

First blog post in over 2 years. DONE!!

yessssssssss......