It’s no secret the past couple years have been challenging for everyone. Yet paradoxically, at the same time, we’ve accomplished so many amazing things. But the time has come that I need to focus on completing this two-year transition of both my life and my business to this next exciting chapter. However, in order to do that, I will be taking a break from blogging for the summer.
We’re Cutting Back the Amount of New Content Being Published. We’re Not Stopping It.
When I say we’re taking a break from blogging, that does not mean that we’re going to completely stop publishing content. Instead of weekly posts, we will be cutting back to 1-2 posts per month for the duration of the summer. New content will be published on the first and third Fridays of every month. Everything will still be published at the same time, on Fridays at 15:00 UTC (11 AM EDT/8 AM PDT). We’ll resume our once per week schedule in September.
Again, we’re not completely stopping publishing new blog content this summer. We’re simply reducing the amount of new content we’re publishing to the blog. Pretty much all of the blog content we’ll publish will come in the form of short tutorials and stories from the road as we travel across Canada and parts of the western United States.
Just a few of the amazing places this new chapter has already taken me.
Finally, taking a break from blogging is not a bad thing. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The time we’re freeing up this summer is being devoted to expanding and diversifying our content, as well as getting the business fully back up and running in this exciting post-COVID chapter. If you want more of our content this summer, please check out our YouTube channel, Pinterest feed, or the Matt Gove Photo website for additional content this summer. Now, here are the details.
1. I Just Need a Break
I have always used my photography and video adventures as an escape during tough times. When the pandemic hit two years ago, it took away that escape. As a result, I really leaned on blogging to fill that void while we were all stuck at home. It was a great escape, and gave me something I could be passionate about throughout the shutdowns. And the results speak volumes. Over the past two years, we’ve grown both readership and engagement nearly an order of magnitude (a factor of 10).
As rewarding as it is to see those kind of results, I’d be lying if I told you it was easy. It takes an incredible amount of hard work and dedication to achieve just a fraction of those results. And after three straight years of pushing out weekly content, I simply need a break from the weekly grind of writing posts. This is exactly why we have put so much emphasis on evergreen content. It allows us to take these kinds of breaks, while at the same time continue to grow the blog.
2. I’m Adding Complimentary Content and Diversifying My Content Strategy
While blogging is my preferred method of content distribution, it’s important not to put all of our eggs into that one basket. Indeed, we launched new YouTube and Pinterest channels this spring. We’ve also updated our websites as an additional platform to distribute content. But it doesn’t stop there, either. As GIS professionals, you can probably guess, we’re also adding a bunch of interactive maps. Our goal is to make it incredibly easy to browse, find, and consume the location-specific content that you need to plan your next adventure.
In addition to videos, we’ll also be publishing online courses, books, guides, and much more over the next several months. Cutting back on blogging this summer will allow us to focus on growing our new channels so we can deliver even more quality and value to you.
3. I Need to Dedicate Some Time to Growing Other Areas of My Business
These two years of the COVID-19 pandemic have been a transition period for both myself and my business. We’ve undergone a lot of changes and have even started a new chapter. And with that transition being nearly complete, I need to dedicate some time to growing these new parts of the business.
In addition to all the new content channels, we also opened the Matt Gove Photo Store last year. We also unveiled a new Matthew Gove Web Development product catalog, shifting our focus to GIS, data science, and visual media.
With so much of my time last winter dedicated to getting my house sold, some areas of my business didn’t get as much attention as I would have liked. Cutting back on the blogging for the summer will allow me to really start getting those more neglected aspects of the business fully back up and running.
Conclusion
Cutting back on blogging for the summer is not a decision I make lightly. But it’s the best decision for both myself and the business going forward. Diversification will allow us to create more content that is tailored exactly to what you want to consume. And best of all, the quality and value of that content will only be better.
In the meantime, please subscribe to our YouTube channel, give us a follow on Pinterest, and sign up for our email newsletter. Keep an eye out for our next post on the first of July. And, as always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us anytime. Happy Summer!
Top Photo: Winter Sunrise in the Rocky Mountains
Boulder, Colorado – February, 2022