What if I miss a day or two of blogging?

A student wrote:

I have been thinking about the daily blogs and I am very stressed about it. I was wondering if it is possible to have one or two "oops" days. I am understand that we have to write everyday but there might be one day or two when we forget, things get busy at work, get sick etc. [For instance] ... if one day at 11:59 pm I have forgotten to write in the blog before 12 am. If we have two "oops" days we still have to write the same amount of blogs we can just write two the next day without having our grade penalized. Just a thought to help us with the project.

My response:

First, don't be stressed ... Look, I've done blogs before, but not with this particular software. I'm a little nervous, too. What if I run into a snag? But that's how new technology is. You have to take a deep breath, jump in, and start learning by doing.

Although daily consistency is important, and will be definitely considered in determining your overall grade, keep in mind you can still get an "A" in the class even if you make a mistake or two. You do that by doing an overall excellent job. If you get a 97% on an exam, you can still get an A, even if you miss few questions.

But people who blog EVERY day will have an advantage when grades are determined. Here's why: if you are responsible for managing a campaign website or a blog, and you miss a few days here and there, you are hurting your candidate or cause, no doubt about it. I fully realize that it is hard to do something every day, but if you learn how to "deliver the goods" reliably online, you will be a very valuable member of any campaign team. You'll be the go-to person who runs a tight ship and gets results. That's why I'm setting it up that way. My goal is to ensure that at the end of 10 weeks, you will be able to use the Internet very effectively.

How about this: I will hold myself to the same standard. I will have a blog, too, and post to it every day. If I miss one or two days, I will allow students to miss the same number of days with no penalty. But, if I can do it — while preparing my weekly lectures, answering emails from 35 students, and managing websites and email operations for numerous clients — then I will expect students to do it, too.

Above all, don't stress. This should be fun and exciting. If you are worried about forgetting to post, why not post at the same time every day — for instance, right after breakfast.

Remember that in the blogosphere, if you forget to blog for "a day or two," you are probably going to lose audience members who simply will not come back. What would you think if you went to a favorite restaurant and they told you, "Sorry, the chef forgot to show up. I'm afraid we won't be serving meals tonight." Would you go back to that place?

You are indeed giving up something of yourself when you commit to providing news or analysis every day. But in return, you gain an audience. Try it. You may like it.

Remember, you can take time off by arranging for guest bloggers.