Bad Blogger

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I just found out about a really fun blogging opportunity that requires participants have at least sixty recipes on their blogs to even be considered for membership. Actual recipes, not links to recipes.

So I went back through my three-year old blog thinking that I would easily find sixty recipes. And I found them, but not easily, and certainly not recently. Bad blogger.

I was especially surprised to find that I have rarely posted actual recipes for the past year or so. One reason is that I blog far less than I used to, and the reasons for that are many. But the primary reason for the decline in posting recipes on my blog is the blogging groups I belong to.

While I am cooking along with the rest of the group, most groups have rules about posting the recipe on our blog and instead instruct participants to include a link to the week's host or a group blog. These rules are in place to increase blog traffic for fellow group members and/or to encourage our readers to purchase the book we are cooking from.

While I appreciate this concept, I have always had a bit of a problem with these rules. Many of my regular readers are friends and family members and they are not going to drop $25 - $40 on a cookbook to get one recipe. Also, most recipes are available online. If I really want a cookbook or am a fan of the author I am going to buy the cookbook regardless of the availability of the recipes online.

So I'm cooking recipes that I can't post online but why am I not cooking more recipes outside of groups? Blogging groups are a great way to increase readership while challenging us bloggers to try things we may not normally do. There is no question I have grown as a cook because of my involvement with these groups. Cream puffs? I would have never attempted these on my own. However, I think, at least for me, they may actually be holding me back.

I actually try new recipes pretty often from my cookbook collection, magazines, TV shows, or that I come across on other blogs. I just don't blog about them that often. Again, many reasons: laziness, too hungry to take pictures, crappy pictures, disappointing results, time... But I have to wonder if I weren't already posting several times a month with one of the groups, would I put more effort into seeking out more recipes to make and post?

So, I am going to continue to cook along with French Fridays with Dorie and Baked Sunday Mornings because I love both of these cookbooks, but also because both groups are full of incredibly creative, talented, and supportive people. But, I am going to commit to posting more of the recipes I make outside of the groups and also seek inspiration on my own more often.

For those of you in blogging groups, do you feel they hold you back in any way?