That’s because the folks at Facebook, in their infinite wisdom (?), have expanded the maximum length of a status update from 5,000 characters to a whopping 63,206.

If you wish to publish a novel on Facebook that’s 63,207 characters, you’re outta luck. You’ll have to put that stray character into its own update.

How long is 63,206 characters?

Seriously, would anyone want to read a 60,000+ character update? And just how long is 63,206 characters, anyway?

I opened the manuscript for my 88-page e-book, Blogophobia Conquered, which is 16,398 words long. That equates to 97,602 characters, including spaces. So, I could publish my entire book on Facebook in two updates of 48,801 characters (don’t worry; I have no plans to subject you to that!).

Here’s another way of looking at 63,206 characters:

63,206 characters = approximately 10,000 words, considering the average word is 6 characters long

A typed sheet of paper (double-spaced) fits approximately 250 words.

So, 63,206 characters equates to somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 typed pages.

The evolution of Facebook’s character count limits is mind-boggling.

• 160 characters (similar to Twitter’s 140 characters) was the limit in Facebook’s early days.
• 420 characters (March 2009)
• 500 characters (July 2011)
• 5,000 characters (Sept 2011)
• 63,206 characters (Nov 2011)

Here’s the really strange thing. Studies have shown that the optimum length for status updates is 80 characters. Not 800. Not 8,000. And especially not 80,000.

80.

What do you think of this new development?

Will you be posting a 63,206-character update anytime soon? (If so, don’t expect me to scroll to the end and comment on it.)

My take on this development: They should change the name of the network to FaceBOOK.

Sources:

• Vadim Lavrusik, Facebook’s Journalist Program Manager
• Mashable: Your New Facebook Status: 63,206 Characters or Less

An author, Ava launched her appropriately titled blog, Pen Station, last week. She featured my book as her first post (thanks, Ava!).

Here are excerpts from her review:

I’m one of those people who breathes a sigh of relief and a prayer of thanks when I turn on the computer and it actually turns on. Error messages make me twitch, and solid blue screens cause me to see red…

With my technically-challenged background, the idea of starting a blog was more than a bit intimidating…[Laura] provides a comprehensive guide without getting bogged down in technical terms.

Blogophobia Conquered is now my go-to reference for all things blogging related. Laura’s easy-to-understand descriptions and practical tips helped me overcome my blogophobia…and here I am!

Read Ava’s full review: http://avapennington.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/blogophobia-conquered/

Try before you buy – Visit my Blogophobia Conquered page and download Chapter 1 for free.

She writes:

Most helpful for me, [Laura] emphasizes the discipline of time management. (C’mon guys, am I the only one who struggles with this?) Scheduling, for a creative type, is a party-killer! After a few months of winging it, I concede that I must set clear goals and make a plan.

Read Kit’s complete review on her blog, The High Desert Home Companion.

She writes:

Not only did I enjoy this e-book, I learned a ton, and it’s now my go-to guide. I’ll read all 88 pages two, three, four, maybe five times. The advice is practical, concise, and not at all intimidating.

A beginning blogger, Alanna covers many facets of the book in her in-depth review. She says, “I’m grateful to have read this book at the beginning of my blogging endeavor to save me time in the future.”

Click here to read Alanna Klapp’s full review.

I’ll send a free copy of Blogophobia Conquered (a $19.99 value) to the first five people who comment on this post and agree to review my e-book on your own blog.

Nope. You don’t. You can live a purpose-filled life minus a blog. Don’t let anyone convince you that you have to blog, just for the sake of blogging.

But you might want to blog. Whether you’re a small business owner, an author who’s looking to promote your upcoming book, or the CEO of a large corporation, you need to dispassionately evaluate whether blogging can and should be a critical component of your marketing strategy.

I’m going to help you do that. Right now. During the next two days, we’ll examine the pros and cons of blogging, with a particular emphasis on business blogging.

Let’s start with the eight most common reasons people give for NOT blogging:

1.  Not committed enough to keep it updated

Time and lack of commitment are the two biggest stumbling blocks for bloggers. Take a close look at your weekly calendar.

• Can you carve out an hour to create each new post? (That’s how long it takes the average blogger to research, write, and publish a decent blog entry.)
• Are you passionate enough about this venture to follow through with updating your blog 1-3 times per week? If not, consider outsourcing your blog to a business that provides professionally-written blog updates (shameless plug for Blogging Bistro).

2.  Don’t understand the point of blogging

Some folks assume that the only people who blog are losers with too much time on their hands and grandmas who post pictures of their grandkids.

“Blogging is a waste of the reader’s and writer’s time,” they say.

If you approach blogging with a laissez-faire attitude, it will be a huge time-waster. But if you approach it strategically, devising ways to incorporate blogging into your existing marketing plan, blogging has the potential to substantially expand your reach in ways that traditional marketing campaigns can’t.

3.  Lack confidence to create quality content

No one wants to embarrass themselves by publishing mediocre content.

• Don’t have the first clue of what to write about?
• Don’t trust your ability to string together a coherent sentence?

Then don’t blog!

Or outsource your blogging to someone who will do the dirty work for you.

4.  Fear no one will read your blog

Imagine walking into crowded room where everyone is shouting at the top of their lungs, trying to get everyone else’s attention. That’s the blogosphere.

• How will anyone but your mom and your best friend find your blog amid all the chaos?
• How can little ol’ you compete with blogs that get half a million hits per day?

You have to approach blogging with a marathon mentality, rather than a sprint mentality. Over time, as you discover and nurture your unique voice (and stop worrying about being #1), your blog readership will grow.

5.  Not savvy about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or social networking

• It takes time and energy to join social networks and participate in other activities that will entice people to visit your blog.
• It takes savoir-faire-and a lot of trial and error-to determine how to use the all-important key words that search engines love.

Your blogging business plan needs to include not only time for blogging, but time for promoting your blog.

6.  Fear of commenters

Many normally-nice people take advantage of the anonymity of cyberspace to rip you apart in the Comments area of your blog. If you plan to blog, you must be prepared to develop a rhino-thick skin, fast.

To protect yourself from rabid commenters, create and publish a Comments Policy (Iexplain how to do that in my e-book, Blogophobia Conquered).

7.  Wary of harming relationships

• What if you rant from your bully pulpit a bit too vehemently and alienate the very people you hope to reach?
• What if you inadvertently hurt someone’s feelings?

Blogging is relational, and there’s always a potential for hurt feelings in any relationship. That doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for you to whack readers over the head with your ideology while disregarding theirs.

Approach blogging with an open mind. Be willing to learn from your readers and have the grace to apologize when you’ve overstepped your boundaries.

8.  Fear of getting addicted

Blogging can suck you into a black hole and drain the life out of you if you’re not careful.

• Schedule your blogging time so you don’t end up spending your entire day blogging.
  Make blogging part of your day, not the ultimate goal for your day.

The bottom line

Most people’s reluctance to blog boils down to one word: Strategy.

They jump into blogging without thinking through:

• why they want to blog
• who they hope to reach
• how blogging will impact their schedule
• how their blog will make a difference in the lives of time-strapped readers

If you’re wondering whether you should start blogging, take the time to do some strategic planning.

I’d like to give you a free tool to help you create your blogging business plan. Just sign up for Bright Ideas Blogzine (the form is in the upper righthand corner of this page). As soon as you activate your subscription, you’ll receive a link to download a PDF of “Your Social Media Plan,” a detailed checklist to help you plan your blog.

Tomorrow I’ll share 10 reasons why you should blog. Stay tuned!

This article was originally published 10-21-08, on another blog I own.

Far too many bloggers, tweeters, and Facebookers get it backwards. They make the following assumption:

All I have to do is announce I’ve just gone to the bathroom, downed a cup of coffee, or wiped my kid’s snotty nose, and readers will flock to my site.

Then they wonder why their site gets zero hits.

Have you heard of the acronym, WII-FM? (What’s In It For Me?) Most people are far more interested in themselves than they’ll ever be in you. So your social networking needs to be about them.

How do you make it about them? Through delivering WII-FM content.

Content creates audience

Look at the descriptors of the following top-ranked blogs, and note one element they all share:

• Tech toys
• Auto news
• Internet marketing tips
• Travel tips
• Movie news & reviews
• Going green
• Copywriting tips
• Gaming tips, news, and gossip
• How to make money blogging
• Science news
• Stock market news
• Food news
• Political news & commentary
• Celeb gossip
• Guest columnist or interview
• Home design innovations

What do these blogs have in common?

They’re built around a single, tightly-focused topic. The “going green” blog does not address financial scandals and the foodie blog ignores stock market news. Each blog highlights one specific topic. As a result of doing one thing extremely well, these topical blogs have become the go-to source of information about their subject area.

Reader-Focused

Now look at the descriptors for the top-rated blogs. Notice the terms tips, news, commentary, toys, gossip, reviews, innovations, scandals, and corruption. The best blogs are reader-focused-they imply visitors will learn something specific about the topic that will make them happier, healthier, or wealthier.

Other blogs, such as the ones that focus on gossip, scandals, and corruption, offer juicy water cooler fodder with the intent of entertaining visitors. In geek-speak, this is called “meeting a felt need” or “providing take-away value.”

I just call it WII-FM.

If you want to become the go-to source of information, commentary, or gossip about a particular topic, emulate the big guys. Choose a topic that interests you and structure your blog around that topic.

Then give ‘em WII-FM.

This article was adapted from my e-book, Blogophobia Conquered: Overcome and 7 Most Common Fears and Create an Amazing Blog. Read the first chapter free, and then order your copy today.

Related post:

• Who is the typical blog reader?