Many deem blogging as a creative outlet, a relief from their everyday mundane life. The first few months are fun. You're gung ho about blogging. You've got lots to say and you couldn't post often enough. And then you realize that......wait a minute.....this is hard work. It takes hours just to put together a coherent post that wouldn't bore your readers into a comatose state. If you're a personal style blogger, it's no longer adequate to just post your everyday clothes. Perhaps it's time to dress it up a little. And then there are all these techno jargons to compute which sound like an alien language from outer space.
Social media will be entrenched permanently into your DNA. Your middle names are now Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr. Your fingers are superglued to your smartphone. You stand up on a chair to take photos of your breakfast/lunch/dinner/tea/coffee just so that you can share your meals with thousands of other strangers via Instagram.
But wait, there's more.... it's now costing YOU money just to run a blog. You feel like you're running 2 full time jobs. Your inbox is full, your significant other is considering chucking your laptop into a bonfire, your friends think you've lost touch with reality, your kids know how to spell Isabel Marant back to front, you scout out locations to be photographed under the pretense of "exploring the city" and you traipse the entire length of Paris in heels when you'd secretly hid a pair of flats in your handbag. Thanks to you, your husband/boyfriend is now so good at photography that he should consider making it his new career.
And then you get your first email from a digital marketing firm wanting to sponsor a post. You're elated. And then have a near nervous breakdown because you have NO idea what's a CPM, pageview, ROI etc. Never fear, check out this AWESOME Wall Street Journal interview with 3 incredibly successful bloggers - Tina Craig of Bagsnob, BryanBoy and Tom & Lorenzo.
And if you're feeling particularly sociable, go right up to the top right hand corner of this blog and follow me at all the aforementioned social media platforms.
Brilliant. You just summed up everything I know and feel about blogging including the highs and lows. I've lost my mojo this week and not feeling very blog orientated - it's not a job, I don't make any money, my house is a mess - I need to give it a rest. Maybe I will feel more like it in a couple of weeks time but I think everyone has a few off moments every now and then. And when I get my mojo back - maybe I'll join in this social media thingy ... or maybe I won't. Sometimes, you can have too much.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand what you're going through. Take a week off and don't even think about blogging. It'll make a huge difference to your sanity :)
Deletewhat an interesting article...i love the way your write, i had a good laugh.
ReplyDeleteafter i switched to my new job which is more demanding and i just have to put blogger secondary and do well at my day job. after a few months of blogging, i kind of gave up on browsing other blogs b/c i just don't have that much time and energy. now i just visit few blogs that i find interesting.
i actually don't find the most popular blogs that interesting anymore. people's lives are only interesting to a certain point. it's that quiet substance that i am looking for now.
thanks for another good read. i really enjoy coming to your blog.
Your comment really made my day, June! Thank you!
DeleteI was able to listen to the whole thing while at work thanks to your tweet about it. Thank you! :) It helps to put things into perspective as a budding "blogger" with a full-time job. It's definitely no easy feat!
ReplyDeleteYour blog is always such a good read. Thankfully, I'm still at the point were blogging is fun and not a chore.
ReplyDeleteBut even so, it's hard to think of original content that won't bore everyone into oblivion.
totally bookmarking this to check out later when i'm not at work ;)
ReplyDeletesteph / absolutely-fuzzy.com
This is so spot on! I am thinking of throwing in the towel as it really does feel like a job now, I miss the early days of just one or two comments and more anonymity.
ReplyDeleteEverything you mentioned here are so funny and true in every sense! My husband used to roll his eyes in the most boring state and gave me the look back when i asked him to take photos. Now with a new blog he doesnt have to do so very often. He did become a better photographer though. Blogging does feel like a job when you set goals and expections, as for me i want to blog without purpose until i am truly ready to take it to another level. I learned so much from my former blog. Fun post!
ReplyDeleteI think success is hit and miss, some make it, but others who work equally as hard at it, don't. It's all about getting in with the right people, blowing smoke up their arses and that has never interested me xx
ReplyDeleteI decided to start a blog while working full time, with a toddler at home and building a house so sometimes struggle to find time. I'm not at it long enough to fulfil all the clichés but give me time!! Great post Marlene!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I get like this where I'm over thinking posts, spending way too much time picking and editing pictures, have to remind myself why I started blogging in first place!
ReplyDeletehaha!!! LOVE this post M!! so true! thanks for the video - have to always be progressing all kinds of things! and I seriously did LOL about kids spelling ISABEL MARANT backwards and forwards bc i'm sure it's true!
ReplyDeletehappy weekend m!
xo, sam
I just wish that when people offered to do sponsored posts it was something relevant to my blog :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a great post! Really love your writing and it's just all so recognizable. Although I love blogging, it does sometimes feel like a second job and sometimes very difficult to deal with having a high demanding job.
ReplyDeleteThis post had me laughing and then cringing at the reality of it! So true it's frightening. You always have the best posts!
ReplyDeleteMandi
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