Monday 11 April 2016

Are We in the Midst of a Blogging Crisis?

Ok, a show of hands - who else feels a real dip in the collective mood this year?

I hate to turn on the negativity, but it seems like everywhere I turn I'm seeing posts from bloggers on just feeling apathetic about the whole community and content creation - from  a lack of motivation to full on quitting.

Do I get it? Of course I do. It's easy to feel like everything has been done. It's getting harder and harder to create original content, to carve a niche out for a blog; yet so many of us straddle the fashion-lifestyle-beauty genre without really knowing where we sit as a whole. What bothers me are the reams of posts that follow that seem to advertise forcing yourself to blog. If you're not paid for your posts, then odds are this isn't your job. If you don't want to blog for a while, then don't. End of story.

So before you start hurling insults my way or accuse me of negativity, I found myself coming to a few home truths - yep, real, not glossy truths - about blogging. They're there for the taking, whether you find yourself nodding in agreement or not:


WE NEED AN ATTITUDE SHIFT. 

From ignoring requests for help to outright narcissism and being rude and obnoxious at events, why are some of us so stuck up these days? We're just normal people trying to live creatively, right? So why all the passive aggressiveness? Example: 

"Oh my god, got such an exciting collaboration, can't say anything yet though!" 

Translation: "I've got some free stuff and/or paid work coming up with a cool brand - be jealous!"

No one cares and it's not all that professional. Let us not forget that yes, whilst we may work hard, blogging has been golden for so many of us and helped us build careers. Don't get too big for your boots and develop a bad attitude. We all started in the same way, after all.

STOP BASHING 'BIGGER' BLOGGERS. 

Like all industries - because this has become paid work for so many - the cream rises to the top. That is the way of things. Don't let it eat you up - the elite are elite because of their niche and creativity, which brings a following, which brings in sponsorship, which brings money to pay for top equipment to create better content. Does it truly, life or death matter? Only if you want to be the next Zoella and crave that kind of celebrity status. Otherwise - be inspired by their success, use it to drive you or get over it.


WE GOT SO USED TO SENDING OUR WORDS TO THE WORLD, WE DIDN'T EXPECT A REPLY. 

There are posts and posts about engaging with your audience everywhere, but really? That's what keeps readers coming back. Don't ignore your commenters or they'll go elsewhere - you're not Beyoncé. They took a precious few minutes to read something you wrote, and even more to tell you what they thought about it. Even if you're just so used to spewing out posts - talk to people. It's nice to read a thoughtful comment, and easy - if not just courteous - to reply.


COMPETITION ONLY MATTERS IF YOU LIVE FOR THE GAME. 

This is the most important one. Be honest with yourself - are you really, truly enjoying blogging? It's a tough question to ask, especially when you've invested time, energy and potentially money into your blog. If you feel a compulsion to strategise, photograph, post, tweet and instagram all the time, think about why - is it through creativity? Is it to engage with and grow your audience? Or are you just trying to prove you're doing something worth talking about? The saturated market only really matters if you live for this - if you don't, then make a decision to not to let it affect you. Comparison is the thief of joy - just be happy with what you're bringing to the party.

Just to end on a positive - here are two really, really good posts on keeping on without forcing yourself...


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Sorry but I just had to get that off my chest! So where do you see the future of blogging? 
Anyone else on the same page?

Felicity

3 comments

  1. Great advice and I think that many people could use it. I agree with the first one. Just because you may get more collaborations doesn't mean that you can be so full of yourself and it's very rude as well. xx, Greete

    https://blogbygreete.wordpress.com/

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  2. Thanks Greete! Completely agree, some attitude refreshing required!

    Felicity

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  3. You really laid down the truth with this one! I couldn't have said it better myself :)

    Much Love


    The Proud Outsider

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