social commentary Sunday . . . 'the jaded blogger'

Greetings all,

Have you noticed a little pity party around blogland??  I get . . . 'it's my blog i can do/ say/ post what i want' . . . however lately, some posts are beyond venting, it is whinge-filled jaded blogging.  It might be a gorgeous blogger having a bad day with a 'woe is me' post & it takes guts to show your green emotions - jealousy, envy . . . but some are pure the-blogging-world-is-against-me.    

Jaded blogging can range from not feeling welcome at a blog conference to not being nominated for blog competitions.  I might sound jaded myself by saying i'm over the 'vote for me' requests for various writer & blog awards (with cash prizes, flights, status & exposure) as i've never been nominated/ entered in any such competition . . . i don't mind, i'm happy where i sit in the blogosphere.  Acceptance is the basic human desire, such events can strike a divide, who is hot & which blog is not, ouch.  It bruises egos, even cyber ones. 

Then there is the PR sponsorship debate - do we charge for it, or are we so flattered a company found us/ offered a product to trial/ giveaway/ promote, we're so excited - we do it for free??  I originally started my blog as an extension of my business 5+ years ago, but since my husband moved interstate & overseas to live (in January 2010) + i started to shut my business down - i genuinely blog for him, it's just heart warming readers are with us.  When sponsorship opportunities come along, i accept some of them, i want to charge a fee, however my blog was never intended to be a money making tool - such options barely existed when i started & i always made more money promoting myself.

    However, there now seems to be a sense of entitlement, people starting a blog from scratch (no fame/ brand/ book/ personality behind them) expecting 50 000 hits a month & a solid income from their blog.  It simply doesn't happen that way.  In my first 3 years of blogging, i posted 3 dozen times.  I was too busy raising children & sewing, so when i commenced regular blogging in 2010 - it was a much more competitive, interesting & larger blogosphere, with local conferences & global events.  I never checked statistics, but my children love looking at the search words "Mum, some creepy person found your blog by searching 'children in bikinis'" much to my horror & no, i'd never post a picture of my children visibly wearing bikinis!!  So it was with much excitement they discovered my hits as '234 567' this week, i appreciate every hit.  A blogger recently wrote "everyone finds their statistics depressing" but i disagreed & am constantly thrilled when i peek at them, really, that many people read this post, i'm truly flattered, NOT disappointed, NEVER deflated.   

 I've read blogs, i admire very much, posting that they weren't a finalist in a writing competition so perhaps they should give up writing altogether & stop blogging; to others listing all the classic blog must do milestones . . . including a rainbow birthday layer cake, talking about your sex life & suffering depression/ addiction.  They were actually brilliant posts, content & intent.  I have seen more than a few of my favourites switch their blogs to 'private' for various reasons, i would never blog about anything i didn't mind my worst enemy or my own mother reading.  Clearly my children read my blog, so i write honestly, with heart & no regrets.  Some bloggers demand "don't stalk, if you're here, leave a comment or it's rude".  Others insist you must have left 10 comments in the past month or don't enter my giveaway!!  Then some switch off comments as they find it sad when they don't get any for a post.  This isn't what i thought blogging was about.   

Then there is the status of how many followers you have.  I adore my readers, thus naming the 'follow' section as such.  I comment, i join in memes & list parties, i make an effort, i hope enough of an effort, to put up quality posts & visit them too.  Then you read a blogger begging "i get 5000 hits a day, why aren't you all following me" geesh - wondered if those readers took a peek at your blog, as they saw you on television, but didn't like it, so don't follow??  As for some of these celebrity bloggers, how many comments are a suitable amount to leave before you realise they are never going to know/ care who you are & visit your blog??  Actually make that, ANY blogger!!  It's just courtesy don't you think, to say hello & thank you, rather than chase new followers/ commenters constantly??  Cherish the ones you have.  Do you follow blogs with fewer followers that yourself, or are you a social media climber??
Just for some random light entertainment, so this commentary isn't too serious . . . my children taught their chicken to ride a camel.  

At the end of the day 99% of us blog for fun, it's a nice escape & for housewives like me, reading blogs is kind of like office chatter, you're my colleagues out there & it's our supportive community.  I don't mind if you're making money off your blog, i'll still read, you're not a "sell out" (not my words) & if it's really positive for you, well done.  I do loathe the blogs where there is SO much advertising down each side of the screen, i can barely focus on the post, it defeats the purpose, non??  So sad when the potential of paid endorsements changes the way a blogger writes too. 

I have been wondering about going to a blog conference in Sydney next month, i'd love to meet the bloggers i follow, for real & for true, but i'm not so sure i want to sit & listen to all the ways you can increase traffic - i'm a bit old fashioned i guess, i still believe blogging & hits should be based purely on genuine content, what comes naturally to you, not tricks, bells & whistles.  So here's to blogging for fun & any fame/ fortune/ awards are just a gracious bonus, right??  Love Posie