Anyone love blogging as much as me!?

[TomCrossley]

Anyone else love blogging as much as me? The endless choise of interesting topics you can choose to write about... anything that's going on in your mind at the time... Maybe if you have some photos or quotes to share... then blogging is perfect for you. It's always so interesting to see what other people have to say too... Maybe it's just me, but I really love it...

Anyone else here feel the same way? Or is it like a chore to you?

 

[ChaseJxyz]

I have written and abandonded plenty of blogs over the years. The one that did the best was an incredibly specific niche for a fandom I was very into, and I made some money off of it and got some great friends from the community, too. But I had to give it up once I got my first big boy career job after college, because I couldn't rush to post news the moment it came out anymore.

All my other blogs, I had a hard time being that passionate about the subject matter AND be able to carve out my own niche. My degree is in journalism, it was with a digital-first focus, and for one of the classes we had to launch/run a blog. That's where I started that fandom blog. A lot of my classmates did outfits of the day or they talked about the clothes they were wearing and it's like...whose going to read that, besides your mom? How is your blog different from the thousands of other people who are doing the same thing? If no one reads your blog, then what's going to drive you to keep going at it?

So my personal site DOES have a blog but...I don't use it all that much. I don't know how many people actually care about me talking about the intersection of game mechanics and storytelling, especially because I have no credits in any games and no foot in the door in the game industry.

But when I want to share what's on my mind or something interesting I find, I post it on one of my many Twitters or to my group chat that has my friends. If I want to rant about how cars are immoral and how every instance of "vehicular manslaughter" should have mandatory prison time, well, if I put that on my blog or Twitter, that would just get people very mad at me. But I can say that in a private space and my friends agree with me, I get the validation and none of the potential drama.

I think you and I just approach blogs differently. You seem to be using yours more like someone would use their tumblr, while mine have to be publications with a specific focus and the content should be in support of that. I'm not sure how much of that has to do with my education but

 

[NickyRainbow]

I don't blog anymore, but I used to, and I do miss it. I made so many friends on journalling sites that I still hold dear today. Mostly I miss that whole era of long-form internet in general! I miss in-depth discussion and analysis, before being social online became so instant and throwaway. I shouldn't moan, though, not when there are still great places like AW around

 

[Woollybear]

I was at a writers thing at the library a few years ago and the visiting speaker was an author speaking of the importance of blogging. Must blog. Must blog. Then she said that it doesn't matter what you blog. Find a picture of a beautiful meal, and make up a complete lie to tell your readers about that trip to Santa Fe where you had this amazing meal.

The ongoing content, she said was key, but any truth could go straight out the window. The more glamorous one made their life, the better--readers would gobble it up.

I dismissed her advice. The only thing less enjoyable to me than blogging would be making up stories about myself to blog about. I try to put something on my blog four times per year, just to leave a trail, but it's never joyous to write the stuff.

 

[TomCrossley]

I don't blog anymore, but I used to, and I do miss it. I made so many friends on journalling sites that I still hold dear today. Mostly I miss that whole era of long-form internet in general! I miss in-depth discussion and analysis, before being social online became so instant and throwaway. I shouldn't moan, though, not when there are still great places like AW around

Yeah I totally understand what you mean about the internet being so instant and 'throwaway,' now. Blogging slows things down a bit, it's relaxing.

 

[TomCrossley]

I was at a writers thing at the library a few years ago and the visiting speaker was an author speaking of the importance of blogging. Must blog. Must blog. Then she said that it doesn't matter what you blog. Find a picture of a beautiful meal, and make up a complete lie to tell your readers about that trip to Santa Fe where you had this amazing meal.

The ongoing content, she said was key, but any truth could go straight out the window. The more glamorous one made their life, the better--readers would gobble it up.

I dismissed her advice. The only thing less enjoyable to me than blogging would be making up stories about myself to blog about. I try to put something on my blog four times per year, just to leave a trail, but it's never joyous to write the stuff.

Wow, it's strange to see how 'results based' her opinion on blogging is... I think people will respect you if you stay true to yourself, that alone will do the work I think.

 

[lizmonster]

I was at a writers thing at the library a few years ago and the visiting speaker was an author speaking of the importance of blogging. Must blog. Must blog. Then she said that it doesn't matter what you blog. Find a picture of a beautiful meal, and make up a complete lie to tell your readers about that trip to Santa Fe where you had this amazing meal.

The ongoing content, she said was key, but any truth could go straight out the window. The more glamorous one made their life, the better--readers would gobble it up.

I think this may have been true 15-20 years ago.

These days it's Instagram/TikTok, and people make entire careers out of it. Not sure how much it helps writers sell books, though.

 

[ChaseJxyz]

I think this may have been true 15-20 years ago.

These days it's Instagram/TikTok, and people make entire careers out of it. Not sure how much it helps writers sell books, though.

I have no doubt in my mind that all the meming about their book on Twitter/TikTok helped Xiran Jay Zhao become a NYT best seller. But also that was a YA book that is pretty much Pacific Rim. idk how well that would translate to books outside of YA (and maybe MG but <13 arent SUPPOSED to be on most social networks).

 

[Woollybear]

When I do wander onto a blog, I sometimes enjoy it and have a look around. I think this is why i try to keep up a few posts now and then. That's the trail, although a sparse one.

Tiktok is a way to engage, and it needn't be a chore (it can be framed as a free assett), but I think engaging is the key to success at raising a profile (and selling books). So it comes back to whether we are socially active with readers or not. We all do what we can. I have trouble with tiktok but it's helpful to think of it as an asset (and a free one) instead of a chore.

 

[jjosuminded]

Anyone else love blogging as much as me? The endless choise of interesting topics you can choose to write about... anything that's going on in your mind at the time... Maybe if you have some photos or quotes to share... then blogging is perfect for you. It's always so interesting to see what other people have to say too... Maybe it's just me, but I really love it...

Anyone else here feel the same way? Or is it like a chore to you?

I love blogging so much! But you already know that

To me, it provides an opportunity to show my readers a glimpse of the person behind the posts and be more personal. So in my case, although I'm not a well-known person yet, my blog is a platform to provide special content for fans mainly, once I get to the point where I have a following that is! xD

 

[silverp]

Anyone else love blogging as much as me? The endless choise of interesting topics you can choose to write about... anything that's going on in your mind at the time... Maybe if you have some photos or quotes to share... then blogging is perfect for you. It's always so interesting to see what other people have to say too... Maybe it's just me, but I really love it...

Anyone else here feel the same way? Or is it like a chore to you?

I love blogging about great books I've read. It is a small blog with few followers mostly family, but I love doing it. I'm with you. Blog on!

 

[KopyKat]

I have been blogging for years. I enjoy writing about any subject that comes to mind, and unlike folks that write to be published, what I write is not trying for a large audience and a specific genre. I have over 170 posts on many subjects, most are articles I wrote for a local paper, plus a few dozen not published in the paper. Not only that, but I also have a few short stories as well.