Blogging has changed so much since I first started. I think even if you only started blogging 6 months ago, you’ll have seen it alter along the way. For me, I started with seriously blurry pictures, wearing whatever outfit I’d thrown on that morning, all uploaded straight from my phone (it could have even been a flip phone… Christ). Just like the blogging world in general, my blog developed, and mostly that’s a really nice thing… It’s good to see how far you’ve come!
With that though, I feel like a whole load of pressure has been added to bloggers. Blogger outreach is constantly increasing in popularity, and as a result what’s expected of us is greater than ever. We need to go find aesthetic looking backgrounds, have a good social presence and write well. We’re meant to understand the business-y side of it (I don’t) and be organised (I struggle) and reply to emails (I’m working on this one). What we’re not meant to do is include the odd typo or add in the wrong picture or forget to include a link in the Tweet. Duh. But we do… Do we?! Or am I just rubbish?!
It’s not like any of this has been explicitly stated, but for me I feel it’s now implied... Even though a lot of us do this as a hobby, learning along the way. There is no school for blogging. Even those of us that do it full time are learning as we go. With so many paid/sponsored opportunities for bloggers it is understandable that quality is expected, but for me, blogging isn’t about coming up with something that could go in Vogue. If it was, then it might as well be in bloody Vogue. We aren’t photographers, nor models or stylists.
For now and the future, I’m just going to do what’s right for me. I don’t want to add pressure to myself worrying about what I ‘should’ be doing. I want to work hard on my blog, but I don’t want to stress out over what isn’t all that important... E.g. ‘so & so has drop down menus.. Do I need drop down menus?! Do we all have drop down menus now?!’. Y’know, it’s normal to compare, but it is so silly and pointless.
So there we go. How I’m feeling towards beating the blogging pressure. I hope this doesn’t sound too rant-y towards blogging in general. On the whole, I do appreciate that having a blog is brilliant. This was just something I wanted to chat about. Anyone else feel this way sometimes?!
x
i can totally relate ... blogging is serious business i now understand the importance of paying attention to every little thing... to be taken seriously we do have to put out great content not something we though out five mins ago... great post dear! xx http://lovejoystyles.com
ReplyDeleteGirl! We all feel the pressure. It seems like there are so many bloggers and all are so incredible, the standard is extremely high. However what you have said is right, we must enjoy it and not be stressing over it, regardless of whether its just a hobby or a full time job. xxx
ReplyDeletewww.oliashamray.com
Yes! I know exactly what you mean, I started blogging a year ago and already so
ReplyDeleteMuch has changed, I can't imagine how much has changed in the last 6 years! I love my blog and never want to get to that point where it feels like it's becoming a chore! I think you're right, just do you, comparing yourself to others can be so bad! Your blog and style is great btw! And we're both Sheffield gals so you get extra brownie points for that hehe! ;)
Heather Xx
100waysto30.co.uk
Totally understand this, being a small blog I feel that I need to do all of these things so I can imagine it is even more so for you!
ReplyDeleteJaynie Shannon. Beauty, Health & Lifestyle.
xox
You go girl ! Do the fuck you want ! I just love your blog, no matter the fancy background or else. I don't want to read Vogue. I want to read your blog.
ReplyDeletexx
www.caetera-moda.blogspot.com
Love this. I totally get your point. It's definitely clear to see the change if you've been blogging for years!
ReplyDeleteKatie Loves ~ Fashion Blog | Bloglovin' | Instagram
I feel the same - when I started it seemed like something that was fairly easy and achievable but it seems to be getting more and more complicated and people are looking for perfection
ReplyDeleteSteph - http://nourishmeclean.blogspot.com
There is definitely pressure in blogging and it can be hard not to succumb to it. I think as long as you stay true to yourself and your own blog then that's the battle won.. Sod those drop down menus! x
ReplyDeleteVanessaVonJames | Fashion Blog
I feel like the blogosphere is definitely changing! Looking back at all my old photos I can't believe I even uploaded them, but a year and a half ago they would have been fine and the norm. I enjoy putting more effort into my blog but at the same time I feel pressured to do so to continue to attract and keep readers xx
ReplyDeleteCharlotte's Road // Beauty, Fashion + Lifestyle
Well stated! You should only do your blog for you, not for anyone else. You're right there is so much pressure and controversy over blogging and social media at the moment, but as you said it started off (and should still be) a hobby and something that you enjoy and that you work hard on in the way you like it. If you like the photos you post, the content you write about and the way your blog looks then that's all that matters!
ReplyDeleteAnd for what it's worth, I love reading all your posts, so you're certainly doing it right in my eyes!
josievictoriaa / fashion, travel and lifestyle
I loved this post Lydia. I also really struggled with the sudden increase in expectations, both readers' and brands'. I blog as a hobby and was suddenly being asked to create professional content with DSLR quality photos and feeling very aware that readers would skip past my posts if they looked too amateurish.
ReplyDeleteIt's fantastic that so many bloggers are developing incredible copywriting, photography and general creative skills but it can put so much pressure on those who do it as a hobby, let alone anyone who has made a career from it!
Emma x
www.FitFoodEmma.com
You blog is so good and a pleasure to read (whilst at work oops) so keep doing you :)
ReplyDeleteWell said!!! :) I've only been doing it a year or so as a hobby and already I find it so much pressure to take the perfect pic, have the perfect blog page etc. I don't have a good camera, I use my phone and I just write as though I'm talking to my friends about a product I really like / don't like.
ReplyDeleteI have to say though, yours looks just fab, so just carry on being you! :)
Lis x
www.elisabethrilatt.com
I have a very small following on my blog and I don't stick to the conventions when it comes to the writing or photography. I just do what I want, and I'd probably have more followers if I changed my style around, but I don't want to change just to get a bunch of followers who only like my fake writing.
ReplyDeleteJust stick with how you do things. As long as it's 'you' then that's all that matters
This is a really relatable post and it's nice to know that influential bloggers like yourself feel the same! I think another thing is that it makes it so hard for new bloggers (like myself) to catch up with more established blogs because we just can't really use photos from phones or whatever like you might have used to. The game is automatically stepped up! Thanks for sharing. Molly x
ReplyDeletewww.molipop.wordpress.com
This is a really good post because it's comforting to see that influential bloggers such as yourself feel the same! It's also so hard for new bloggers like myself to catch up because our blogs automatically need to appear more professional and better quality to even have a chance of standing out and growing a following. Thanks for sharing! Molly x
ReplyDeletewww.molipop.wordpress.com
I can relate to this completely, I have been posting for just around a year and the pressure that I, and the companies put upon myself now is ridiculous. I feel anxious about my pictures and the way I will be preserved. I remember posting things for fun but now it feels so stressful and taking the photos has become a chore. The competition is just overwhelming also, and anyone and everyone is jumping on the wagon to try and get themselves some 'free clothes'.
ReplyDelete"blogging isn’t about coming up with something that could go in Vogue. If it was, then it might as well be in bloody Vogue. We aren’t photographers, nor models or stylists.
ReplyDeleteFor now and the future, I’m just going to do what’s right for me. I don’t want to add pressure to myself worrying about what I ‘should’ be doing."
...THIS ! This is so right, for me blogging has become very professional, I mean it's great to look at beautiful blogs, and I love to, but it's too close to what you can see on magazines and some blogs even have a whole team behind it (like Blonde salad, it's still a cool one, and I love Chiara's style, but for me it's more a fashion website than a blog), blogging has changed a lot, I still find it inspirational but it's hard to keep up and be on the same level.. Maybe if my blog was better, more pro, I'd be more successful but now, I just want it to remain simple, I don't want to pressure myself to do things in a certain way because that what we have to do. Like, I don't promote my blog on social media and I don't want to, I don't really "write" and my pictures are all very basic (or even "crappy" if you stick to the standards ahah). This is cool to read a post like yours. It's always good to stay true to yourself and change when YOU decided to. :)
http://i-think-its-today.blogspot.com
*Oh, I was just reading Chiara's interview for Fashion magazine and she said this: "I’m the editor-in-chief of The Blonde Salad, which is a website and not just a blog anymore." This is what I just said on my previous comment, so it nice to see that she sees it as a website too. Just wanted to clarify this in case someone read this too
ReplyDeleteInsightful post, I dream of starting my own blog but I don't see the point in me even trying as I don't have a fancy camera or anyone to take Vogue-esque photos. Blogging used to be a attainable, we could go online and see other women blog about what they'd bought in Primark or find reviews on their favorite Natural Collection Lipstick. Now it's all about Givenchy bags, Tom Ford make up and Neom candles. Sometimes I feel the whole professional, magazine look has ruined it a bit, I read blogs to see normal people do and wear normal/attainable things.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is fantastic, don't worry about the pressure. :)
It might have to do with being in my early 30s, but I began blogging in 2010, I was 27. Recently I've been feeling "chased" or sometimes like in the middle of a bull run in Spain, the one where everyone's like flying past me trying to look glossy-worthy and there I am trying to shoot my shoe. Sometimes I get so caught up in other people's content (the ones with hundreds of thousands of followers) then I look at mine and get moments of insecurity and doubt. This doesn't happen all the time, it just happens more often now, more than before. I'm not one of those BREAKOUT bloggers who after a couple of months took the internet by storm. I have my happy following but yes, like you I've been feeling the pressure a lot more often lately.
ReplyDelete