I read a post from Maxabella today that made me annoyed. Which was odd, seeing I usually find Maxabella enjoyable. But this post is titled "How to give good blog." It appears to be the first installment of a series on blog improvement. There was nothing in it that was intended to offend - she talks quite clearly about the steps one should be taking to blog successfully. So it wasn't so much the content of the post but the concept. (Ok so there is a bit of the content I will rant about too, but more on that later).
Blog improvement seems to be in fashion - Pip from Meet me at Mike's is currently running a blog school and there are thousands of posts out there on how to make you blog bigger and better and get more followers and more traffic or how to turn your blog into you job. And I'm ok with people who are keen to improve their blogs.
The issue for me is about they way most of these posts define blogging success, for by most of the criteria marjoryjane is unsuccessful. I am yet to hit 20 followers despite blogging at marjoryjane for years. I still frequently have posts that no one comments on. And when I didn't post much in 2011, I didn't receive a flood of email from my virtual community asking me if I was ok. In fact I don't think I received even one. I am a blogging failure.
Maxabella in her post advises against "just" blogging about your life. Apparently "blogging about yourself and your life" isn't enough to have a successful blog. It won't result in the much wanted traffic that will make you a success. "You have to have a hook"
Well, I blog about myself and my ordinary everyday life. I can't blog about anything else. I don't have an "interesting lifestyle". I'm not interested in "starting a business" and I certainly don't have the time to "curate stuff from around the Internet".
I crochet. I live in inner-city Melbourne. I wear black with splashes of colour. I like to op-shop. I have a lovely husband and now have a baby girl. I like to create stuff. I like to blog about the stuff that I make. I am aware that none of this makes me unique or necessarily all that interesting.
But you know what - I decided long ago that I blog good enough. I am content in my blogging. I am content with what I do and how I do it. I blog as regularly as I can about the stuff I am interested in. marjoryjane is where I record the things I make and it is where I connect with other ordinary everyday life bloggers. And I hope to blog unsuccessfully here at marjoryjane for years to come.
So here's to blogging good enough!
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4 comments:
i agree! set your own parameters for success. if your goal is to connect with other like-minded, ordinary folk, then, whammy. done. have a winning week! :)sarah
I couldn't agree with you more! My post is aimed more at bloggers who want to 'grow' their blog and traffic. I do not define success by that, but many do. I thought I made it clear in my post that I wasn't talking to bloggers who are happy just doing their thing, but I mustn't have been as clear on that as I'd hoped. You may have noticed that my blog breaks my own rule anyway - I'm just blogging away without a purpose. But I figured my day job as editor of Village Voices - where I read countless blogs and need to keep up with what the bloggers are talking about - means I am qualified to put together a little series. Maybe I'm not! I'm so sorry if I offended! I appreciated your email and I'm very glad you are doing what you do. x
SNAP! I felt a little *urked* when I read Bron's post too. I guess because I don't really have a clearly defined purpose or niche... I'm just so ordinary and average. Indeed... I think my very average-ness is almost likely to make me unique... because surely there can't be too many people out there as average as me!
I don't think Bron meant to offend though. Writing for a different audience me thinks.
So yes... cheers to blogging good enough :)
I found this to be very interesting, and promptly went to the source to invetigate further. I wrote a post about it too http://missmuggins.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/a-little-word-for-2013.html
and linked to your post, as I thought you raised some excellent points. Thankyou for being honest in the sharing of your views I especially liked your description of who you are and what you like to do. You sound like the kind of person I would love to know xx
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