Last night I had an enjoyable evening with some fantastic, strong, vibrant women.
Half the people there were bloggers, and half were not.
The “normal” people were easily spotted, as they were engaging in polite (or not) conversation with those around them. The bloggers were busy instagramming their food, tweeting and chipping in to conversations while using their phones (I include myself) as a 5th limb.
I love blogging and bloggers, proud to call some of them my closest friends. People without whom I would not have settled into a new country so easily.
But like lots of bloggers I feel uneasy at some of the topics being discussed so heatedly at the moment. Disclosures, sponsorship, plagiarism, GOMI* and the latest – buying fake followers for your twitter or Facebook account.
These topics were mulled over at dinner. With the same question asked again:
How the blogging community could be expected to be taken seriously with things like this going on?
One of my dinner companions chipped in. She’s not a blogger, but a close friend of one.
She spoke passionately about her concerns around social media (she works with Gen Y kids and is concerned that pretty soon no-one will know how to make eye contact, from gluing their faces to the screen for so long) reminding me, as so often when you work so closely with something, you lose perspective.
But what struck me about what she said was this (and I’m using a little poetic license here) we, as bloggers, look ridiculous.
She asked me to think about how someone like her, looking in, views us.
Mmmm.
My brain started ticked over, wondering if anyone outside the blogging community reads my blog (they do) and what would they make of this post?
Do they give a shit, or do they think we are just a bunch of back-stabbing malcontents, intent on bringing each other down with our snark?
Meanwhile, all the journalists that sneer at bloggers (all strong women writing a blog must have ‘mummy’ as a prefix to undermine them) must be rubbing their hands with glee. Standing back watching, waiting for it all to implode.
Without a regulatory body (there are pros and cons) we are left to work out our own code of conduct. Some bloggers do it better than others (as a relative newbie, I am learning about pitfalls daily)but it is clear to me that a small minority are giving the majority of bloggers a bad name.
This makes me sad.
We as a community can be an amazing force for change. We can influence. We can make ourselves, and the causes we believe in, heard. We can give ourselves opportunities to create an income for our families.
Time to step back people. Time to think about how we want to be viewed by the general public.
*Get Off My Internets Forum.
Would love to hear your thoughts.
Blogging should be about the writing – not about how many followers you have – not how many sponsored posts you can run – not how much money you can make – just the writing, the bloody writing…
In fact, I think we should all stop calling ourselves bloggers and call ourselves writers.
Hi, I’m JJ – I’m a writer – I publish my writing on http://kikiandtea.com
Easy….
If only it were that simple
lol – I’m a simple man
Ahhh JJ yes, just yes! Your comment nails it. Blogging *should* be about writing. It’s not about free crap you get, stuff you review or sponsorship, how many followers you do or don’t have or how many comments you do or don’t get. It’s about the words you put on the screen. It’s about interacting with your readers, irrespective of how many you actually have – not enough “bloggers” do this.
And I actually think it *is* that simple. It’s time to take the blog back to its original roots, a place to write, rather than spruik!
And yup I’m a writer too. I write at my blog & various other places.
I agree Rachel, but there are people (like myself) who use their blog as a platform to create an income whether we like it or not. However, I totally agree that interracting with my readers is the nicest part about writing. Knowing that someone “gets” me, is the best feeling.
I like to approach my readers as part of a community and interact with them accordingly. To me the community is part of the fun of blogging.
There are many bloggers who view the travel blogging community as just that, but unfortunately we seem to be a small group of people.
I used to feel the same way about writer vs. blogger, until Matt from LandLopers.com brought up a very valid point. As bloggers we do a helluva lot more than just writing. Yes, content should be #1, but we’re also doing video, photography, research, journalism, programming, etc.
That’s a really great point! I’ll remember that!
It’s a tricky one, but definitely close to me heart. I’m not too sure if people read my blog who aren’t bloggers themselves, except for a few family and friends. And I’m careful to be restrained from my phone when non-bloggers are around because I am also scared of the fact that we no longer make eye contact. What an insightful and thought provoking post. Thank you.
Thanks Clare!
Even when it IS a group of bloggers, they should put down the damn phone. It isn’t like an hour or two of not updating is going to kill anyone.
Really appreciate your comments. Lots of things for me to think about. I completely agree that smaller group meetings are better than large conferences. Although I did enjoy going to ProBlogger. It was a great catalyst for me.
I once was imparted with a wonderful gift of advice when discussing how others view me, it went along the lines of…”what someone else thinks of you is none of your business”! When people make judgments it is more reflective of them, not the person they are judging.
When our buttons are pushed by others, they are giving us the gift to develop that area of our personality and to make peace with that, we are not yet at peace with.
My mantra is ‘What ever activity you are undertaking, as long as you are not harming others and adding positivity into your life, must be good.’
Keep up the wonderful job you are doing, I certainly enjoy your posts and it provides me with a lovely way to understand you better.
Ah beautiful Nikki, you have absolutely made my day.xxx
Couldn’t have said it better myself Nikki
As long as my moral compass is on course, then I try not to buy into all the other stuff. Otherwise it interferes with how I write. I want to write authentically and with integrity. I think that if I remain true to that, then all the other stuff will take care of itself.
Then again I could be living in a bubble, and deluding myself.
Thanks for reading V. Integrity is so important x
What’s blogging?!
BAHAHAHA x
Nice blog Caroline! Very thought provoking. I would say that ‘we’ bloggers are all individuals expressing our observations, interests in different ways. We also want different outcomes for our blogs, with some just content to use it as a creative outlet. Blogging is also a channel within a far wider field – writing and communication. I think the argument is that social media gets dangerous when it starts to take over your life – like coffee – you are addicted. In to remain an interesting person, we need to switch off when it’s important and give our attention to the present. Happy Blogging!
Great points Gem x
I value perspective from my non-blogging friends and family and sometimes you need a harsh critic, at the same time the benefits aren’t always visible. The two big ones for me have been great connections/friendships and the ability to use my blog as an author platform and earn an income while raising two small kids. It’s also becoming a requirement for many jobs in the digital media space.
Blogging in its most basic form is just a tool for sharing information. I think we need to respect the effect this has had on journalism and keep a bit of perspective sometimes. We quite often can’t cope with comments that disagree, we inflate our popularity to earn money/sponsorships, there’s no Chinese wall and nepotism is rife. And I’ve possibly gone off on a complete tangent here but I’ll credit that to your thought provoking post
Thanks Carli, totally agree that we’ve lost perspective xx
people seriously buy followers. I can think of many other ways that money can go towards if your gona use it for your blog.
Unfortunately they do
Great thought-provoking piece Caroline.
I too am new to the blogging world and learning something new each day. (I didn’t even realize you could earn money from a blog until recently – that’s how naive I am! ha ha)
I’m also a journalist and a newish mum so not quite sure which category I fit into these days, but enjoying it all.
Starting my blog has allowed me to realise a passion I’ve always had – to write more than just a two minute news story.
I guess when you find something you really connect with you are so eager to seek out other people who feel the same way, but like you, my mum manages to keep me grounded and often tells me I’m ‘never off the dam laptop!’ ha! she has a point!
Look forward to following your posts.
Cheers,
Nicole
Thanks Nicole. Welcome to the wonderful world of blogging!
I think like anything that people love, only those who love it too really get it. My partner is slowly starting to get used to the whole blogging thing. He doesn’t really get the whole ‘sharing yourself online’ but he loves that I am making connections with people and that I have more to talk about than how shit my day was. In fact now, when he can see that I have been thinking something over, he says have you blogged about it? It might make you feel better. He might not ‘get’ it but he understands that it’s important to me. Just like I understand that the things he likes to do are important to him.
I do think that the GOMI thread has made a lot of bloggers second guess themselves, which is really sad. Like John James said, it should be about writing. Then when someone comes along and says ‘hey that’s really cool’, it does give us a boost and it’s awesome to share our thoughts. It’s just nice to know that good and bad, there are other people out there who understand what we are going through. When it really comes down to it, free stuff and going to events are just an awesome perk of doing something that I really enjoy.
I’m with you Tegan, blogging has opened up my world, not closed it. I’ve had some great support from other ASD mums and from people who suffer from anxiety ad depression. Thanks for reading and commenting x
I love this post. I think the danger is we’ve started to be seen as “a group of women who blog” and there are loads of issues – real and perceived that come with that.
I wonder if male bloggers are seen the same way?
I doubt it, Michaela. Men don’t seemed to get judged the same way women do, full stop. Thanks for reading.
You’ve hit the nail on the head, Caroline. I think the issues you raise are releveant to the wider social media world. Non- social media types look at all those who facebook, tweet, instagram etc with frustration, amusement, condescension and admiration. Many once avid fans are leaving facebook and twitter because they’ve either had too many bad experiences or they feel something is amiss in their own real world and they feel they have disengaged from their offline worlds too much.
But it isn’t going to go away so we have to find and work out the boundaries ourselves. Bloggers are putting themselves out there, so they are easy to criticise. They are seen purely as navel gazing, indulgent, wannabe writers, and of course some are. I think the journalists who bash bloggers are misguided. For their own future careers sake, they will have to blog themslves. Some bloogers have many, many more readers than a traditional journalist.
But then, women’s writing groups, poetry slams, baby groups, all frequently get patronising slack from the media. Anything that gathers people together (mainly women), and requires you to leave your cynicism at the doorstep is always open to ridicule.
Oh to have been a fly on the wall at the Gin Queen’s night. Better still, leaning against the wall with too much gin!
Keep it up, and as we Irish say “Fuck the Begrudgers”.
Opps, not bloogers but bloggers!
Love this Rosaleen. So right about anything where women have a voice seems to get put down
I still consider myself a bit of a newbie in the blogging world and like you, I’ve been on a fairly steep learning curve over the last few months especially. The landscape is changing a lot, isn’t it?!
That being said, I still really love blogging. For me it’s a creative outlet; somewhere for my writing to exist, a place for it to be seen and where feedback, whatever it may be, can be received. I’m working on a longer, novel-length story as well and that has been a long, on-going process so I really enjoy having somewhere more immediate where I can express myself. I blog mainly about my own thoughts/interests, not necessarily my kids so I don’t really fit the ‘mummy’ blogger tag that gets thrown around but nonetheless, I still find it pretty condescending whenever I hear it. But, what can you do? *shrugs*
Excellent post, Caroline. You got me thinking! x
Thanks Sarah, as many of the other people commenting have pointed out, anywhere women get a voice is met with derision.
This was a lovely post CC. I dig your “backstabbing malcontents” – I’m sure that’s what non-bloggers think of us all, but we’re not all like that (at least not all the time). I love blogging, I love other bloggers, I love non-bloggers, I think we’re all just a bunch of women wanting to be heard.
We choose to put our names and/or faces (or neither!) to a web presence at our peril. It’s just another “job” and all those topics are part of our rhetoric, just as protractors and probes are part of a doctor’s (and who wouldn’t want to be a part of THAT conversation?). I am a female parent who writes, not even for a living. Lots of people read it, lots of people don’t. This is who I am. If I was sitting at a table with a bunch of IT developers I reckon my eyes would cross as well.
Don’t ever downplay who you are, CC. Live it. You are doing it well.
Kx
I have always seen blogging as connecting, whether you agree or disagree with a post your words are still connecting with someone and causing a reaction. Blogging has to be honest because honesty translates into real life friendships . X
Absolutely. I am so glad to have met so many wonderful friends (including you) through blogging x
Gawd, by the way I am so there at the next GQGA evening. Scheduling conflicts be damned! Kx
I hope so Kim!
Mmmm interesting.
I like to think that my writing on a blog gives me an opportunity to learn, to practice the art of ‘wordcrafting’ (see, I need a bit of work!), as well as the chance to connect with other amazing people.
The idea of making money from it haunts me. It seems so “pointless” without a monetary exchange, however that for me has been the lesson. Looking for an exchange that isn’t with money.
And yet I do still hope that one day my writing can be a platform (such a blogger / wanker word) for an income.
So far, I’m watching from the sidelines, clicking on my keyboard, and seeing what happens.
What I don’t like, I let slide by. What I like, I look for more of.
Sorry about the ramble. My mind is still playing with your post, and whether the whole “blogging” scene is just a scene for the players in it.
Mmmm. I hope not.
K xxx
That’s my fear…that it’s just a scene x
My blog is really just a portfolio that I very badly keep updated! I think blogging is an incredible way of getting an audience for writing. What I have noticed, just from seeing chatter on twitter, is that there’s a lot of talk about monetizing, disclosure, all that stuff as you mentioned, and it gives an impression that the Aussie blogosphere is a bit precious. *Ducks* I work with journalists, being one myself, and they don’t sneer at bloggers nearly as much as bloggers think they do. There are so many wonderful bloggers. I just feel like their “voices” have got bogged down with the “business of blogging” & promoting brands and freebies etc. That, I find a yawnfest.
Thanks for reading Emily, so good to get a journo’s input x
YES, Emily. What you said! I constantly feel like I am running on a hampster wheel (I’d also be a hampster in that scenario…) waiting for “the rest” of them to quiet down and get on with it. I sometimes figure that there was a fast influx and rise in new blogs and that will surely peter out. I’m still waiting, 3 or so years later, for the waters to calm. But in the meantime, so many truly amazing talented writers are getting lost in the scrum. It’s a waste and some days I feel really embarrassed to be lumped in with “bloggers”. There. I said it. Sorry, Caroline! I brought the mood down (oh, look, you can just about count on me lately, really, let’s face it!)
Love your honesty. Always x
Love your words here Caroline.
I don’t blog but I love to read the words of those who have taken the time to share their space.
I like to comment and have been warmly accepted by many wonderful writers,both on their blogs and on twitter.
I sometimes feel really sad at the way some comments attack others and I feel like turning away from it all, especially when I have been attacked for sticking up for another..
Then I think of the rough,sad and down times I have had due to things happening in my life and the way so many in cyberspace have been there with encouragement and support.They let me know I am not alone in how I feel.That is the beautiful side of social media.
We can be there for eachother anytime day or night in a way that we otherwise wouldn’t be.How good is that.x
There is definitely a beautiful side to social media. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment x
Blogging is such a new and interesting avenue for expression. I think it is really important for each person to get really clear on why they are blogging and what they hope to achieve and let that guide your actions. If you are authentic and stick by who you are I don’t think you will have much of a problem.
I really believe it is key to embrace your community and show them how much you value them and always have giving as your first point of action. What value can I offer to my readers? How can I inspire or help them? I make a point of interacting with my readers online and, if I get the chance offline. I reply to all comments and engage in conversation. I think these steps are so so important so your readers know you care and value their opinion to.
I also think that you need to be very careful not to get involved in the dramas that go on. Remove yourself and don’t let it rent space in your head. Learn what you can from it but don’t let other’s opinion of you count. as long as you are living from a place of kindness and respect, then it shouldn’t matter what anyone else says.
I think that’s the best advice I’ve ever received. I’m going to print that off and look at it regularly. Thanks, Caz
This is one reason I don’t regularly hang out with other bloggers and haven’t attended conferences/gatherings. I’ve met up with some WONDERFUL ones on an individual basis, but I don’t want to spend my time trying to talk with someone, much less a group, who has their face pointed toward their phone. I don’t know why people think that their readers care about seeing a photo of every single meal they eat. I’d wager they don’t.
It also concerns me when I read other bloggers talking about how cliquish this community can be and how they feel like they can’t get the bigger bloggers to “help the little guy” unless some severe ass-kissing is performed.
I think it’s also a dangerous trap where newer bloggers feel like they have to do things the same way the other more veteran bloggers are. You are your own person, so be you. Make yourself stand out. And with the glut of blogs out there, and more appearing every day, you have to do things that carve out a niche for you. Being authentic to who you are and to your voice is the most important thing.
I see far too many posts that are strictly written for good traffic and SEO. I’ve stopped following more and more blogs because I wasn’t reading their blog for SEO posts. I was reading it for their personality, for the information they share, etc. More and more I’m seeing gimmicks, and it saddens me. Sure, they’re probably making more money than me, and definitely many of them are getting more press trips and comped activities and lodging than me, but I’ll stick to writing for my readers and not traffic. Yeah, I’d really love more traffic, but I’m not going to sacrifice my voice and reputation to get it. But maybe that’s just me.
Yes! You make so much sense. I agree with you wholeheartedly, Talon.
Excellent post. I do admire your tenacity and tact on this one.
I’ve been blogging for 8 years this year. I expect I’ll be around for at least that again. I am like the tortoise, not the hare, and will never deny it (my blog) or my changing audience over the years. I have grown and been shaped by my craft – writing – and it has developed into something much less about *me me me* and more about how useful my words and perspective can be for others. If I don’t have my inner voice reflecting in my posts somehow, I don’t even write the damn thing let alone consider whether or not to hit ‘publish’ any more.
I’ll never monetize, I’ve done fair few sponsored posts (but always in keeping with what I would normally do or buy in my daily life). It’s not about any of that for me. Heck, I don’t even want to make money writing. So… I’m truly only blogging to be of use. I’ve no idea if I am succeeding, not really, save for a few comments on each post. Perhaps I have grown apathetic (no, I *know* I have) but so be it.
And as for non-bloggers turning up to a blogging/social media-intense event, I have to politely draw the comparison here: What if I went to a Trekkie Convention, plain-clothed, and started challenging all the costumed attendees about their “fancy dress” and how odd it made them look (and me feel)? Just because I wasn’t expecting the costumes doesn’t mean they haven’t had plenty of meet-ups before and done all that donning of weird head gear and strange alien language and whatnot. I’d be the one who looked out of place, not the guy with the bulbous stuff sticking out of his head mask…… I would hardly be so bold as to start questioning their morals for looking so ridiculous.
Thanks Kirrily. I think your blog is invaluable.
Kirrily please know you and your words truly do make a difference.Xx
Great comment Kirrily!
Interesting post. Why do bloggers have to work so hard for credibility? You know, ten years ago I began freelancing for magazines and people called me a journalist – even though I didn’t have the degree (my qualification is in teaching)! But now I blog, that is seen as less respectable – I guess because we don’t have to go through the stringent editing / selection process. Then again – if we aren’t any good, we won’t get many readers (or at least that’s how I figure it works). So again my question – why do bloggers not have a good rap?
Interesting questions
Snobbery? Not sure. Thanks for reading 
Lots of interesting comments! Blogging is such a strange creature. Is it for ourselves? Is it for our audience? Both? If it’s a public blog then its public because engagement matters. Being noticed, for whatever goal, matters. For me, at the end of the day, I have to write from my heart and, as Kirrily mentioned above, and hope that connects with others. It will for some. It won’t for others. That’s okay. I’ve taken a back seat from full-on blogging and social media for about a year and am blown away by the number of newish blogs out there. I think there’s always room for more but not sure there’s enough room for all that wish to monetise. We may be seen as oddballs by some but we can still be a force for change. Sporting and cultural communities work together for change. Why not blogging communities? We’re already mobilised virtually to do so.
Love your comment about being a force for change x
G’Day, Caroline. Thank you for echoing perspectives I have been tapping into a lot lately. Although, as a parent with a career, I was always concerned about balance, that word has taken on new urgency in the age of social media. Since launching my blog, website and business, Gold Boat Journeys (Live Write Travel Explore), a year ago, I’ve been struggling with the stress of too much time online. Since January, every post I write seems to deal in some way with this issue, and I’ve developed a series of workshops and events to inspire creativity in an unplugged setting. Hanging out on Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook has underscored for me how many are searching for meaning there. I agree with Sherry Turkle, the author of Alone Together, that we need to regain control over our time by stepping back and unplugging, listening before sharing and thinking before posting. If all the bloggers trying to drive traffic to their websites just blogged a little less often, they’d have more time to make the real world better and the desire to “hang out” there more. BTW: My blog is called the Ship’s Log, aka Slog. There’s a good reason for that.
Thanks Elle, I definitely think blogging needs to be about more than driving traffic x
I’m a non blogger & I love reading blogs. I don’t care if they’re sponsored or you get free stuff (good on you if you do) I’m going to read them because they’re interesting, funny, heartbreaking, inspiring. Love seeing photos of food, kids doing funny things, places you’re going. Keep up the great work.
Ah thanks Karen, that is a lovely thing to hear x
To be honest, I’m such a small fish in the blogging world, these issues have never affected me (haha). I did however make the decision early on that while I would love to one day make some *real* pocket money from my blog and become quite well known in blogging circles, I also want to be unrestrained about who I am and what I want to write about. I’ve been approached by some advertisers/people who want to place “guest blog posts” on my site (felt spammy to me), but I have not said yes to any of them because my integrity and my ability to be relateable, honest and real would be compromised.
To me, writing and expressing myself, creating a space that I would like to hang out in, comes first.
Good for you Kez. Think we all have to weigh up what’s best for us individually x
I’ve got a half-written blog post on something similar… and must admit sometimes I think of throwing in the towel when I start comparing myself to others and wondering if I should ‘play’ the game better.
Deb
Just be yourself x
Finally did the post I’d started and linked to yours!
xx
Thanks Deb!
I’m new to reading your blog so read this post with interest. I blogged several years ago after the birth of my 1st child but on my return to work fulltime and my partner taking on 12 hour shifts, I found I couldn’t devote the time I wanted to social media so I gave up my blog and twitter.
Now with number 2 child and my own work from home business I am back on twitter but not blogging, I found it was easy to reconnect with a couple of people who had become ‘friends’ on twitter / regular blog readers and to make new connections but there was a very definitive feeling of being out of the ‘cool group’. People who I had met in real life and we regularly connected over twitter and our blogs no longer connect.
So as someone who was in and now out it does seem very ‘cliquish’. That being said though I have found yourself and a number of other bloggers open to connecting with me and very friendly. You must engage to be engaged though and that works online and in real life!
Interesting points about what happens when you stop blogging. A shame that those people didn’t stay connected…:(
Thanks for reading x
I love the post Caroline. For me blogging is a way to develop a writing portfolio, and also a way to make money (by building that portfolio which attracts paid publishers and speaking opportunities). It is also a way to connect with others but there’s a tricky balance of not falling into the traps as you’ve mentioned here.
Blogging has helped me educate many people of Ichthyosis and what it’s like to live with a visible difference, ad I really hate being compared to “just another twitter user tweeting inane stuff about their movements that day”.
It is interesting to hear feedback about bloggers from outside the blogging community because I think we need to hear it to make ourselves better bloggers.
Thanks Carly. I am learning that there is more to blogging than whether or not you monetise your blog. That, yes, it can become a platform for different things. I admire how you have used yours.
Very interesting stuff. Love reading all the comments too. I write therefore I am a writer. I’m writing now! Why do we get so hung up on labels? Women are powerful, we need to realise this. Why else do the detractors exist, unfortunately some are other women. I consider this (2013 and beyond) to be our time to reclaim, to balance, to heal, to connect. She’s called MOTHER NATURE afterall…
BTW I am inspired, entertained, enthralled and educated by all the blogs I read, which just so happen to be written by female WRITERS. I wish to join, but for now continue skirting the edges, for fear I shall be engulfed, or judged, or just be no damn good…