Blogging has changed over the last several years. I wouldn't even say that it has changed in a good way. because it isn't about writing any more. Instead it is now about creating content that other people will want to share and the people they share with will also want to share it. BAM you are a quasi internet sensation and now you have to maintain that.
And what does that do to a niche blogger such as myself? Well it sucks the fun out of writing really. I just want to talk about how hard it is to clean up after boys in the bathroom. Seriously...where is all this pee coming from and how on earth did he get it under the toilet seat, down the screw that is holding the seat on and into the little groove in the side of the toilet?? And how on earth do you clean that up without gagging?
The way blogging and social media work now I can't just write a funny story about scrubbing the floor and watching water flow down the grout line and under the baseboard and wondering if that is where the pee goes too. Instead I sit here trying to make the topic into a shareable post. Everything has to be a 'How To' or a Top 5.
Top 5 Ways To Find That Pee Smell That Has Been Eluding You
Really? I mean I know it is true but do people really read this stuff (They do).
3 Recipes For Cleaners That Will De-Pee Smell That Pee You Finally Found
Everyone loves a new recipe!
7 Easy Tips To Avoid Sitting On A Wet Seat - Hint! It Involves EO's and Fermenting!
Fermenting! EO! IT HAS TO BE AWESOME!
And what on earth would my pinable image be for such a post??? Do NOT Google 'pee on a seat' or 'elusive pee smell' or 'why is there pee on the wall on the other side of the bathroom'. You're Welcome.
So what is a blogger to do about this shift in our world? I say fuck it. If you don't want to turn a post into a Top 5 or How To then don't. If you want to write a rant about fracking or polar bears then do it. If you don't want to spend the time creating the perfect pinable image that match the words you have written then don't. Let's make blogging FUN again.
Are you caught up in the pin-crazy world? Do you miss the blog world from a few years ago?
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ReplyDeleteI could not agree more!!
ReplyDeleteTotally. It's all about creating the most beautiful images, which are often admired for a second and then on to the next beautiful image. Now, I like pinterest, but it totally can promote style over substance.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. And sometimes the best posts out there get overlooked because the picture is lost in sea of pretty.
DeleteI always liked making my blog posts look pretty with the perfect picture and I am more likely to read informative blogs and not so much personal ones so this new turn is not unwelcome for me. :)
ReplyDeletePictures are great in blog posts! I am drawn to them as well...Kelle Hampton is a great example of this. I think the real problem is that posts are not as informative anymore. Trying to slot them into this ideal of Top 5 or How To is taking that away. I'm not saying it is every post written like that but it is the idea that we have to make nearly ALL of our posts like that now. So what once would have been someone writing about an issue is now slanted to Top 7 Ways YOU Can Save The Polar Bears.
Delete*whispers* I like making pinnable images. :) That said, I'm embarrassed to admit I have also googled :'why is there pee on the wall on the other side of the bathroom'."
ReplyDelete*whispers* I won't tell anyone ;)
DeleteI can't answer this because now I need to go look at my walls. I've never heard of this pee on the other side of the wall thing. But really, I read blogs because of the personal aspect in each blogger's life. I can relate to that. "Oh, they have that same pee problem I do!" Top 5 or 10 lists are sometimes amusing and a quick read, also highly overdone. They seem to offer a quick fix, but let's face it, most big problems can't be solved in five minutes from a Top 5 list.
ReplyDeleteI can totally write a Top 5 reasons there is pee on the other wall.
Delete1. Someone wants to be a fireman
2. Poorly timed game of sneak up on your child and yell BOOO
3. Running to the bathroom while yelling Got to pee....got to pee...got to pee....damn I pee'd
4. A tender teaching moment where the "shake dry" method is passed down to another generation
5. Oooooo shiney object!
Jen- yes!! I agree with this so much. I hate listicles and I am a crappy photographer. I wish I could just write, especially about food, but nobody will read anything about food without pretty pictures. And I was also just marveling this morning at how gross the underside of the toilet seat is = boyfriend's fault. And he's 26!
ReplyDeleteIt is never too late to potty train ;)
DeleteYo. Funny lady. Just keep writing and doing what you're doing. I agree- getting caught up in all the BS can such the life out of you. Please write the pee post. I'm swimming in it over here. Four boys n me.
ReplyDeleteI hear pee is the new ACV for your hair anyways so you are ahead of the revolution!
DeleteI hear you, and I appreciate that you and other authentic blogger/writer/journalist types are still carrying on with the articles you want to write. I feel similarly compelled to write about family matters that really matter - and I'm also trying to balance that with the occasional list and pinnable photo if that's what it takes to pay the bills.
ReplyDeleteBalance is a great way to look at it! Just as long as we are all still having fun :)
DeleteHeh! I love it.
ReplyDeleteWell put. I've been blogging for nearly 4 years, and the blogging world has definitely changed on many levels. It's hard to know where/when to draw the line, but I think being authentic within oneself is the best place to start, and I know that's easier said than done with so much virtual static coming at us on a daily basis. Luckily, I don't have to google for pee! ;-)
ReplyDeleteExactly. If you like pinnable pictures and how-to posts, then go for it. If you hate it... there's a good chance your readers will, too.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have a post that gets shared often. I'd feel kinda famous. But thats not really why I write. I can't imagine I have tons of readers who are eager for new material but I enjoy knowing that I have a couple readers who I interact with regularly.
ReplyDeleteI'm all about community too. I would rather have a more engaged community than a ton of readers who either just say what they think I want them to say or who just reply "good post" all the time.
DeleteYou hit the nail on the head! I am feeling your pain and wrestling the blogging demons! Karen@NourishWithKaren
ReplyDeleteI have read many posts like this recently - it seems many bloggers are feeling the same way. Even if things are changing, we don't have to buy into it. Maybe if more people got back to doing what they loved best, it might start a trend in the other direction.
ReplyDeleteSo true about how blogging has changed and yeah about sitting on a wet seat - arg!!
ReplyDeleteI get it! I really do, and it is different...a heck of a lot more time consuming! I wrote a post yesterday about procrastination week and it is soooo different from what I normally blog about, but it was fun and I thought...who cares? I'll get a lot less comments and views, but oh well. I enjoyed reading about it and thought I'd write it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post, something we need to remember...get it back to what we love. Thanks!!
Debbie :)
As a new blogger, I just want to say THANK YOU! I find myself pausing to decide whether I'm going to write so the post flows the way I want to or write to maximize SEO. Uhhh!!!
ReplyDeleteThat is the worst! And totally why I have had 2 posts in Draft for a week.
DeleteBecause there's just so many bloggers out there now one has to innoavate to keep readers and get new ones . But if the blog niche is purely personal then the heck blog your style
ReplyDeleteEh this technique i for those who blog for a living they need to be up in the seo so they get traffic
ReplyDeleteI'm aware of why it is done. People made a living blogging well before this trend started in the last year.
Delete