I have been having this thought about blogging lately. Sometimes, I do enjoy blogging alot. I have ideas on what I want to write or share. I receive heartfelt comments from readers which really inspires me to continue sharing.
But there are other days that I met with a writer’s blog or just suddenly felt lost in the direction my blog is heading too.
Particularly after my blog got into a local blogging competition. Frankly speaking, I was really apprehensive about joining this competition because I have to admit, I hate to lose. In some sense, I would consider I am passively competitive because I probably won’t try too hard or do anything against my integrity to win. Of course, (after sussing out my fellow competitors) I knew that I am not good enough to be the Best but I knew if I do get into the competition, I will want to be in the top 10 at least.
I did get in. But seriously, I did not feel good about having to “rally” for votes but I knew if I didn’t, my closet readers will not vote, my blog will be left out of the Top 10 and I will be sad.
So soon after my blog got categorised into a family blog, somehow I try to tune myself to be more of a family blogger. I try to write topics that are more family related like about marriage, family, kids. And try to stay within this frame in case I went out of topic. I even received suggestion to change my blogger header to be more “family” instead of just showing Allysa’s face. On the other hand, some friends/relatives suggested to keep Allysa on the header because she is the reason people visit my blog.
And every time after my post, I would remind readers to vote because the number of votes made up part of the judging criteria. Seriously, for a SAHM like me with a small cosy social circle and does not belong to any social group, this wasn’t easy. All I can do is to “plea” after every post, tweet, facebook, for kind friends and relatives to take time to vote. To make matters worse, the voting procedure was complicated and definitely not very hassle-free.
Many times, I would receive emails from PR companies who would seek my help in their campaigns or from businesses to help to review their product. As much as I do enjoy the recognition, sometimes I do feel that this isn’t what I really want to do.
Here are some of my thoughts on blogging recently:
- In what direction do I want my blog to grow?
- Does my blog reflects ALL or part of my life?
- Do I really want to blog because of my passion for writing or do I want to receive some gains out of this blog?
- Do I want to gain recognition from my blog?
- How do I want to connect with my readers? As Yvonne or Beadsyy’s Diary? This decision will result in keeping or deleting my Beadsyy’s Diary Facebook account. If I do delete it, I will welcome for my readers to connect to my personal account. After all, we are ONE. It’s kind of a chore to manage two accounts. Some times, I think “What for?”
- Do I want my blog to go “Ad Free”? (I have been pondering hard on this all the time. Do I want to be another blogger mom who aims to reap rewards from her little blog fame? Or just make this a solitude where I share my thoughts, document about monumental moments be in good or bad and things that I feel passionate about?)
- Do I want to write to please myself or my readers?
Seriously, I don’t know if I am getting too sensitive about this. I just have to reconsider my priorities now.
There are days when I'm all “Ad free. Keep this space untainted. It’s MINE." and there are other days that I tell myself “Well, it’s okay to write sponsored reviews and what’s wrong? You do write what you feel still, am I right? You can write sponsored reviews and still keep your blog real.” Those are the times I feel passionate about copywriting.
The whole idea behind this manisfesto I’m creating is I just hope for more humanity in my blog rather than painting a beautiful picture of my life when it isn’t that all the time. I hope to share more real moments without being judged and write whatever comes to my mind. Of course, I am not going to share everything about myself because there’s still some thing called privacy. Things that I write are stuffs that I am willing to share because I feel totally inspirational about it and hope that my readers get inspired in some way or to let them know besides the pretty pictures or words we share, there are also those not-so-perfect moments. I am not trying to create any perfect mom persona with a perfect family.
And when there’s nothing on my mind to write about, I don’t.
Share your thoughts. I might do some advice here.
Thanks and wishing you a fantasic Weekend too!
12 lovely thoughts ♥:
Why did u start blogging in the first place? Have your objectives changed? If you and family are happy, hack care about what others say :)
Similar to you, I had mixed feelings when I got into the top ten for the blog awards. I had just started blogging about family stuff and I know that my reader base is not as huge as the others. Still, it was a great opportunity for me to get to know more people personally through the blog awards, and I did.
Your blog is yours. And you can write whatever you want. Some keep it ad free but most will not mind a few sponsored reviews. We just need to state our real opinions and if it is really not good, I choose not to review/post.
I did create a page on facebook for my blog and it is really a hassle to update two places regularly. I have not really started to mention this page to anyone and I don't think I will do so in the near future. A full time working daddy like me really has not much time on my hands.
I struggle to keep to my comittment of 1 post every 2 days. For me, I usually have things to write but it is the time that I am lacking of. My purpose of the blog is really simple - A chronicle of my little Jayden and a vault of thoughts and experiences to share.
For me, the most important thing when we decided to have ablog is for being free to tell the world what we are thinking, what our feeling and our opinion about everything. So it doesn't matter if the rank of our blog is low. If another like our words, the rank will raise automatically. For me, the most important thing when we decided to have ablog is for being free to tell the world what we are thinking, what our feeling and our opinion about everything. So it doesn't matter if the rank of our blog is low. If another like our words, the rank will raise automatically.
Hihi....I've just started to read mummies' blogs recently and I like to read abt mummies' fun and not so fun moments with their babies, it makes me feel that someone understands how I feel, the emotional connection. I also get ideas on places to visit/things to do with my 14 month bb. Wouldn't mind reading abt interesting bb products too.
So, I guess just be true to why you started this blog....write for yourself, not for others. By doing that, people who can relate to you would continue to read you.
Well, blogging is my stress reliever from the pressures of life & work (and yes, parenthood)! While opportunities to do "more" with our blogs may come out, I think at the end of the day, you need to stay true to yourself and why you are blogging in the first place! :) For me, I treat it as the opportunity for my kids to experience things they'd ordinarily might not have the chance to!
Hi.. I am a new blogger. Since last year, my husband and one of my friend have asked me to do blogging, but I don't really have an idea what to write. But they continue to support me for blogging, so here I am. My blog is about family. Once I start blogging, I start to enjoy it. I can flash back and remember what did happen while I am writing my blog :)
Yulia
www.mylifeismyrainbow.wordpress.com
Hey girl, just do what feels "right" to you. Just ask yourself one year, two years down the road if you read your archives, what do you hope to see? Memories of Allysa, stories of motherhood, an online platform for ads? Then starting in the present to make the future :) Not sure if this helps, but I do enjoy reading your blog and enjoy this community of parent bloggers :)
It sounds to me you've answered your own questions in your last paragraph :) Actually, it's so interesting reading this post as I'm going through a similar phase. Then I come to realise that blogs will usually evolve with the bloggers, as their circumstances, interests, environment changes. For me, I think it's important to go with your heart (which I think you're doing) and write from your heart. I think such articles will resonate more with the readers :) Btw, I really enjoy reading about Allysa, she's one sweet little girl who makes me smile every time I see her cute photos!
I read this blog post, and even tho my own delimmas aren't quite the same as yours, I kind of "know how you feel".
Sometimes a break is ok, I think, as long as it isn't too long. I took too long of a break, and it looks like I've lost many readers.
But really, blogging isn't our entire lives-just usually an enjoyable, relaxing part of life, in some ways at least. =)
Whatever decisions you make, best wishes!
I agree with the other commenters... Its your blog, so be true to yourself, and blog about real life. I do love the honesty that I read over here, don't ever feel like you have to keep up to some image! ;)
hey Yvonne, I've blogged for many years and my blog(s) have evolved with me. As most of the others have said, this is your space, be yourself on this space. YOU decide what you want here, be it personal thoughts or sponsored stuff. Let not anyone judge you for your choices. Just to share, I started the blog FB page only because I felt strongly that I wanted to protect the privacy of my family without compromising my love to write about my life (which of course includes family). This may be something you too want to consider? Whatever you decide, I will be reading still! :) Hugs.
I share your thoughts on this matter, and while I would love to keep my blog totally MINE and a space where I can determine what I want to write, I sometimes have to agree that it has also evolved into a space for other mummies or friends to get inspiration or share ideas. The only reason I do product reviews is to share the 'good stuffs' with people who I think would find them useful too. That makes me feel a whole lot better, because I'm not doing it just to gain recognition or for any economical reasons. It's your call! Do whatever that makes you happy. =D
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