Write 4 Ten: Is it the end?

This was not the prompt that I found on the website, but if you click on the link on the sidebar on the right, you will see that Donna is currently deciding what to do with the blog.

I went there this morning thinking that I needed a prompt, I needed to a little nudge to get me thinking, and her location prompts that she posted on Wednesdays always seem to do that for me. However, today it seems she has stopped posting prompts, at least for the time being whilst she decides the fate of her blog.

Blogging is hard

Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise! Ok, let them and then let them tell you why they find it easy, then come back here and tell me why. Blogging is hard for me. Before I started my blog I had no clue, NO CLUE, now I have little more than that. The number of blogs that are about and that are being created everyday makes you think that it must be easy! I don’t think it is, not if you want readers.

Every new blogger…ok, scrap that, in my experience I found that I liked the anonymity that I had with my blog. The anonymity that comes from no-one but me and maybe one other person reading it meant that I could say whatever about whatever and whoever and whenever. Now more people read it, and because of my friendly nature, I am much more aware and also I guess editing myself as to what I say. I could make silly jokes and share my calamitous stories without worrying that people would thing I was a fool. I do worry about that but it hasn’t stopped me…yet!

Types of blogs

I subscribe to a lot of blogs and some are all personal, I like blogs like that, mainly because of the honesty that is there. I envy some people’s ability to write their opinions and not care, I hoped I could manage that in my rants but it turns out I am one of those people who doesn’t want to offend anyone. I wish I didn’t care. I have read blogs that are all at the business end, just their writing or about their products, and I like them too but I like to get to know the person behind the blog. I admit, I have probably overshared here but should I be embarrassed? I don’t think so.

I follow blogs on personal journeys, on books, on writing, on music, on crafts and anything in between. I find the ones I enjoy more are the ones whose writing (voice) I can relate to.

Followers

I sometimes think blog stats shouldn’t exist because you can start judging yourself on them. I write a personal story or worse, a poem, and it gets a handful of views and a comment from my mum and I end up reflecting on whether I should have shared that or known when to keep it zipped. I write a music review which gets lots of views but rarely any comments, I have seen other music blogs and comments are rare, but I always think it would be nice for the band to have some feedback. Have I failed?

I hold my hands up and admit that I would like more followers, or more interaction with the followers I have, I’d like to get to know you all! I go to other blogs and see posts with tens of comments and I wonder what is lacking in my posts that only 1 person (my mother) decides to comment. Then I shrug and get over myself but the thought is there.

Blog promotion

There is also the promotional aspect, which I am not keen on, I know – how is anyone going to know your blog exists if you don’t promote it? So, I should keep at it. I just won’t go overboard. It does mean that you need to use social media in order to get your voice out there. It’s a mine field. They say in a relationship that the first three months are the most exciting and passionate, well in your social media relationship you will find that the first three months aren’t the best.

Take Twitter for example, I joined on a whim in 2009, yes 2009. I only started tweeting regularly in April of last year (2012) and I found that at first when you start you think why? This is boring, this is rubbish, what the hell do I tweet about between blog post tweets. How do I get followers? I don’t know anyone of family and friends who is on Twitter (or who would publicly admit to it) and yet once you start following people and you interact and build rapport it opens up a new set of virtual friends. Its like having imaginary friends (who are real somewhere) and as with friends there are the odd dramas.

The best thing about social media is you can connect with millions of people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds and the worse thing is millions of people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds can ignore you. It is a double edged sword. But you have to keep in mind that what you say may only be read by one person, people rarely read all the tweets they missed from your TL when they weren’t around (unless they have become a friend or are OCD) and so repetition may be the for them the first time. You also only get out what you put in. All you have to do is find a way to stay motivated and by interacting with others you can.

Die blog, die!

I have in the past thought about closing the blog down. Obviously I haven’t as I am writing this but I have thought about it. But the thing is, I started the blog as somewhere to sort of journal but I got distracted, but it’s a great outlet and I could just stop tweeting or sharing posts and that would be that. I also that that maybe I could streamline the blog so that it is only music reviews, or only stories, no poems, no rants, no movies, no travel. I have another blog which is craft based and I often wonder if I should combine that one with this one so that I need only update the one blog…but again I am never sure. What if the followers over there don’t come here? What if the followers here don’t care what I am crafting?

I have read many a time about what you should and shouldn’t do with your blog, that you should pick a genre and stick to it so that your followers who only want music can come here for that alone or writing for those who only want to read stories etc. I don’t care for that. I like variety. I like that the haphazard nature and inconsistency directly relates to my personality and I know that my followers aren’t stupid and know how to find what they want…right? Hehehe I also KNOW that MY followers find me downright HILARIOUS! (who’s stupid now?)

In summary

I guess at the end of the day I have to stay true to the reasons that I started blogging for in the first place, and that was to have a space where I could write whatever I wanted about whatever I wanted. For me it is almost like an online hobby journal.

The future

This blog will continue with or without you, as I have so much more nonsense to ramble on about, I would love your company, and I hope that in time you will be happy enough here on my stage to say something and when you do…I’ll be here…I’m always here…seriously Kate, get a life! ;)