Every blogger questions themselves at some point: their writing, their motives, themselves. The start of a new year often prompts these questions as we refocus, set goals and reorganize not only our stuff but our time.
I am no exception. Like many others, there are times when I wonder why it is that pour out my heart into this microscopic space that I call my own on the worldwide web, to people, most of whom, I have never met, never seen face to face, or even had a conversation with.
After all, it is not like I claim to have any expertise in any of the areas I blog about. My writing is comprised simply of my opinions, thoughts and feelings and maybe once and while, a newspaper article. Nothing else. I can only tell you about what I see, what I hear and what I know.
Some see blogging as a business. Many make some money off of their blogs and few make a living. They believe the products that they sell (their words, photos or links) are worth promoting. They work to recruit new customers (followers/subscribers) and strive to make their space appealing and attractive to sponsors and those willing to pay for advertising space.
There is a tension that lingers over every blog. We like to see people comment on what we have written, we frequently check stats to see if we had more views this month than last and we are delighted to see another person show their appreciation for what we have to offer by subscribing to our posts. And there is a temptation to become a slave to that tension.
Since the start of the year, I have given much more time to this space. I have done some tidying, spring cleaning per se, I have dabbled in some income opportunities to see if they produce notable return and have been networking with other bloggers, asking questions about their experience, guest blogging and seeing what is out there.
But to be honest, I have come to few conclusions. I am torn and I want to lay it out on the table for you, my readers to see, discuss, comment.
Why do I blog? I have said it before: I love it. I love to write and share things that are beautiful. Sometimes I write for loved ones who live far away and want to know what we are doing over here in England. Sometimes I write for the Down Syndrome community and other parents of children with special needs. Sometimes I write to share my photography. And sometimes I write on things that are just generally on my heart and mind. Will I ever stop writing? No – it is one of my creative outlets and to be honest, it is the most accessible. I can do it anywhere, audience or not.
Will I ever stop blogging? Yes. I am pretty sure that somewhere down the road, like for so many others, different priorities will take my time and blogging will loose it’s appeal because sometimes, it does take a lot of work to keep up the “administration” and “social networking” because let’s face it. That is what many blogs are….glorified social networking. Just like Facebook but with more words.
I have played with the idea of trying to grow my blog for the sake of generating income. I don’t think this will happen. When I think of my dream life it is not blogging for a living, I want it to stay a hobby and something I enjoy, in and of itself.
So while I have given adsense a try, I am not sure how long I will keep it on as I don’t get enough hits to make anything substantial off of it.
Then there is Amazon. Amazon is something I like to use on my site because it is a company I use myself and love. My affiliate ads make enough to buy a book every once and a while and I like that. So that will stay…and if you would like to support my book addiction feel free to click on my bookstore, or any of the amazon adds and you will be, in turn donating to the cause 🙂
So then there is the question of growing readership and this is where I struggle the most. I like being able to share with all of you. Every once and a while I will get a message from someone who was deeply touched by something I said, or resonated with my thoughts, or just plain enjoyed my photos and it makes my day! I think my words…sometimes….are worth sharing and I do hope that I can inspire more people daily. But I feel like they are also petty. Who am I? Who am I to take up time in your day with my thoughts? What do I have to offer?
I am just going to go ahead and spill the beans: for my birthday I am going to do a giveaway. I love giveaways, I like them even more when they are raising money for a good cause. This giveaway however, for the first time in this blog’s history is going to be free. I know that a giveaway could increase readership in that most giveaways say that you need to be a follower to enter and then you need to share it for another entry but that is where I get a little shaky. I am not so convinced. Would I love to have more followers? Of course, who wouldn’t? Do I want them just to click follow for a chance at something free? No.
I look at the number of followers I have (followers/facebook/subscribers) and then I look at the number of pageviews on any given post, and it doesn’t add up. I know some of the people that “follow” my blog, don’t read my posts. Is it quantity or quality?
I don’t really know where I am going with this, and I know that this is REALLY not business savvy but it’s okay because this blog is NOT a business and I don’t want it to be. People will say, ” You should really do something with your writing and photography” WHAT?! I would if I could, but I am no sales person and don’t want to have to sell myself. I figure if the product spoke for itself, I would have already become a professional photographer or writer, but I’m not.
My husband says that I should wrap this up and he is right.
So while I keep contemplating this great blogisphere, I will keep writing, keep blogging (because I have the time…which may change soon – no, I’m not pregnant but Ella is getting a little crazy and I can’t turn my back for a second) and keep celebrating everything naturally beautiful and you can look forward to more birthday posts this week and a giveaway!
And if you made it this far (as this post is entirely too long and not really about anything)…I just want to say, thanks for reading. I really appreciate it.
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