I am definitely getting sick of hearing how to be a great blogger.
I am seeing it all over my Google Reader, all over the web, being tweeted, being oohed and ahhed over and studied like manuals on how to be a great blog.
STOP. Just STOP.
Being a great blogger doesn’t mean you achieve fame in as little time as possible, or that you managed to quit your full-time job and become a blogger.
A great blog is just that a person simply likes writing it and it comes through in their writing.
I’d rather read blogs I’ve featured from other so-called “small-time” or “no-name” bloggers because I find their content relevant to me and I feel like they’re BETTER bloggers than those big-name ones who incidentally seem to feature a lot of guest posts. Just saying.
Even if sometimes they write nonsense and it’s not really what people want to comment on.
It’s still THEM and their words, and a little sentence here and there in a blog can make me laugh out loud.
And that’s the beauty of blogging.
I’m getting sick of bloggers being compared to a scale of who is doing better than who, who has more subscribers, who should tweet like hell on Twitter to effin’g TIP each other (WTF is TIP anyway) so that their articles get listed in a directory or whatever, and they get more readers.
I immediately unsubscribe to bloggers like that because it annoys me.
I didn’t sign up to your blog or subscribe to you in Twitter to read about how your book is doing, where you’re interviewing, or to be asked and ANNOYED to constantly promote or Tip your posts.
If they’re good, I’ll retweet them, share them in my Reader or tell people on my blog: This is a great post and you should head over and read it.
I signed up to read YOUR content. Even if it’s crap some of the time and a gem once in a while.
I don’t like being pressured into anything.
I just want everyone to get over this phase of pressuring bloggers indirectly or directly and just let them blog and find their own way to blog.
And seriously?
Advice like “Write an amazing post” is really useless advice for bloggers.
If we could just write amazing posts 7 times a week, 52 weeks a year, we’d effing do it.
But sometimes, you can’t get the inspiration, and/or you write something you think will set the world on fire and it turns out to be a dud.
Then when we write one-off “Was just thinking about this” posts, it goes bananas in comments and is all over the web.
Sometimes you just can’t predict what is going to be a good post or not.
But you can predict that if all bloggers out there continue to practice and write with passion and conviction, it will eventually be their own blogging style, and will attract readers organically, without consciously forcing content onto them.
- Losing readership wouldn’t be the end of my world.
- Online Friends are Real Friends
- I wish Blogger had….
- You just can’t win them all
- 5 Things Making Me Happy Today
Ashe Mischief
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 9:01 AM:
Yes yes yes! This is so great, FB. I feel like all the information is really point on, and absolutely explains why I prefer, at times, smaller blogs to the larger ones…
Meg
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 9:20 AM:
Amen! If everyone followed the advice of those posts then everyone’s blog would be so much more similar and not nearly as interesting!
Eric
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 10:33 AM:
I am a big fan of Problogger because I think Darren is genuine and helpful. However, there are many imitators.
Blog advice is like shoes, one size does not fit all and we all have different tastes and styles. (I tried really hard for that fashion reference)
Eric´s last blog ..Welcome Consumerist and Carnival of PF Readers!
Rachelle
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 10:38 AM:
Keeping that on my “Never to do List”- Do not cross FB!
Btw, this is totally an example of the blogging that should be!! Right from the heart…
Rachelle´s last blog ..Not Much
Julie
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 10:40 AM:
I have to admit that I tried it. I really did try that advice. Then I realized it was crap and kept to my own thing.
Smaller blogs are better. The voice are more honest, there’s not so much product placing and the content is more genuine. I feel like they really talk to me instead of being one more in their subscribers list.
Julie´s last blog ..Outfit 10-09-2009
Doctor S
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 11:01 AM:
100% all in. I think most people et into blogging in the first place b/c it gives them an opp to do what they THEMSELVES want to do. With every successful blogger comes a different strategy of how they did it. The beauty of it rests in the challenge of doing it your own way. So of course everyone is going to claim to have the answers, but then again, there are a lot of douchebags out there too right?
Spontaneity is blogging gold.
Doctor S´s last blog ..The Boss Does Not Know How to Dress
MPP
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 11:10 AM:
Agreed! My favorite blog posts are the ones just like these.
MPP´s last blog ..my lovely weekend.
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 11:14 AM:
@Doctor S that’s exactly it. Every successful blogger found their own way.
And success isn’t just measured by numbers, ratings, tiped and tweeted stuff. It’s whether or not you’re happy with where you’re at and you deem what you’re blogging about and doing, to BE successful
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 11:15 AM:
@Julie It’s why I am hoping none of my favourite bloggers make it big
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 11:15 AM:
@Rachelle
LOL! I am not trying to call anyone out or tell them to beware of me.. but it’s just frustrating
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 11:16 AM:
@Eric I haven’t read his stuff. But I will now. Thanks for the recommendation.
And good job on the one size shoe does not fit all
Ginger
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 11:27 AM:
Amen, sistah!
Bloggers just really need to march to the beat of their own drum.
I know I do.
I blog because I like it. Not because people are pressuring me into it. You can probably tell because my posts are scattered and not up every. single. day. and are definitely not on a single topic.
Because I have a life outside of blogging.
And besides, I can only be perfect 99% of the time! *bats eyelashes*
Ginger´s last blog ..How I made a friend when I thought I couldn’t
CJ
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 1:30 PM:
Amen!
I hate reading blogs that are just trying too hard to be something they aren’t just to get their reader count up or to earn some fame. Same thing with people who obviously just leave comments to get you to read their blog. Sorry rant over.
Anyways…I love reading small blogs who write because they have something honest to share with the world
CJ´s last blog ..Bitter is the new black er something like that
Amanda
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 1:58 PM:
This has nothing to do with this post… but FB: do you still have your “wants” page? I can’t find it! and I miss it!
SS4BC
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 2:56 PM:
Sometimes I wish that I had this great fantastic blog that everyone subscribed to with fantastic articles every day – and then I realized that then I would feel accountable to those people to always have some ready made advice and have all of my actions judged by them. I don’t want that, I just want to post my thoughts about whatever – and if other people read them, GREAT! – and if not, no biggie – because the blog is for ME. =)
I guess everyone really just wants to be famous – even if it is just in the small world of personal finance blogging.
SS4BC´s last blog ..The Superior Wife Syndrome
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 7:46 PM:
@Amanda No.
I got rid of it. It was taking up too much of my time to constantly download the picture, upload it and link it. If only I could get it to go straight to the page from my brain.
But I’ll do longer posts here instead
Allison (Eat Clean Live Green)
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 11:09 PM:
“write awesome posts” is seriously the worst advice ever.
Thank you for such a refreshing post
BWelch
on Sep 22nd, 2009
@ 11:45 PM:
best.post.ever
BWelch´s last blog ..Etsy
Foxie
on Sep 23rd, 2009
@ 12:39 AM:
I’m trying hard to remember this, for sure. I try to go and post genuine comments on posts I find interesting, whether the blogs are in the same genre I am or not. (I have a few that I follow and comment on that are and aren’t.) But I do try to be genuine — I hate the idea of “link farming” or whatever, dunno if it has a real name or something.
For me, I try to write on an uncommon perspective in the world. It’s more for entertainment and for me to work on my writing than for stats and stuff. I try not to worry about it so much, but it would be nice to know that someone out there has something to say about what I wrote and such. (And that it’s not just floating through cyberspace totally ignored.) I mean, I’m not even on twitter anyways…. I swear I wouldn’t have the time for it anyhow. x_x;
Foxie´s last blog ..Serious cars don’t have to cost serious money. Seriously.
eemusings
on Sep 23rd, 2009
@ 3:11 AM:
Agreed. I can’t STAND those posts and people keep writing them, rehashing the same old crap over and over!
I prefer smaller blogs. Why? because I find a lot of the bigger ones kind of impersonal and soulless, and sometimes a little preachy? I’m not really out there for tips and advice, I just enjoy keeping up with people’s lives and journeys.
Someone said something about enjoying being a small blog because otherwise they’d feel pressured and really accountable and I have to agree! I write for me first really, and I’m still sort of working on what I really want my blog to be about, so I’m not fussed about building some great empire here….not yet anyway
eemusings´s last blog ..Wishlist
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Sep 23rd, 2009
@ 8:31 AM:
@Allison @BWelch Thank you.
Emily
on Sep 23rd, 2009
@ 4:57 PM:
Wow, I feel so much better about my blog now.
Thanks for the reminder that people will read it because they want to, not because I took everyone’s advice. Now maybe I can go back to enjoying writing it.
Emily´s last blog ..Recipe Rundown
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Sep 24th, 2009
@ 7:24 AM:
@Emily I sure hope so!