Let me quote Dorky Mum - "I will stick with promoting my blog on Facebook and Twitter, because I have fun on those two sites anyway, but I’m not going to join Pinterest or Google+ just to try and add a few zeros onto the end of my monthly page views. I’d rather spend that time coming up with ideas for posts, I think." and also " If you are prepared to put the effort into producing strong writing then you can create genuine connections with people. That for me is a far more important reward than high monthly stats or rankings, so I think it has given me the confidence to blog less, but blog better.#
How perfect is that? I spent time at BritMums Live in the Pinterest session and created my account and followed a few people. The next day when I came home I started to fill my boards and again the next day and then I just felt deflated, I could not be arsed. There is undoubtedly some really beautiful stuff on Pinterest but I would say I am more about the words than the images and trying to be contrived and finding a great image for every post I write feels like a lot of hard work, as does watermarking all those images. I don't know that I want to find the time for that!
So Dorky Mum's post set me off on a journey, thinking about the things that make me happy from blogging and seeing as blogging is a hobby for me I realised that happiness probably ought to be my goal. From that happiness stem many other things, such as wonderful opportunities to help others, beautiful friendships and a boast in my own self-esteem.
So here goes, these are the things I love about blogging and those I should therefore focus my time on:
- Writing posts, ones I feel passionate about, that just come to me in a heartbeat, like this one.
- Writing posts that I have spent days and weeks pondering on and developing thoughts and themes for.
- Chatting on twitter intermittently with some lovely bloggy friends.
- Reading other peoples blogs, just because I want to and because I am hoping from blog roll to blog roll.
- Reading the comments left on my blog posts.
- The amazing opportunities to do good and speak for those without a voice that come through writing a well-read blog.
On the flip side, things I loath about blogging and related social media that goes with it -
- Wondering why I have not received PR pitches or event invites that others have received when I am so well placed in the rankings. Hmm, does thbis mean I need to stop? Still pondering that one.
- Sitting on twitter wondering why no-one is chatting to me.
- Updating my blogs facebook page.
- Using google +.
- Having 101 blogging networks that I feel I should visit and comment on. Then having a weird voyeuristic draw to a couple of them to ensure that I do not miss out on the latest blogging must-know crap. Why Mich, why?
- Feeling like I always need to learn something new so I can keep up, like Pinterest. Why do you even need to keep up Mich? and who with?
- Feeling like there is not enough time to do all that I need to. I hate it when those reviews start to pile up. Must say no even more often!
Things I am neither here or there with -
- Blog rankings. I no longer feel any real elation when I go up in the parenting charts so why am I still in them?
Last week I went away with work and had a great time but after when I looked at my photos, I had at least 8 photos taken from inside windows. I know at the time I liked the view from in there but I have now got to wondering if I have been stiffling myself a bit and I need to move from here
to here..... there is a big wide world outside of blogging after all!
