Monday 11 March 2013

BLOGGING: WHAT'S THE POINT?

Hello Lovelies! Today, I thought I'd do a bit of a different style of post as I mentioned in the #bbloggers chat on twitter last night that I'd quite like to do some more chatty posts. I like to do something a bit different from beauty and fashion every now and again so I'm going to give it a go and see how it goes/ if people like them etc.

So, the topic of this post is 'Blogging: What's the point?'. This might sound like quite a negative thing, but it's not at all! Infact, it's quite the opposite. What I want to share with you all is my views on blogging, why I blog, the benefits of blogging, getting past what other people think etc. I thought this might be quite a useful post for newer bloggers, or maybe even a motivational one for some of the more experienced among us! Of course, I am in no way saying I am the master of blogging, nor do I think my views are all 100% correct and revolutionary, but I think even if I can help just one person with this post, then that's a job well done! This may be a long one, so if you stick around, you get a top reader award.

Why do I blog?
Starting off with the big question, why do we blog? I suppose we all have our own individual reasons for blogging, but mine is purely because I love it. When I first started blogging, I had no idea what it involved. I didn't have a clue about the incredible blogging community I would be involved in, I didn't realise I'd talk to so many lovely people and I definitely didn't think it'd give me all the amazing opportunities it has. So you can safely say I didn't start blogging because I wanted to go to events and get freebies (I didn't even know blogger events existed!), I just wanted a hobby and something to put on my CV - which we'll come back to later. So that's why I started, but now, I continue to blog because of all the things I didn't think about at the beginning. I continue because of the amazing community, because of the lovely people, the sweet comments and emails. While followers don't matter to an extent, I probably wouldn't have done this as long as I have without the support from my readers. I don't have the highest number of followers but I don't mind, the fact that nearly 700 people have even the slightest interest in what I have to say is really cool. Though to be honest, even if I had 10 loyal followers, I'd be happy. Just one lovely comment absolutely makes my day and that's what it's all about for me.

Shall I start a blog? What will people think?
I've had a couple of bloggers say I've inspired them to start a blog, which is literally the best feeling in the world. Blogging is such a great thing and knowing you've inspired someone to start and become part of the blogging community is amazing. However, I've also had a couple of emails in the past from girls saying they want to start a blog, but are scared of what people will say or think. This is such a common thing, I constantly see bloggers saying their blog is a secret and that they don't want their friends/ family/ people at school to find out and it makes me so sad! I started blogging in College, so I was out of School, but it wasn't like I waited until I was out of School, I just hadn't thought about it at the time! I would definitely have started blogging in School and sometimes I wish I had. Although I do see why some girls worry about blogging while at school. I've been lucky myself and haven't had to face any of the negativity from people (not that I know of anyway!). I didn't make a huge thing of my blog, but I didn't hide it either. I was never really embarrassed about it because I saw no reason to be. Anyone that did know either wasn't bothered or thought it was quite interesting. However, I'm not going play dumb and pretend the nastiness doesn't happen, because I know how bitchy people can be, particularly while you're at School. All I can say, is that if you can get past that, then the blogging community is a great one to be part of. You'll talk to loads of like-minded people and get a great new hobby. If you want to start a blog but you're worried about what people will think, don't be! Even if there are bitchy girls at your school, you're the one who'll have loads of new friends, a great hobby and something to be proud of.

What will I get out of blogging?
Let me clear things up straight away, by this, I do not mean money and freebies. Those do come in time and when they do, it's great! But that's not what I mean by this and that's a topic for another day. What I mean, is what you get out of blogging in the long term. Blogging can open so many doors for you in so many ways. Through blogging, I've started talking to and becoming friends with so many girls all over the country and even over the world. I love writing and rambling on about things and my blog is like my outlet for that. It gives me something to do and look forward to doing in the evenings after work, which brings me onto my next point. Work. I'm a Beauty Therapist and while this is related to beauty, I never thought my blog would directly link to my job. While I am a Beautician at the Salon, when I'm not with clients, I also write their blog for them and do their advertising online. My blog was a big part of why I got this job as they were really interested in my blogging experience. And this is something I did myself, I didn't have to take any journalism, advertising or IT courses, I just started up a blog and taught myself the ins and outs of the internet and hey presto! So now, thanks to my blog, my job consists of both the things I love, blogging and beauty therapy and that's really cool. When I first started my blog, I didn't even think about putting it on my CV, but I'm so glad I did and you definitely should too!

In Conclusion...
I guess my point overall, is that yes, there is a 'point' to blogging. There are plenty of reasons to get involved and if you're thinking about starting a blog, don't hesitate. Just give it a go and I'm sure you won't regret it!

So, I hope you enjoyed this rather long and very different post - definitely let me know if you'd like to see more like this!

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30 comments:

  1. Great post! I just hate how everytime I express negative opinions on my blog I lose followers - it's natural for people not to be happy all the time, and it's time for people to grow up from school bitchiness - blogs just don't need it! x

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    1. I don't think negativity is always a bad thing, we're all human after all!! xx

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  2. Great post lovely, i've been blogging for over a year and i couldnt imagine my life without it. I was always scared about sharing it with people and to an extent i still am, but i find myself sharing it with people more and more, ive been very fortunate and so far have never encountered any negativity towards my blog. I started blogging for the love of it and thats definately why i continue to do it and of course for the blogging community, i love that i get to speak to so many like minded people - my blog is truly one of the best things ive ever done.

    I look forward to reading other posts like this you have planned!
    Natalie xx
    youralmostalice.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks so much! I love your blog, you should be so proud! It really is such a fantastic thing to be a part of xx

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  3. Love this! I just recently started letting my friends & family in on my blogging & have heard nothing but positive things from them. Makes me wonder why I was so shy about it in the first place. I love blogging because it's my creative outlet outside of the salon. It's a great way to connect with other people who have the same interests as me. I look at it as a fun hobby, kind of like boys & their fantasy football teams. To each their own =) Great post! xx

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    1. This made me laugh, I'm constantly blogging while my boyfriend is watching football next to me haha! xx

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  4. Love this post lovely & I totally agree with all the points you've made :) how cool that you got your job through blogging too! I kind of got mine cause they were so impressed with my blog which is pretty damn cool! :) x x x.

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    1. Ah it's fab isn't it? It's great that what we all started as a hobby can give such amazing opportunities xx

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  5. I couldn't agree with you more! I'm new to blogging but I can tell already what a lovely community bloggers have, it feels nice to be a part of it! x

    burgundybeauty.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. It really is fantastic, welcome to the blogging world! Have just popped over and followed your blog, I love it! xx

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  6. great post! I love chatty posts like these :)

    AddictedtoOPI

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    1. Ah good to hear it! I definitely want to do more so it's great to get such lovely feedback :) xx

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  7. Oh wow, thank you! that's so lovely to hear! xx

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  8. Such a great post. It's really refreshing to see something different :)

    I was like you in the beginning, I didn't realise how many amazing opportunities there were out there for bloggers. I've never kept it a secret from my friends and family but I can see why some people do. You're essentially talking to yourself to start with. Lol.

    Anyway, I wish you the best of luck in everything you do.

    Louise xx

    Confessions of a Secret Shopper

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    1. Aw thanks that's so lovely! Great to get such a good response. I know what you mean about talking to yourself, I felt pretty silly in my first ever post but it all pays off! xx

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  9. I really loved reading this post. I think the same regards to opening doors to many opportunities. I also blog because I love it and it really makes me happy, though right now I have so little time and I wish I could post more often.

    I must say that I'm really happy for you that you got the job you wanted! You must always follow your dreams :)

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  10. I definitely enjoyed reading this post and would love to see more of those! I agree with/relate to a lot of things you mentioned and it's really cool that you got that job, blogging does have loads of different benefits, none of which I would of known about when I started. Your post also reminded me to put more effort in so thank you hun :) xx

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    1. Aww thank you so much! Comments like this really make my day, I can't wait to do more posts like this! xx

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  11. such a great post! i agree with everything - one of the biggest things I'm so thankful for through blogging is meeting people like you! i and blogging makes me happy, soon as I publish a new post I feel so good! :)

    -ariel* xoxo
    www.chiclookxo.com

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    1. Ahh Ariel this comment made my day! It's lovely to say I've made a friend in Canada thanks to blogging! xx

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  12. Love this post, I completely agree! I've only recently started out, but I'm loving it so far, makes me feel much more productive whenever I've done a post.

    problemsofapoorgirl.blogspot.com

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    1. Ooh welcome to the blogging world lovely! I love that 'just posted' feeling haha! xx

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  13. I love this post. I just started writing a blog and it was something I've been wanting to do for ages but like you said in your post I felt embarrassed to tell anyone but i'm so glad I decided to finally write my own blog and other bloggers have been so nice and helped me out with advice and tips

    www.lifeofafabobsessive.com

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    1. Aw glad you enjoyed the post! That's great to hear, the blogging community really is lovely xx

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  14. What a fantastic post! I had never thought of adding mine to my cv! It's amazing that you get to do your 2 favourite things at work! Hopefully ill be able to do the same one day!! Xx

    gigglesandmakeup.blogspot.com

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    1. Ah thanks so much! It's definitely worth popping it on there, you never know! xx

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  15. I completely agree with everything you said here. It's great being part of a community of people that all like the same thing! I also wish I'd started blogging sooner as there are so many opportunities out there and great people to meet! I also got my job partly because they were interested in my blog even though it has nothing to do with being a special needs teaching assistant! the headteacher where i work asks me how it's going all the time and has been really impressed! he even asked for one of my blog business cards so his daughter could have the link! i've had so much support since blogging and it's made me learn so much more, spend so much more and just build my confidence too!
    @rebeccalouiseee; autumnleaves-x.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Thanks so much for the lovely comment! Blogging definitely is great on a CV! I can't believe how much has come from it - and I don't mean freebies! ;) xx

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  16. I am on love with this post. I've blogged before but never really told anyone about it, I am one of those people who hates the idea of having negativity thrown at me. Constructive criticism good, negativity upsetting. And I was scared but going into starting a new blog for the new year I'm managing to tell myself not to care what people think. The people that matter don't mind. More people need to read this so that they know that they have no reason to be scared.
    Very lovely blog and congratulations on your fabulous blogging 2013 year. You deserve a lot of attention.
    Http://life with loves.blogspot.co.UK
    Jessy xx

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