Hello bloggy friends!
Some of you may remember that one of my 13 in '13 goals is to make my blog more about me and not what everyone else is doing. You can read those thoughts here.
Since the new year has begun, I have spent less time on my blogging. I try to limit my "blog work" to Wednesdays and weekends. I also no longer try to participate in every single link up, swap, hop, giveaway, etc. that comes my way. While I have felt better, I still feel very dissatisfied with blogging. I often feel like it's something I have to do rather than I want to do. That's not the way it should be.
I didn't set out to be some major blogger. I also have noticed that many of the bloggers that have only been blogging for 2 months and have so many followers only ever post giveaways they're hosting, giveaways they're participating in, or link ups they're hosting or co-hosting. There's no content. Of course, this isn't true of all large bloggers. Many of them have many followers because they write great content.
Have I gained a lot of followers from doing giveaways? Yes. It's obvious because the number of people who read my blog is way off from the number of people who follow my blog.
SO...there will be some changes coming.
I'm going back to blogging because I want to, because it's something I enjoy. A fellow blogger described it well when she said there's so much going on in Blogland and you feel like you need to keep up with it all. Well, no more.
When I look back at the blogs I wrote when I first started out, they're so different from what I'm writing now. I wrote about my thoughts on different subjects. I wrote about things I love and enjoy.
Some of you may be thinking- I don't care what she's doing, why is she telling us all this? For me, writing it out on my blog is a way to keep myself accountable to do what I say. So, here's my plan:
1. Link Ups:
I honestly enjoy link ups. They are great for giving you ideas of things to write about and they can be a great way to meet new people. In the beginning, I grew my blog almost exclusively from link ups. However, I don't want my blog to be link up day after day. I want to participate in a few here and there and actually take the time to visit other people's links to try and make new friends.
2. Blog Hops:
I also grew my blog a lot in the beginning through blog hops because I actually had time to hop around. I got to the point where I was so busy with other blog stuff that I quit linking up because I couldn't visit other blogs. I want to link up to more blog hops again and take the time to visit at least 3 other blogs from the hop.
3. Giveaways:
Giveaways can be a great way to gain followers. However, I don't think it's the best way to find readers. It can also get expensive and I personally don't want to spend tons of money on my blog. It's basically like you're buying followers. I'm not saying I'll never do a giveaway (as you'll see at the bottom of this post), but they will be very few and far between.
4. Quantity of Posts:
Once my blog started growing, I thought I needed to post every-single-day. Then, I got so busy wanting to participate in everything that I was posting 7 days a week if not 2 times on some days. It was exhausting. In the last few months, I've stopped posting on weekends. I want to continue to back off some. I think posting 3-5 times a week is sufficient. I want to post depending on how I feel and if I have something to say or share.
5. Quality of Posts:
#4 leads me right into this one. I want to focus more on writing good, quality posts rather than worrying about the quantity of posts. The problem is often that quality posts take more time than putting together a "fluffy" post. I'm not saying I'll never write "fluffy" posts. Sometimes it's fun to just share some fun pins or a funny story or answer a link up questionnaire. I want to get back to the reason I started blogging, though.
6. Advertisement:
I've struggled a lot with the best way for my blog to do sponsors. I struggled when deciding to start taking sponsors in the first place and I'm still struggling with whether or not to continue. For now, I'm going to continue. I like looking at it as a way to help others which is something I enjoy doing. I've taken away my "Southern Hospitality" spot and added a spot called "Metropolis." I now offer "The Small Town" spot which can be purchased for $2 or we can swap. This spot gets you a 100X100 button, some social media love, and the chance to be a part of at least one post a month. Then, I have "The Big City" spot which I've lowered the price to $5 for. It's a 200X200 button that gets you lots of social media love, a sponsor spotlight post, and the chance to be a part of at least one post a month. My new spot is the "Metropolis" spot. This spot is $12 and it is a 200X300 button that runs for 2 months! This spot includes all the same things that "The Big City" spot includes except instead of getting a sponsorship spotlight post, you get a guest post. I only run a few ads at a time so that I can focus more attention on my sponsors and so that you get more exposure. (At the bottom of this post, you can enter to win one of the new "Metropolis" spots.)
7. Throwback Thursday:
I had the idea for this link up in the fall of last year. I love looking through old pictures or thinking about "the good ole' days." I thought it would be something fun to do. I did some "research" and kept my eyes out to make sure no one else was doing the same link up. I started this link up in January and have enjoyed seeing everyone's throwback posts. However, I don't think hosting a link up is for me. With the dissatisfaction I've been feeling with my blogging, I think I need to quit my Throwback Thursday. At first, I felt like this would be quitting something that I haven't been doing for very long, but then I decided it didn't matter. Plus, you (and me) can still write Throwback Thursday posts. When in Doubt Add Glitter and 2 other bloggers host their own Throwback Thursday which used to be called something else which is why it didn't show up in my "research." Knowing that there'd still be a way to write Throwback Thursday posts made it easier for me to make this decision.
Thank you if you read through all that. I'd like to thank you for being so amazing by giving away one of my new ad spots. Enjoy!
How do you stay true to the reason you started blogging?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I'm going back to blogging because I want to, because it's something I enjoy. A fellow blogger described it well when she said there's so much going on in Blogland and you feel like you need to keep up with it all. Well, no more.
When I look back at the blogs I wrote when I first started out, they're so different from what I'm writing now. I wrote about my thoughts on different subjects. I wrote about things I love and enjoy.
Some of you may be thinking- I don't care what she's doing, why is she telling us all this? For me, writing it out on my blog is a way to keep myself accountable to do what I say. So, here's my plan:
1. Link Ups:
I honestly enjoy link ups. They are great for giving you ideas of things to write about and they can be a great way to meet new people. In the beginning, I grew my blog almost exclusively from link ups. However, I don't want my blog to be link up day after day. I want to participate in a few here and there and actually take the time to visit other people's links to try and make new friends.
2. Blog Hops:
I also grew my blog a lot in the beginning through blog hops because I actually had time to hop around. I got to the point where I was so busy with other blog stuff that I quit linking up because I couldn't visit other blogs. I want to link up to more blog hops again and take the time to visit at least 3 other blogs from the hop.
3. Giveaways:
Giveaways can be a great way to gain followers. However, I don't think it's the best way to find readers. It can also get expensive and I personally don't want to spend tons of money on my blog. It's basically like you're buying followers. I'm not saying I'll never do a giveaway (as you'll see at the bottom of this post), but they will be very few and far between.
4. Quantity of Posts:
Once my blog started growing, I thought I needed to post every-single-day. Then, I got so busy wanting to participate in everything that I was posting 7 days a week if not 2 times on some days. It was exhausting. In the last few months, I've stopped posting on weekends. I want to continue to back off some. I think posting 3-5 times a week is sufficient. I want to post depending on how I feel and if I have something to say or share.
5. Quality of Posts:
#4 leads me right into this one. I want to focus more on writing good, quality posts rather than worrying about the quantity of posts. The problem is often that quality posts take more time than putting together a "fluffy" post. I'm not saying I'll never write "fluffy" posts. Sometimes it's fun to just share some fun pins or a funny story or answer a link up questionnaire. I want to get back to the reason I started blogging, though.
6. Advertisement:
I've struggled a lot with the best way for my blog to do sponsors. I struggled when deciding to start taking sponsors in the first place and I'm still struggling with whether or not to continue. For now, I'm going to continue. I like looking at it as a way to help others which is something I enjoy doing. I've taken away my "Southern Hospitality" spot and added a spot called "Metropolis." I now offer "The Small Town" spot which can be purchased for $2 or we can swap. This spot gets you a 100X100 button, some social media love, and the chance to be a part of at least one post a month. Then, I have "The Big City" spot which I've lowered the price to $5 for. It's a 200X200 button that gets you lots of social media love, a sponsor spotlight post, and the chance to be a part of at least one post a month. My new spot is the "Metropolis" spot. This spot is $12 and it is a 200X300 button that runs for 2 months! This spot includes all the same things that "The Big City" spot includes except instead of getting a sponsorship spotlight post, you get a guest post. I only run a few ads at a time so that I can focus more attention on my sponsors and so that you get more exposure. (At the bottom of this post, you can enter to win one of the new "Metropolis" spots.)
7. Throwback Thursday:
I had the idea for this link up in the fall of last year. I love looking through old pictures or thinking about "the good ole' days." I thought it would be something fun to do. I did some "research" and kept my eyes out to make sure no one else was doing the same link up. I started this link up in January and have enjoyed seeing everyone's throwback posts. However, I don't think hosting a link up is for me. With the dissatisfaction I've been feeling with my blogging, I think I need to quit my Throwback Thursday. At first, I felt like this would be quitting something that I haven't been doing for very long, but then I decided it didn't matter. Plus, you (and me) can still write Throwback Thursday posts. When in Doubt Add Glitter and 2 other bloggers host their own Throwback Thursday which used to be called something else which is why it didn't show up in my "research." Knowing that there'd still be a way to write Throwback Thursday posts made it easier for me to make this decision.
Thank you if you read through all that. I'd like to thank you for being so amazing by giving away one of my new ad spots. Enjoy!
How do you stay true to the reason you started blogging?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
11 comments:
Great Post! I have recently started blogging so I enjoy reading about other bloggers experiences.
I started blogging as a way for me to keep a record of my daily escapades with my 3 kiddos and to share with my family that live in far away states. I also think it's a great opportunity to share Christ with others. I do my best to live a Christ centered life and I try to blog about that a few times a month.
I got caught up in the numbers game for a while and grew from 15-46 withing a couple of weeks through hops and link ups. Then I took a step away from those for a while and refocused on my original plan.
I have about 30-50 people read my blog posts, most are friends and family from facebook, where I usually put a link for every post and I am perfectly fine with that.
I enjoy link ups and blog hops, but I'm not going to do them just for the sake of growth.
I've enjoyed your honest writing. Thanks for being real!!
I am trying to get back to more "bloggy basics". love your ideas. thanks for sharing!!
I love your idea of more quality over quantity. There's millions of blog posts out there, but genuinely good ones are much rarer!
Yes, yes, yes :) In total agreement with you. I want to blog to document my life. Although I love the interaction of readers, I'd rather have 30 readers that engage with me than 3000 that just come for giveaways.
Awesome post!!! I'm looking forward to these changes you're making. I already love your blog, now I love it more. ;)
Lots of luck with your blogging goals :)
I think your goals are wonderful! I completely agree that giveaways are often "buying followers." I don't typically join in on giveaways because I don't want to follow blogs I don't read. It's great to get back to the basics in blogging. :-)
I love this post. I have been so busy and MIA and just now reading some post tonight. This could Not heve been any more perfect in timing for me:)
You have ALWAYS been so encouraging!
Have a blessed weekend
Great post! I've been blogging for a long time... blogging for myself, and recently, I've tried to start building a bigger audience, so I started participating in the Blog Hops and Link Ups and stuff... I can see how it can become overwhelming quickly. I'm trying to find a way to maintain a balance. You make some very great points about limiting giveaways and creating posts that have content. I've subscribed to a lot of blogs that I just click on to get them out of my reader because they were doing a giveaway, and they're all giveaways no real posts. Good luck with your changes!
These are some things I've been struggling with. I had such a hard time with the last 2 giveaways I hosted that it really put a damper on the whole experience. I've been trying to figure out what to do about that. Also, I found myself only doing link-ups a while back and I have been trying to cut back on those. I feel the same way as you. I am trying to slowly figure out how to get back to blogging for me instead of trying to grow. It is a difficult transition when there are sponsors involved while trying to make changes.
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