Thursday, September 30, 2021

My Thoughts And Feelings On The Ever-Changing Landscape Of The Blogosphere

I'm sure many of you have noticed how over the past year or so, a hefty portion of your blogging friends have either decided to quit blogging or just suddenly disappeared from the blogoshere without so much as an "Adios," "Adieu," or "Auf Wiedersehen."

Poof! They simply vanished. 

I don't know whether people just get tired of blogging because of all the other social media apps that don't take up as much time, or what. Even many of the blogs I used to read that were extremely popular and lucrative have gone AWOL.

My Own Blogging History:

I launched my first blog in 2006 at Wordpress. It was a specific niche blog. Then in 2007, I launched this blog (initially entitled, "Vent") so that I would have a space where I could post on a variety of topics. And that's when I moved over to Blogger because I knew I'd have more freedom with my weblog design. It was at that time I started to teach myself HTML coding and learned how to customize a website. Blogger, with all its annoying faults, offers you the freedom to do whatever you want with your blog. For instance, you're allowed to upload and install a third-party theme and commenting system, and then customize them to your own liking. Now, I'm not in anyway putting down Wordpress.com because it is a very powerful platform, used by many. In fact, my personal shopper blog is hosted there. But it's not without flaws and can be very restrictive when it comes to theme customization unless you upgrade to a paid plan. 

Truthfully, both Blogger and Wordpress.com have their pluses and minuses. It just depends on what is most important to you. 

Anyway, I've been steadily blogging now for a total of 15 years. And like you, I've witnessed the ever-changing landscape. I feel fortunate to have been there in the early stages of blogging because it was such an AMAZING time to be online and on social media. There was an exciting and contagious energy in the air that exploded all over the blogosphere, allowing people to connect and communicate far and wide. It gave people a voice and invoked dialogues. With a blog, you could have your own space, yet at the same time share it with other people. I found the whole idea of blogging thrilling and so creative.  

For me, blogging was, is, and always will be my favorite way to express myself and socialize online. I've gotten to meet some of the greatest people (many in person) who have remained longtime friends.

However, I admit that even my own way of blogging has changed over the years. At first I used to post 3x a week, then 2x a week, then down to once a week. Years ago I spent an unhealthy amount of time blogging, as it began to consume my life. First thing in the morning, throughout my day, and before I went to bed, I would respond to comments on my own blog, while reading and commenting on other blogs. And I would panic if I couldn't do those things consistently. Even when I was on vacation, I would blog, comment, and respond to comments. I remember when my mother passed away in 2012 and I was in Florida for two weeks, even then I blogged.

Yes, blogging became an obsession for me. I somehow felt as if I had a responsibility to blog at a certain pace and live up to it.

But that changed.

In 2015 when I was hospitalized for two weeks, I could feel myself shifting priorities. I knew that I needed to back off and learn how to evenly distribute my personal energy and time. Getting ill was a positive wake-up call on so many levels for me. When you're in the hospital and in bed while having your left lung drained of fluid, you're forced to stop, look, and listen. 

Therefore, I made a conscious decision to change the way I blog.

I no longer feverishly check my blog all day to respond to comments - I will get to those comments when I get to them. And I also don't put pressure on myself to constantly check my feed reader to see who posted so that I can immediately read and comment on their blogs. I now take my time. And I don't put that kind of pressure on other bloggers. If people wish to read and comment on my blog posts, that's great, l appreciate it. And if they don't, that's their choice.

As far as posting goes, I only post once a week. Some months I'll post on a specific day of the week, other months I'll post on a different day. I no longer hold myself to a set schedule. I prefer remaining flexible and changing it up every so often.

And as far as my blog topics go, I post about things that truly interest me and no longer fret over whether or not those things will be of interest to everyone else. Mind you, it's not that I don't consider my readers when I post, because I do. However, my consideration is more about making sure that what I'm sharing is clearly understood, both verbally and visually. Back when I first started blogging, I would spend hours thinking of topics that would be of interest to my readers. Now, I share whatever inspires me, whether it's photography, something humorous, something about life, something about a film I saw, and then invite my readers to enjoy it. Realistically I know that some readers will, and some may not. 

Yes, I like where I'm at when it comes to blogging. 

I still love it with all my heart and thoroughly enjoy my interactions with all of you; sharing my life and reading about yours and what you share.  

Blogging remains interesting and creative to me, but at the same time, more relaxed with no self-imposed pressure. And because of that, I feel more inspired to blog.   

So as long as I continue to feel this way, I will remain in the blogosphere. 

The Internet claims that blogging is dead, but I don't think that's true.

Blogging is still a valuable means of communication for people like us who actually enjoy the "social" in social media...

Thank you all for being part of my blogging journey. Cheers and 💗!

*Please feel free to share your own history; how you blog; and things you've noticed about the ever-changing landscape of the blogosphere.