What I have learned from blogging over the year

Not too long ago this blog reached a year old.  It got me thinking about the past year, and what I have done and not done.  What I would like to do and not do.  What I can do and cannot do.  I thought I would share with you my thoughts on blogging, and what I have learned from it so far.  This is my personal experience, and it will differ from yours, if you blog.  

• Blogging is hard, time consuming, and requires TLC.  When I told Matt that I was going to start a blog, I really did not foresee the future filled with late nights, lots of typing and editing (duh!), sweating over photos and editing, and less family time.  I think at the time I really thought all my blog would need is about 5 minutes to type a few sentences, upload an image and call it good.  If you can blog like this, you are my superhero.  For real.  Blogging requires maintenance.  I have to tweak a lot.  I have to go back to old posts and insert links.  I have to update posts or even images.   

• Blogging introduces new friends.  Yes, they may be internet buddies, but they are still real people with similar interests that I might meet one day. 

• I have learned over the course of the year that some people think blogging is a joke, a waste of time, or not real life.  I know some people who think I have nothing better to do than blog.  Even Oscar Meyer downplays blogging in one of their new commercials.   So there are people out there that do not take blogging seriously, and that's totally cool.  I accept their opinions and know that I am doing something with my life even if it may not be what others might consider time worthy or requires a degree.  I am creating and pushing my creativity in a way that was not done before.  

• Losing followers sucks, and it shouldn't put a damper on my feelings.  Okay, okay.  I know.  I have one of the most confusing blogs out there.  Home decorating/DIY AND sewing???   But I love them both, and I don't have the time to be like YHL and have two blogs.  It's already enough for me to try to recap the very few days I do share with you and take care of my family and  have  a social life.                                                                                                                 

But here is one thing I have learned from losing followers.   People leave blogs for all sorts of reasons, so there is no need to get butt hurt over it.  Personality conflicts, no longer interested, expectations not met, conflicting interests, moved on, an accidental delete, or just cleaning out their blog list.   I would like to believe all bloggers lose followers.  Just don't tell me if that is not true.  Optimism people.  Optimism. 

• Numbers should not be important.  I felt like I just lied there, but deep down inside I know that the number of followers is not important.  I like you guys, don't get me wrong.  And I am completely thrilled that someone is interested in what I am doing in my life.  And it makes me feel totally amazing to watch GFC numbers rise.  Some people judge your blog from the number of followers you have, right?  "Oh you have 8, 000 followers!!!  You're a celebrity!"  I actually saw something similar in a comment box once, so I know this feeling exists.  Some people determine if your blog is great or not by how many people are following.  I see this with sponsors and ads.  The more followers you have the higher price it is to get a spot on their page.   But with this said, it's important to me to not focus on the numbers.   Following should not determine the quality of your blog nor the type of community you have developed.  Also, there may be a lot more people who do come to visit a blog regularly but just don't want to subscribe or follow.  And those people are just as important as the ones who are following.    

• Comments are important!  I probably do not feel alone about this.  Comments makes a blogger's day!!!!  I am not sure how much I can stress this, and unless you have a blog yourself, I don't think you can fully understand this.  Comments, even legit anonymous ones, let us know that people are reading.  Comments say "Hey girl!  I like what you did!  Thank you for spending 4 days on this one tiny post!"  Comments are happy little emails you get from friends.  Also, your comment may be the one the blogger needs to read for the day.  You may say something that inspires the blogger to not stop or to do something great.  This has actually happened to me on several occasions, and I have always let the person know that her comment was exactly what I needed for the day.  Thank you!

• Now that people have taken the time to comment, I find it polite to respond.  It may take me a few days to respond, but I try to respond to every comment, unless it is for a giveaway.  If you are a no reply commenter, please check by clicking here.  Bloggers cannot respond to no repliers.  Usually, they have to go back to the original post to reply to a no replier, but that can't always happen.  There are also occasions where emails are read and forgotten but not by accident, and as someone who leaves comments on other blogs, it is nice to remember that.   We are human, and most bloggers are not malicious.  :)  I know that bigger blogs have a more difficult time to respond since they are receiving more emails in a day.    

• Blog goals are important, but I didn't think about that until recently.  Where do I want to go with my blog? (Answer: I'm still not sure.)  What purpose does my blog serve?  (Answer: I reach out to like minded individuals who care about decorating their homes, enjoy good design, and who love to sew.  I would like my blog to help people, but I also want to learn from my readers.)   Who do I want my readers to be? (Answer: Anyone who enjoys home talk and/or sewing.  I know that is a weird mix, but I can't be the only person out there who is interested in the two.)  Do you want to make money? (Answer: It's not my intentions, though I would never turn down a paycheck while I can stay at home with my son.)  Do you want it to be personal and intimate, or do you want to be more like a magazine? (Answer: I would like my blog to remain intimate but have magazine quality through photos.)  These are just a few questions that came to mind, but I think it is important to asses your blog, if you have one that is not just for the family.

• If I can't say something nice in a comment box, I just don't say it.  I may think that what I want to say is constructive criticism, but some people don't know how to deal with that.  So it is better to just let it go than to put in my two cents.  Now occasionally I'll joke with fellow blogging friends in the comment box, but I always try to make an effort to let that person know I was kidding.   Which leads me to my next point.

• Writing, in general, is a learning curve.  I read all the time "Bloggers need to be themselves"  but then you get a comment saying you shouldn't have said this or done that.  What??  Where's the balance? And this is where I find things difficult for me.  What makes writing for a blog even harder is the fact I am TYPING THIS and not speaking to you.  It is hard to understand a person's intentions without seeing body signs or hearing inflections in speech.  So the reader will judge the situation by how his or her brain reads the post.  This is why I insert a lot of  :), hehe, haha, ;), bwhahaha, LOL, and the unnecessary list goes on.   I hope that makes sense.  I am still learning how to be myself without unintentionally offending others.

• Good pictures are important.  This is something that is continually evolving for me.  When I first started blogging, my pictures were darker and smaller.   As time went on, my photos became clearer, brighter, and bigger by using a free photo editing program like PicMonkey.  The only exception is when I got my iPhone and started using Instagram!  Instagram is addicting!

• I feel, at times, pressure to perform.  Now, this blog is for me, and I made it public for others to enjoy.  I needed a motivation to stop being lazy because that is exactly what I was before blogging.  Knowing that this blog is a way for me to start doing does put a little pressure on me that I need to post frequently.   Luckily, I do not feel this way all the time, but the pressure is there and you need to know about it.

• Having a break is awesome.  I don't post on the weekends, and it's amazing.  It gives me time to spend with family or to simply take a break from it all.  Though don't let me fool you.  I spend time writing posts on weekends too.  Like I mentioned before, it takes a lot of work, especially if you already have a full time job and/or family to take care of.

• I really don't "know" the bloggers behind the posts.  I think I may know what their lives are like seven days a week, but I really don't.  Most bloggers keep their blogs a happy place because most people do not like to read negative posts.  I may think at times their lives are perfect, but then I remember they are just like you and me.  They have bad days too, and they get tired and cranky just like the rest of us.  They may have dysfunctional families or marriages, suffer from depression, and/or be far from perfect.   I have to remind myself this every time I visit Rockstar Diaries.  For some reason, that blog can turn my happiness into depression in 0.2 seconds, and I know that is not their intentions.  (Yet, I keep going back.)  They seem to capture in photos this kind of lifestyle that I wish I had or want, but that is totally beside the point.

• I'm exposed to more talent than I could have ever known.  In fact, I am trying to recall what life was like before blogging.  Being exposed to this much creativity has its advantages and disadvantages.

         Advantages:   

          I meet amazing women who inspire me daily.
    
         My creative juices start flowing.

         Most times, it helps me to think outside of the box.

         Disadvantages

        Because there is too much creativity out there, I can find myself in sensory overload.  I don't   know when to stop looking, and my brain turns into mush.  Two hours later into Pinterest, and I am beating myself in the head for not using those two hours to actually make my own mercury glass or make Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge.

          Competition, competition, competition.  Do I really need to explain this one, or am I the only one who feels like there is a competition going on, especially in the DIY/Home decorating/Interior Design department?

          Now that I have seen all this talent, it is permanently imprinted into my brain.  I can't go back to a more simpler life when I thought threading noodles with yarn was the most creative thing out there.

• I have to make a sacrifice every time I write.  Whether it's less time with my husband, less sleep, skipping a meal, skipping a shower, or not watching Curious George with my son for the twentieth time, I sacrifice something in order to blog.

• Blogging is rewarding.  If the sacrifices were to outweigh the rewards, I wouldn't blog.  Blogging has helped me to discover new things about myself.  I have also pushed myself a little harder had I not started blogging.  I have also made good friends with similar interests during the year I have been blogging, and I am starting to build a community, which is important because we all need to feel like we belong somewhere.

I still have a lot to learn about blogging, and my opinions may change next year.  I don't know what the future has in store for me, but I am so happy that I started blogging.  It is a little weird to open up my life to a crowd of unfamiliar faces, but I think I am helping at least one person out there.  And knowing that makes me happy.

What have you learned over time?  Is there anything you would add?