Lifestyle: I'd Never Blog About...
Not so long ago, my blogging friend Hollie published 'My Blog Is At A Crossroads', a post in which she said, she would like to start working with brands and write reviews to mix up her blog which is currently focused on fantasy football and life inspired posts. In her piece she asked for some guidance and advice on how to give her blog a new direction.
Her post made me think, as I share a similar position, but I’m facing the opposite of the problem: I feel I should write up more life inspired posts than product reviews and brand collaborations to give my blog more personality and a twist.
It’s not that I haven’t tried to post opinion pieces or life experience before, but let’s put it this way, these articles weren't picked up so well and as a result I thought I should stick with reviews, collaborations and general blogging topics.
Hollie's post really made me think and so I sat down one afternoon, done some brainstorming and collected ideas for topics I could write about and share with the entire world. To get some inspiration I read other blogs, too. After hours of reading about 'What I Got For Christmas', some messed up breakfast cereals in a bowl and rants I came to the conclusion that there are a few topics which I find very personal and too intense to ever share them on my blog. These include:
1. Personal Crisis, e.g. loss of job, relationship/family issues - It's good to open up and talk about problems, but I find the internet the wrong place to do so.
2. Breakfast Posts - When you google 'quality content for blogs' and your first hit is the mushy breakfast post from a 13 year old blogger.
3. Rants - I follow a blogger who does this all the time. A rant about the job, a rant about clients, a rant about other bloggers, a rant about anything in this world. The general tone of all the posts is very aggressive, pessimistic and extremely depressing. It is ok to moan about things now and again, but so much negativity makes me actually uncomfortable and I find it very unprofessional.
4. Job Hunting Advice - I find it depressing enough to write and deal with applications, so I honestly don't want to talk about them in my leisure time and waste even more energy than I have to.
5. Opinions on other bloggers or political debates e.g. Zoella debate, housing crisis in the UK - Again, some topics are a bit sensitive and people can have extreme opinions and views which can loose control so quickly and end up in shit storms, rants and tears.
6. Personal Health - Again a very sensitive topic in my opinion which I wouldn't feature on my blog. It is too extreme and intense and I'm not the person to share my medical conditions with the entire world.
Most of these topics I associate with negativity which I don't want to write about on my blog. Sadness, pressure and provocation are around me all day so I need distraction and my blog reminds me of the good and happy things in life. I believe that certain topics do not belong on social media nor have to be shared and discussed on a blog, but this is my personal view. Some topics are just very, very personal which are intense and create an awkward situation even when I share them with friends. As much as I love blogging and like to take you with me to events and tell you what my fav beauty product is, I think there needs to be a line somewhere. Not every little thing about my life needs to be exposed on the internet.
First, you'll never know who reads your blog, there are so many weirdos and spammers out there. Secondly, I don't want potential employers/PR/brands/clients see all my negativity and judge me on it. Seriously if I would do so, I could say Bye Bye to my career as an aspiring correspondent.
Lastly, I hope I haven't offended anyone with my honesty. If you like to share any of the above and you open up to the world than that's fine by me and I will respect and tolerate your views. I admire people for their confidence and courage to share some of their emotional and intense stories, I've just decided for myself and for the purpose of my blog, that this isn't for me.
Thank you so much for reading today's post. Let me know what you think about sensitive topics and how you would deal with them. Are there any topics you would never talk about on your blog? Is there a story you would love to shout out about? I'm looking forward to your comments!
Till next time,
xx CAZ xx
I'd ideally like my blog to be, essentially, where people come to smile and ask questions & hopefully get inspiration. My post consists of mainly personal style & lifestyle posts which tend to go down very well. I hope you friend finds her way with making great contacts!
ReplyDeleteBee xxx
QueenBeady.com
I think you have to draw the line where it's right for you. Different strokes for different folks as it were! Personally I like a really good lifestyle blog full of fun and positivity, so these are the blogs I follow and how I choose to write my posts too. Others may be looking for people with similar medical conditions to them so as to share advice and gain support, I think there's a place for everyone x
ReplyDeletewww.lovedbylaura.com
Great read Carolin and thank you so much for the mention! I myself have written some personal stories but i do have a line which i would not cross with it! My blog is still as diverse as ever but i have come to the conclusion that this is fine with me! I think Laura summed it up perfectly when she said draw the line where it is right for you! xx
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting perspective. Honestly, my blog is mostly for documenting living in Japan and updating my parents on what I'm doing and any health progress. Being overseas, it's just easier for me to blog things rather than repeat myself. I don't consider my health something top secret I guess, plus when I lose the final 30 lbs and kick the diabetes out of my life I can hope it would possibly inspire others to do the same.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Jasmine's blog is so personal sometimes but it has pulled me and I hope she continues to post about her fight with lupus. I've learned a lot about the disease from her.
In the end, we all blog for different reasons I suppose and all have different comfort levels of self exposure. I also have an anonymous rant blog that I rarely update now but it comes in handy when I need to get something off my chest.
Hopefully through time you'll start discovering yourself more and then you'll be able to let people in more :-) just get comfortable and let loose hehehe! 💋☺️ & anytime sweetie xox
ReplyDeleteAh ok, that I can agree with. If you are specifically a fashion blogger I could see how sticking to only that would make sense.
ReplyDeleteAlthough my blog is very, very personal I do agree there are somethings Id never blog about. You know me and trying to keep things positive so of course that is a big thing in deciding what to share.
ReplyDeleteI actually used to do a lot of 'opinionated' posts in my first year or two with this blog but found they attracted a readership Id rather not have.
Although I am 100% myself and truthful in my posts I do agree that some people who may act differently with friends/online than with their parents/at work, need to be aware that anyone can see social media.
Great post.
xo
Jusr realized I used the word 'although' a million times and look like an idiot ha! Sorry.
ReplyDeleteXo
Good luck with finding a new direction for you blog, the experience of broadening your horizons (so to speak) can be so refreshing to the entire writing process - I used to blog only about shoes under a different URL haha! Also, I agree that ranting about others should certainly be kept off the blog and kept to social media alone, if considered unavoidable. Again, good luck! :)
ReplyDeleteGabrielle | A Glass Of Ice
x
This was a really interesting post! I do agree that there are definitely some things I won't share online unless I am directly messaging a friend or family member such as very personal family issues or health problems, just because there are some things I want to keep for myself and I also think that that's very similar for real life situations too. I first started blogging as a general online diary where I just talked about my day to day life and shared my photos and people seemed to like it - now it's become more of an amateur photography blog with the focus less on me but more on what I've been up to as I always try to write inspirational posts and share something that will make someone smile, but I do hope that my own personality shines through with that. Great post! - Tasha
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, something's should be left away from the internet because people can target you and you should never lay your entire life over the internet xxx
ReplyDeletehttp://leannewinters.blogspot.co.uk
I'm so glad you touched on this topic! I too don't particularity like to touch on many of these topics, the only one I might talk about in the future is food of sorts, but otherwise I just can't do it, especially rants. When a blogger rants too often--I find it sooooooooooooo off putting. Life is challenging, but there's got to be other ways of dealing with it. Ways that don't put you in compromising situations in the future--as you noted, with employers and such.
ReplyDeleteI too view my blog as a way to escape my reality, which involves bills, work, issues (political & personal). I'd much rather work on more creative topics as well as reviews as I find them fun--like working on a science report (Did it work? How did it work? Who would it be best suited for? ect.).
xoxo
Jessica
http://www.kaleidoscopesandpolkadots.co/
Hey Caz, although I'm new to blogging I struggle with this. I don't want my posts to be so personal that I'm airing all my laundry for everyone. Plus I have a full time job in the corporate world and can't afford to give a bad impression. How I appear on social media could impact how my employer sees me so my blog is a little restricted at the moment. Could you offer any advice? Thanks x
ReplyDelete