For my English class, we were assigned to write a research paper about our favorite hobby or activity and explain to the reader why it is worthwhile. Of course, I chose blogging. I decided to post this on my blog to share with all of you why I do what I do and why it is so important to me. I also asked for thoughts from Kristin from Fancy Things, Jessie from Style and Pepper and Sara from Glitter and Grace, so they are quoted in here. I hope you enjoy my paper, and PLEASE leave feedback! It would be much appreciated.
In the past decade, the internet has become the primary source for everything—news, fashion, recipes, reading, keeping in touch with people, and even writing in one’s diary or journal. For years, people had newspapers delivered to their house so they could see what is going on in the world around them. Many people used to write in their journal to record what happens in their day to day life. However, a lot of this now happens on the internet through blogging. Blogging has become one of my favorite activities because it is beneficial in many ways, and is also a form of expression.
I have had my own blog for about two and a half years now, and I love it. I created it in December of 2010 after watching the movie Julie and Julia. One of the main characters had a blog and I thought it looked fun, so I jumped on the computer and created my own. It took me about half of an hour to come up with a name. I thought about what I wanted to write and post about—it was fashion, of course—and I ended up naming my blog “allGLAMMEDup.” I started off using Blogspot as the supporter. I began writing one to two posts a week for the first couple of months, then it started to slow down, and soon I stopped posting for about four to five months. When I started it up again, I created a whole new website using Webs.com and updated it pretty regularly, as in about three times a week. Then I started to slow down again. I recently picked it back up and started using Blogspot again because I realized that it is more customizable and easier to track the statistics and members. I now update it three to four times a week, and have been focusing on publicizing my blog so that I can gain more readers and subscribers.
The main topic that I write about on my blog is fashion. My audience is the fashionable and chic girl that likes to stay on top of the current trends without spending hundreds or thousands of dollars. With this in mind, I write about the current styles in the fashion world, and put together layouts of outfits using those current trends from affordable stores. A couple times a month, I will find a picture of a celebrity that showcases at least a couple hot trends, and find look-alike items that are a fraction of the price of what the celebrity paid. I also sometimes write about my new discoveries of clothing, jewelry, or makeup companies that I want to share with my readers, as well as a weekly post called “Precious Moments” where I share photos from throughout my week. I like to regularly update my blog with a variety of posts in order to keep my readers interested.
The first and most important thing to me about blogging is that I am able to express my thoughts about issues and what is going on in the world around me. Since I am a college student and am not constantly around people every day like I was in high school, I feel a need to interact with people, even people I do not know, and share what I love with them: fashion. I love being able to share my thoughts about new trends, what I am loving, what I’m not, and my discoveries. I am also able to share whatever is currently on my mind that I think should be heard. Since it is my own blog, and I do not have someone dictating my writing, I am able to write about whatever I like. I can bend the rules a little bit, and talk about something other than fashion once in a while. There has been a blogger movement happening in the past month or so called “Things I Am Afraid To Tell You” where bloggers share with their readers a few things that they do not normally share with people, or are embarrassed about. I decided to go out on a limb and share a few semi-personal subjects with my readers. I usually only talk about these subjects with the people who are closest to me, but it was nice to be able to get it out in the open and not hide behind them anymore. Blogging is a great outlet to express your ideas and opinions to a community that continuously wants to hear from you.
The more you blog and share your blog, the more readers you have giving you support. Most bloggers have the comments option turned on so that they can receive feedback from their readers. This is beneficial in two ways: First, you get feedback on your posts. In an interview with a fellow blogger, Kristin Brophy of Fancy Things, she stated, “One of the benefits of blogging is feedback, comments by people who admire your blog gives you more of a reason to continue writing. One of my favorite things about blogging is the interaction I have with other bloggers, who share my same interests.” If the readers like what you wrote, you will hopefully get positive feedback and praise saying what was great about the post. If they do not like it, they might leave a negative comment. Sara Bacon of Glitter and Grace stated that “There’s a great community in blogging. I have made so many ‘blog buddies’ and it is encouraging and uplifting to meet so many fun, cute, creative, positive, real, and encouraging people that I never would have met otherwise.” Although this can sometimes be discouraging, it can help you figure out what your audience likes and does not like. Having a large audience of readers is also nice because it gives you an online support system. Successful bloggers constantly receive messages via all of the different social media websites and applications that they are on, lifting them up and complementing them. Hearing positive feedback makes it easier to continue blogging if there are times of doubt or discouragement.
Depending on where your blog is at statistically, you can make a little extra cash. There are websites that you can submit your blog to and earn commission off of the links that you put in your posts. One of these websites is called Reward Style. In order to sign up with this website, you have to submit an application. The company takes a look at your blog to see how many views it has, how many readers, if you use social media to promote it, etc. If you are accepted, you are able to earn commission on a great deal of products from many different websites and designers. All you have to do is insert the link into your post, and when the reader clicks on it, the site will automatically know you are the source. Another online source is Google AdSense. With this, you get paid a certain amount of money each time someone clicks on the ad that you have placed on your blog. Many well-known bloggers have also been known to sell jewelry that they make. Obaidul Haque mentioned in his article “21 Key Benefits to Blogging” that although there is potential for making money, “A lot of research, time, energy and effort go into making blogging earn you a decent income” (Haque).They use their blog to promote it, giving them more sales. If your blog is well known, there are possibilities of earning an income using your blog.
Some people may see all of the tasks that are necessary for blogging and think it is too time consuming or that it can become addicting to have one. However, it is completely worth it in the end. In Virginia Heffernan’s article “A Case of Internet Addiction,” she explains how “Dr. Young told [her] she believes the Internet is addictive in part because it ‘allows us to create new personalities and use them to fulfill unmet psychological needs,’” which is definitely true (Heffernan). Like I previously stated, because I am not constantly around people like I used to be, this is a new way for me to interact with others and fulfill that need to connect with others. Having a blog can be very beneficial, depending on what you plan to do career-wise with your life. For example, I plan on working in the fashion industry in the future as a stylist for celebrities or a magazine. Along the way, my blog can be useful as a portfolio or to add to my resume. If I apply to a magazine, it will show that I know how to write and put together an article. If I apply for a styling position, the employer can see my sense of style along with my existing portfolio on my blog. I interviewed a well-known fashion and lifestyle blogger, Jessie Artigue of Style and Pepper and asked her why she loves blogging: “What began as something that I did in my free time to express my creativity (as is the case for most bloggers starting out), has become a platform that I now use in a handful of different ways; It is a space to share inspiration with others, a professional portfolio of sorts, as well as a marketing tool that I use to connect with and reach out to potential clients.” Although blogging can take up much of your time, it will be beneficial in the end if you put your heart into it and put forth an effort to make it successful.
Sometimes, bloggers will receive hateful comments on their posts. Although this does happen, it is not that common. If it does happen, all that needs to be done is ignore it. There is no need to pay attention to hateful comments when there are so many other positive comments to give you a boost.
Blogging is one of my favorite activities for quite a few reasons: It is a great form of expression; you can build a supportive audience of readers that will stand behind you and build you up; depending on how successful your blog is, you can become successful financially through it. Although there may be a few downsides to blogging, it is all worth it in the end. Blogging is fun, entertaining, and rewarding in many ways and I would encourage anyone who has a passion of any kind to try it.
I hope you enjoyed it, and please remember to leave some feedback!
XO Katie