Blogging is a diverse a activity. Not only does it involve writing blog posts, it brings in photography, planning, formatting, social media, and so much more.
As someone who has been blogging for four years, the one thing I can say for sure is that your list of to-dos for blogging increases with time. I started off with small blog posts, and then I found out that there’s something called stats and SEO. There’s something called “readability” such that your blog posts are more appealing and easy to read. After that, I went on a research spree about metadata and hashtags, which lead me to social media, which lead to a whole range of other things.
But, leaving the to-do lists, what is blogging? What is it like to be a blogger? What do we struggle with, and what confuses us? That’s what this post is about. Today we’re talking about 10 things that show exactly what blogging is like, other than the basic activities.
1. INVOLUNTARILY TREATING BLOGGING LIKE A JOB
Blogging is a hobby, and a wonderful one. But let’s face it, all bloggers get hit with the treat-blogging-like-a-job syndrome, whether we like it or not.
The sheer number of blogs on the internet, in every field, means that we’re all fighting for attention. And most of the time, it’s each other’s attention. At some point, we begin to care about statistics and how many views our blogs receive. As we care more, we also put in more and more effort into our blogs. Keeping up with indexes, images, and coming up with new posts every week is not easy. Soon enough, it’s as taxing as a full-time job.
Blogging as a hobby becomes as demanding as a job. You need to be extra motivated to keep up. But, it’s also SO REWARDING. Just watching the final post, and watching it get views and comments is the best feeling ever. You can almost immediately see the results of your hard work.
2. ALWAYS TELLING YOURSELF TO NOT OBSESS OVER STATS
I doubt that there is even one seasoned blogger who hasn’t done this. Stats is a funny thing. It can make you feel like you’re on top the world, but it can also make you feel like you suck.
Some months, when I’m consistently blogging and putting my ALL, the stats go up and I become SO HAPPY. But when life takes over my priorities, and my blog suffers, the stats shut down and it makes me feel so low.
There are several blog posts that say the number 1 thing you have to stop doing is obsessing over stats. That goes for everyone, whether you’re a new blogger or an experienced one. But, saying is harder than doing it, right? Who here relates?
3. WONDERING WHY A POST YOU LIKE ISN’T GETTING MUCH RESPONSE
Have you ever written a super cool post? One that you were excited about before even starting? A post that sounds so fun or great to you that you went all out—editing multiple times, adding anecdotes and jokes, and making sure the images are ON POINT. It’s that post which you expect would go viral, or at least be popular.
And have you seen that post under-perform? It’s the most confusing thing ever! Like, I’ve spent three days on perfecting the post but WHY AREN’T PEOPLE LIKING IT. Let me know your experiences in the comments, because I’m sure some of us will have this in common.
4. CONFUSED AS TO WHY A RANDOM, SUB-PAR POST IS RECEIVING LOTS OF ATTENTION
I think I can say that most of us have definitely had this moment. One of those posts that you simply wrote to post something, which you didn’t proof-read or even add proper images to. You simply wrote it, and hit publish. Why is THAT receiving tons of attention? More than other, better posts?
Sometimes, it’s just so weird. One of my posts which had barely 300 words and 2 images, which wasn’t even proof-read, actually went on to be the first link in a popular google search term! I was baffled. It still continues to bring in views from search engines, and I’m STILL not sure why.
5. FEELING GUILTY FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO VISIT AND GIVE LOVE TO OTHER BLOGS REGULARLY
This is one thing that I always struggle with—not being able to regularly read other blogs and comment. I do read pretty often, but I don’t spend much time on it every time. And lately, I’ve not been able to blog hop much. I try here and there but it’s not how much I’d like to be doing. I mean, why should I expect others to visit my blog when I don’t visit theirs?
And, this is a continuous struggle! I don’t comment for three days and the guilt starts piling up. Tell me if you relate to this, because I can’t be the only one.
6. TRYING TO KEEP TRUE TO YOURSELF & ALSO WRITE CONTENT THAT READERS LIKE
This is SO HARD. You could pour your heart out writing book reviews, but if your readers like discussion posts more, you’ll obviously try to do them more.
At some point, my content has changed to reflect what receives more views. Not all of my content comes from my head or my passion. Some content comes from other posts which have received lots of comments. When I realize that a certain type of post is liked by people, I try to write those more. My blog today is SO DIFFERENT than what I started with.
As a blogger, you have to find a fine balance. How much are you willing to change your content in order to get more attention? What if you completely change your blog only to realize that your loyal readers loved your true style from before? Such questions keep me thinking at random times.
7. SECOND GUESSING EVERY TIME YOU SELF-PLUG OR PROMOTE YOUR BLOG
In the beginning, even when I finally decided to tell my friends that I blog, I didn’t actually open my mouth and say “go check it out”. I would just off-handedly mention that I’m blogging or something. In fact, for the longest time, even my best friends didn’t follow my bookstagram. And I couldn’t make myself ask them to follow me.
“Am I promoting myself or am I being annoying? Is this appropriate? Will it look like I’m showing off? What if they don’t want to follow me?”
I know people, online and offline, who SLAY on self-promotion. But me? I hesitate so much! I just cannot promote myself every where. I mean, I don’t talk well to many people in the first place. The introvert life hitting hard. I could count the number of times I’ve self-promoted in my two hands, and I’ve been blogging for four years.
8. TRYING TO MAKE AESTHETIC AF GRAPHICS AND END UP SPENDING AN HOUR (OR MORE!) ON THEM
You have a specific idea on how your graphics should look for a post, and you spend a lot of time on getting them PERFECT, without realizing the time. You didn’t have to, but you did.
A lot of bloggers are perfectionists. The fact that the whole world will be seeing our content spurs us on to do our best. Graphics play a huge role in how a blog post looks. You may have amazing content written, but it would definitely look better to readers with pretty graphics that break up the paragraphs.
The header image makes SO MUCH of an impact as well. It took me a long time to find my style of headers. Until then, I spent a lot of time on each, trying out different templates on Canva and different background images. I did take an hour on multiple occasions.
9. STRUGGLING TO MANAGE BLOGGING AND OTHER HOBBIES
Can I get a hell yeah for this? Because it’s SO TRUE.
Because blogging involves so much more than just typing, it’s a big commitment. It takes a lot of time to do all the things associated with blogging.
Before I began blogging, I already had a few hobbies. And blogging takes up so much time! I literally don’t paint, sketch, or doodle anymore. I used to at least be a little artsy before, but I don’t now because I spend all my time on this blog. As of now, all my hobbies are blogging-related. We can put reading under the same umbrella because this is partially a book blog. Blogging is my sole hobby at this point.
On a related note, it’s hard enough to manage one hobby while being a student or working long hours, but it’s harder to do anything other than blogging if you’re a blogger too.
10. TRYING NOT TO BE JEALOUS OF ALL THE AMAZING BLOGGERS AND THEIR WORK. AND FAILING.
I am so guilty of this.
Almost every time I look at new blogs, I come across such COOL blogs. They have beautiful interfaces, graphics, and colour schemes. Once I read their content? I’m done for. At this point, there is a long list of bloggers whom I look up to. They do GREAT at blogging. Content? On point. Timing? On point. Personality shown through the content? Super engaging. I cannot deal.
No matter what blog, I almost always find something to take away. An improvement that I can do, or some inspiration.
It may also cause imposter syndrome. When I first found paperfury, I was IN AWE. I immediately tried being more funny, and using more formatting to add comments and stuff. While it was fun to blog that way, eventually I realized that it wasn’t me. It took me a while to find a happy medium. I blog in my own style, while adding small things to my style, instead of copying someone else’s.
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Do you relate to any of these points? Are there any facts that I missed? Tell me in the comments!
That’s the most relatable thing I read today lol
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Haha I’m glad you think so!
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Hey! I’m a new blogger and this post defiantly resonates with me. Being a mom who is a freelance writer/graphic designer/author working from home and blogs I feel like my whole day is revolving around work and balancing caring for my toddler while my oldest is at school.
It’s so important to take breaks and step back sometimes to just give yourself some self care.
Thank you for your insights in this post!
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Hello! First of all, welcome to the blogging world! And it’s awesome that you’re juggling so many things and managing all of them. I’m glad this post resonated with you. All the best for your ventures!
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Fab post and I totally agree. I also think there has to be something deeper driving you than just blog posts if you know what I mean. I have been blogging since 2014 and I think there has to be some other force keeping me to this.
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Thank you! And I agree. There has to be some force in all of us, continually driving us to blog. In my opinion, I think it changes? In the beginning I blogged for different reasons, and the reasons keep changing. Maybe it’s not one but many forces
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If I could eternally applaud this post, I would! I feel each and every single one of these things, especially leading up to blogmas. I’m not sure if I want to do it because of how busy I am, but I also want to participate in this community-wide event. Blogging is such a challenge with college final exams and work becoming busier with the holiday season, but I know just how rewarding it can be (and my stats always go up).
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Thank you!
Now that you mention blogmas… I’m wondering should I do it as well? I have my finals in December and my projects due, it’ll be hectic but.. your points are so valid. It’s a community wide event which never fails to make me feel a part of it. There’s so much positivity going around, and the stats jump is a definite plus! Aaaah.
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This is literally my struggle!!!
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Incredibly relatable and such a good post! Really enjoyed reading ☺️
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Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
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Reblogged this on THE BLOGGING STATION.
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number 8 is most definitely real AF! I can spend hours trying to make the perfect image.
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Haha glad you agree! Once we get started on graphics, we may never stop.
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This was such a great post. As a new blogger myself, I totally relate to all this!
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I’m glad you relate! Blogging is a ton of different feelings haha.
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I’m going to hold my hands up here. I don’t normally have the time to read or respond to other blogger’s posts. When there is a blog post I like, I generally share it.
For perfection, I make sure that I have the right information before publishing. But before that, I handwrite about 95% of my blog posts before I even think about typing it up, so then I know what I need to research. For example, when I have found a newspaper article that I could blog about (with reference, of course), I know what I need to research, like who works for the company that the article talks about.
I do have one other hobby, Philately. It’s not only time I have issues with, but financially as well. As an active job seeker, I never have enough money to be able to purchase postage stamps. The thing is, I use blogging as part of my job search to share my knowledge, skills and experience for potential employers.
I’m never jealous of other blogger’s work because there are bloggers out there who are better than me. They do a better job than me, or they know more about a particular subject than I do. Again, I share / RT their blog posts to show off their excellent work, and show appreciation of their excellent work.
Thanks for sharing your blog post.
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It’s great that you share blog posts that you enjoy because it definitely helps bloggers get more exposure.
Hand writing blog posts before typing them out is a lot of work but I’m sure you thoroughly go through the topic and only give the best information in the end.
Not being jealous of other bloggers and knowing what you’re good at is a great trait and I’m glad you have that sorted.
Thank you for visiting and commenting!
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Thanks for your reply.
It is.
It might be a lot of work, but it’s about being as organised as possible. If you’re not organised as a blogger, well, I feel that it would be a disaster. I go through all the information I have / get with a toothpick. Again, honesty goes a long way.
Absolutely, and thanks.
It’s about what we, as individuals, like writing about, our thoughts, what we know and like talking about, etc..
Thanks again for your reply, and I look forward to reading more of your great posts!
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Oh my gosh!! You hit everything exactly on the head LOL – I’ve been considering writing a similar post, but I don’t need to – you did it perfectly 😂 I ALWAYS feel guilty for not blog-hopping more, it’s a real struggle. I related to almost everything you said, but especially imposter-syndrome for PaperFury. I, too, have been blogging for a little over four years, but you were right, the longer you do it, the more there is to do 😅 Thank you for the lovely post and all your work!! ✨
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Haha I’m glad it was so on point for you! We’re all on different paths but our experiences are quite similar. Thanks for the lovely comment!
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Of course 🙂 Have a lovely week!
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I too shy away from “self promotion” still today. A #relatable post all the way! 👌
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I’m glad you found it relatable!
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This is it, this is the truth list! I was talking the other day with a friend and I was like “You know what I find the most fascinating thing about blogging? I can invest days thinking about a topic to write about, spend a day writing it, and it won’t get any reaction. I can sit and make a post in 2 hours, and it will get tons of views.” She laughed. I whined.
But seriously, the posts I think will do good, barely do anything 😀
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Haha glad you agree! It’s always weird when random posts get more attention than thought out posts that took DAYS.
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I can absolutely and completely relate! Love it.
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Yay! Glad you relate 😊
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this
is
so
ME
The only thing missing is a mini-rant at all the people who dismiss blogging as simply a hobby yeah it may seem so, but its so much more too, its community, its being a one man band
Thats why I like to have blogging friends who understand the quest to find the perfect images and GIFs could take longer than writing the actual article
~B
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Agreed! Only bloggers know the TRUE process of blogging, of which writing is the small part.
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Yeah I relate to all of this after only 3 months of blogging. I would also add stressing over tech stuff when I’m basically computer illiterate.
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Haha glad you relate!
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Sumedha, all I can say is AMEN! Honest to goodness, you’ve shared the real truth behind so much of the blogging world. It can be all-consuming and it is definitely hard work.
#5 for me is a big one. I love supporting other bloggers who have obviously put heart and soul into their posts. If I really don’t have time to comment, I at least share on social media platforms to try and get them more exposure. We bloggers, in my humble opinion, ought to do all we can to support one another and bring out the very best in all of us.
Imposter syndrome is awful. It’s true that comparison is the thief of joy. We can come up with 100 different reasons why someone’s web design or content is better than ours. The reality is: there’s only one of us too! Just as we can never be anyone else, they can never be us. And that’s a beautiful thing. Each of us have value, purpose and gifts no one else can duplicate.
Blessings to you & your family. I wish you nothing but success on your blogging journey. ♥
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I’m very glad you could relate, Holly! While we’re all on different journies, there are these few things that we have in common.
Totally agree with you that we should support each other as much as we can! And yes, there’s only one of each of us and that uniqueness shows in our content.
Thank you very much! I wish you success as well. Stay safe and healthy ❤
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Really enjoyed this post. It’s so true that blogging takes tons of time and it’s hard not to get wrapped up in how other blogs are doing too. Thanks for sharing!
J | http://www.dolledupbyj.com
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I’m glad you enjoyed the post!
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YES YES this!!! I’m new to blogging but I relate to all of this lmao
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Haha glad you relate!!
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I totally agree with you about what blogging is like! I try to not look at my stats too much. Kind of why I never set goals that is quantitative with viewers or follower count. I always make a point to return comments – especially when other bloggers spend the time on yours! Thanks for sharing!
Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me
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It’s awesome that you take the time to return all comments! I try to but I honestly do not find the time sometimes and forget later. So I’ve been trying to return when I can and socialize through Twitter.
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I love this, and I feel you on wondering why a random scribble has suddenly gone viral while writing I put hours into is just pottering along. It is true they say the best writing comes in the moment. 🙂
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Haha yeah! Glad you liked this post 😁
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Thanks for the great post! I’m definitely the perfectionist. And as a new blogger I feel like everything takes me soooooo long! I’m also struggling with self-promotion as you mentioned. It feels like I’m asking such a huge favor to ask anyone I actually know to look at it.
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It’s definitely hard to self-promo. I’ve been at this for over four years and I still find it hard. Hope you turn out better than me haha.
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An awesome post! That really resonates. Pretty much all of the points you are writing about and I don’t quite know what to latch onto. Maybe the self-promo thing. I mean, I kinda keep it a secret from my friends because I feel like I’m somehow a different person when I blog? I’m not sure. It’s just different and I feel like I would be annoying all other people if I was around them like I am on my blog. I don’t really have any friends that read or at least that read the same genres that I read, so I’m so happy to blog.
And I will never understand why some post which took blood, sweat and tears to write will get so much less attention than others. Maybe it’s some kind of collective curse that befalls all the bloggers?
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Thank you! I understand about being a different person on the blog and it but being common with real life friends. Even though I blog about things other than books, must my friends just think that I blog about books and stay away. It’s kinda sad but also we have an entirely different community here.
And yes, it seems to be a collective curse. This very post took me a lot of time to get right and it didn’t get much attention until I started marketing it a LOT.
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Where do you promote it? I have seen it on Twitter but I’ve only used it since the beginning of the month and I’m not sure if it’s really helping. (Then again, I shouldn’t be impatient. I need to get more followers first.) But I really liked your post. I definitely believe that it took a long time to get it right. 🙂
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I’ve been really promoting only on Twitter so far! Keep experimenting with Twitter, it’s taken me six months to start to understand it.
Thank you! 😊
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This is so relatable! Especially that part about that one random post getting all the views – I have one that was basically just me complaining about a book because I didn’t like the ending, and it still gets the most views on my blog even though it’s over six months old, and I have absolutely no idea why!
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Exactly! I have a couple posts from two years back that just do better every day than any other and it’s super weird haha.
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Omg this is absolutely spot on, such a great post!!!
http://www.lucibarker.co.uk
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Thank you! Glad you relate 🙂
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