I used
to be a blogger.
Yes, I
was. And I must say that I wasn’t just a blogger, but I was an active blogger.
I blogged in the morning, I blogged in the afternoon, I blogged in the evening.
Heck! I used to even dream about blogging!
It was
fun, addicting and therapeutic. Being in my own little corner in the
blogosphere, pouring my soul out through my blog, unmindful of the fact that no
one was reading my posts.
Then I
met other bloggers online. I began to have readers and I started reading other
blogs. I began interacting online, made some friends and my own little corner
on the web got wider. It made blogging more interesting.
I also
learned that I am not confined to my own personal experiences in blogging. I can
also share my thoughts and views on what’s happening around me – in sports,
politics, entertainment, business, and anything I can share my two-cent’
worth of opinion. Blogging could be my voice!
So I
did! Delved into politics when I used to be apolitical. Shared my thoughts on
movies and personalities when I am really not much into the entertainment industry.
Talked about boxing when I do not even follow the sport.
And
this is what made me more excited about blogging – that I can earn money
through my blogs! Goody! Doing something I really love and earning money on the
side. What could be better than that?!
But it
wasn’t easy. I began hearing about search engine optimization (SEO), online
advertisement, online affiliate marketing, online writing opportunities, and
other online money-making buzz!
Then I heard
about blogging events and bloggers’ meet-ups and I said to myself, “Hey! I’m a
blogger, I should be there!”
So I
started attending blogging events and bloggers’ meet-ups. Met bloggers in the
real world and heard some inspiring, motivational, as well as some horrific
blogging experiences. It was kind of weird at first though… it felt
like I was listening to the blogs talking.
Getting
my voice heard on current issues… income opportunities… inspiring bloggers…
what could go wrong?!
Fast
forward… I now consider myself lucky if I could get at least a blog post every
six months.
What
happened? Honestly, I don’t know. I just lost my blogging zest.
Never
got to see those floating moolahs online, never got to understand SEO, never
got any decent writing opportunity and got too tired on sinking my teeth on
issues I don’t even want to take a bite into.
And
bloggers? Just like any real people – some are good, some are bad, some are real, some are nice,
some are mean, and some are everything in between.
At the
end of the day, blogging was no longer fun.
I had
much fun… freedom, when blogging for me was just sitting there in my own little
corner and writing just about anything that might only make sense to me… when
blogging was as natural as breathing and there were no keywords to consider and
no target audience to think about, but just letting your soul breathe.
Blogging
was fun when a blogger was not defined – SE0, events, product launchings,
influencers, marketers, public relations, money-makers, reviewers, fact (which
were often just opinions) presenters, and the like. I am not saying that those
are bad, but they just don’t fit me.
I miss
my old blogging self… believe me, I used to be a blogger.
(And if
you noticed that I seem to cut my post and omitted some points, it only shows
how bad I am a blogger right now)
I finally arrived at a similar conclusion, Roy. And after taking a nice, long break, I'm back to blogging - the way I did in the beginning, when it suits me, and on topics I find interesting enough to write about. If the single adsense ad ever earns me any money, it'll go towards the hosting fees. But I'm not focused on that. I don't worry about it. What happened? Burn out. That's what happened. I'm in recovery - how about you?
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I can even say I am on the road to recovery right now, Holly. I have attempted so many times before to get back but I always stumble and get back to the start box. I am not even sure if I still want to get back, actually.
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