The Pressures of Blogging – Are we bordering on obsession?
Can everyone feel that dull rumble beneath their feet? Yeah, It’s the riots starting to break out amongst the blogosphere from the earth shattering news that the uber quirky and ridiculously adorable LC from Fops and Dandies is quitting her blog. I know. She’s a selfish cow right? This is just how I felt when Style Bytes left me. I am plotting ways to find LC in the Midwest and stalk her until she comes to her senses and realises that I can’t live without her funky little posts and New York culture on my reader every morning. Soy chai tea will never be the same with out her.
I am kidding of course. I do feel like she has ripped my still-beating heart from my chest and is nonchalantly tossing it in between her Jackson Pollock bracelet-ed hands, but seriously. She has a life and the pressures of blogging can be extreme. I really do wish her all the best and although I know how upset a lot of her readers will be (me included) I hope everyone is not too harsh on her.
All of this business is making me think… are we all a little obsessed with blogs? Be it our own or those belonging to others?
I’m not at all complaining about blogging. I obviously love it because I do it nearly everyday. I won’t lie though, it’s a hell of a lot of work. I’ll spend an entire weekend reading The Babysitter’s Club books to bring you posts about Claudia Kishi. Or I’ll pull everything out of my wardrobe and spend hours taking photos to give you all a gander at my wardrobe basics. And don’t even start with me and how much time I spent scrolling through Facehunter to bring you How to Wear a Scarf Part 1, How to Wear a Scarf Part 2 and How to Wear a Scarf – For Men. Most of the time I really relish this and I take a lot of pride in producing (hopefully) interesting posts. Although I do sometimes feel pressure to blog on days when I’m feeling less than creative. It’s because I know there are people out there who save my blog for their lunch break or who read my posts over their morning coffee. It’s so inspiring knowing there are people out there who are waiting for my daily outfit shot and most days I’m hanging out to get home from work so I can post. I also have days where I feel like my blog is a big fat annoying burden and I wish it would just disappear so I could wear tracksuit pants and drink gin instead of trying to squeeze something interesting out of my dried up brain. Thankfully these days don’t happen often. Even more thankfully I’m very lucky in that my readers are lovely (as in seriously gorgeous and divine) and don’t ever pressure me in a mean way. I’m the luckiest blogger in the world because I’ve never had a really awful comment slung at me and my regular readers are courteous, respectful and intelligent people who I love dearly.
The thing that really annoys me are the readers at other people blogs. I’m not cool enough to have people hate me but there are some rockin’ bloggers out there who cop some serious shit from the douche-bags of the Internet Underworld. I was having a cruise through the comments on Childhood Flames and there are so many ‘anonymous’ commenters on her site that give her beef about not posting enough, how boring her outfits are and how she never answers their questions. Um… exsqueeze me? Baking powder? Since when did she become a slave to their pety little requests? For the record Camille is a lovely, young and stylish lass who very kindly shares her daily outfits with us. So why is she the subject of so much abuse? Bloggers give up so much of their free time and sanity for the sake of their readers and should be thanked for it. Not pelted with cowardly gripes.
I’m a blogger as well as a reader and I must admit that I’m prone to getting a little shirty with my favourite bloggers if they haven’t posted in while but I never comment about this. Because it’s a loser thing to do and to be honest, my world will not explode with out Kingdom of Style and Fashion Toast. I read so many wonderful sites daily that sometimes I do forget that I survived for twenty years without fashion blogs and I had a pretty damn good time doing it. I’ve become quite attached and very Charlton Heston about my blog – ‘From my cold dead hands!’ but I’m not about to lose my job or my sanity over it. I know where my priorities are.
What do you think bloggers? Where do you draw the line with your blog? What do you give up to make sure you keep it going? Does your blog invade your personal life more than it should?
What do you think readers? Are your work days consumed by Google reader and what your favourite blogger did on the weekend? Do you spend more time reading about other people’s lives than living your own life?
Just something to think about…
Love Lady Smaggle
xxx
Basically, I update my blog when something interesting happens in my life or when I have time. I don’t think people care to hear about the day to day antics of an English teacher (not much happens) also my outfits are pretty boring for work so nothing really worth documenting. I don’t think I could survive the real blog world, I just blog for friends and family and anyone who is curious about the woman who leaves comments all around the blogosphere.
Now for the blogs I read every morning. I admit I would be sad if you quit your blog (and this this the first I have heard about Fops and Dandies) BUT, you have a life, and its no fun reading something you don’t enjoy writing. So as long as your writing, I’m reading.
And for people who do quit their blog, I think after they announce it, they leave it up for a while, you know so we can reference it for posts and things. I really wish I had saved some of the outfit and DIY posts from Style Bytes. The really inspiring stuff.
In closing, I LOVE YOU BLOG
LOL, I cracked up @Um… exsqueeze me? Baking powder?
But yeah, you make HEAPS of good points. I’m lucky enough to be an unemployed bum, so my blog doesn’t get in the way of my job. As soon as I find a job, the blog is outta here, I think. I don’t know how you find the energy&time!
And I totally do feel like I’m spending too much time looking at superficial things, rather than saving the world. I have way over 100 blogs in my reader, and about 15 that I read every day….
And it takes up a lot of our head space. I look at ppl on the street and think, “she should not wear a pencil skirt… note to self: write a post on how to wear a pencil skirt.” etc.
But then there’s all the cool stuff like looking at pretty things, ‘meeting’ cool ppl and learning about the technical side, like wordpress, etc..
I think if a friend needs you or a relative calls and you ignore them, then youre in trouble!
I read my favourite blogs on a regular basis because they fill a gap that no paper and ink has done so far. There is no marketing demographic out there for me (or at least no pigeon hole that I want to fit into). I’m not obsessed with dieting, how-to-get-a-man, what celebs are wearing/doing or wanting to look 10 years younger.
The blogs I visit regularly are well-written and speak to me, feature real people (and not routinely photoshopped to plastic perfection clones) leading real lives. I enjoy reading them but I don’t confuse the ‘reading’ with the living vicariously through other people thing – I have a life and a wardrobe of my own
I find it interesting to read about what other people are doing in their bit of the world too … its interesting. Also it’s a visual thing – I’m a designer and I like eye-candy lol …
As to snarky comments? Well, that’s just ill-mannered and rude behaviour from keyboard warriors with no social-skill filters. Ahem. If you have nothing to share or nothing constructive to say – why make a comment?(Other than to look like some kind of self-aggrandizing buffoon).
*Holds hand up* I am totally blog-obsessed at the moment, but it’s cos I genuinely think we’re experiencing an exciting moment in time and I want to be part of it. I’ve got past the stage of feeling stressed over it, so if I go a few days without posting then tough. However, I’ve been meaning to do a particular post for ages and it needs a lot of time-consuming photo-taking which I haven’t got round to. That does bug me a LITTLE bit….
Great post, Lady Smaggle!
I am both a blogger and a reader. As for the blogging, I find that I am remembering why I love to write. (I’m doing a long thesis and sometimes it’s easy to forget!) It’s a nice feeling to think about what I’d like to write about and why. But if I’ve really felt like I didn’t want to post anything – I didn’t. So I’m not too worried about what other people think of my posting habits.
That being said, I would be really upset by a negative comment (which I haven’t had yet!) so maybe I’m not as carefree as I think.
As for reading other blogs? I’m pretty selective about the ones I choose, and feel inspired by seeing other people’s thoughts and images all the time. But I do limit the amount of time – it’s usually while I’m eating breakfast and then again in the evening.
I entirely agree with ‘E’ that blogs are not like any magazine – the speed at which you can write a post (and link to several others) gives blogging a bit of excitement and happiness.
Here’s an article about how bloggers make happier people:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/essential-gadgets/dear-diary/2008/07/03/1214950907850.html
I felt the same way when I read LC’s post about quitting her blog, but then I thought – so what? Of course her blog is adorable, entertaining & inspiring, but my world isn’t going to stop without it.
I’m not reeeally a blogger (yet!) but I agree that bloggers must feel the pressure to constantly update & that it must get to them sometimes. I think that people should give them a break and realise that, for many, these blogs are just a side project to their regular life and it’s unfair to expect them to constantly pander (if that is the right word?) to their reader’s every whim!
Great post & thanks for giving me something to think about before I re-read Fops & Dandies while crying into my bowl of pasta!
a great post!! you’ve told it so well as i can relate to everything you’ve said. i used to post about definite things but now i’m slipping to nattering about what i did today and what i wore, which i feel guilty about because i think i’m getting lazy and don’t really think people are interested in me but want facts!
also everytime i express some feelings about how student style is so awful people say i’m looking down on people or am condescending, which is annoying as i know that commenter probably walks down the street with their friends and says ‘look at her skirt, ew’ or critisizes celebs if they are about to annonymously critisize me. i don’t like censoring my posts but i do feel like i have to be extra sensitive if i’m saying something remotely negative. i found with my most recent post that people were putting words in my mouth and assuming things i typed when i didn’t! maybe you could do a post about blogging censorship- do you censor your feelings?
ah sorry about that, theraputic essay! you just do that to me lady smaggle! in the end, i was thinking the other day that, it would be amazing, but could you have a blog foreeeeever? does everyone have to stop sometime when they have kids/get married/get a job that prohibits it/ stops being as interested?
I write and blog, I definately do not spend too much time on the blog, but then that means I could come up with better and more thoughtful posts if I did. I work full time so I just can’t spend more than 1 hour (tops) a day on blogging. In regards to reading: sometimes I catch myself spending too much time reading blogs it’s true, so I back off and go to the beach
I’m sad that LC is stopping, as I only just discovered how brillant she is. In a way when people stop it is sad (as in Agathe) you sort of go through withdrawal.
That being said, the internet/blogging can sort of take over your life if you are not careful and I think that what I have to keep in mind is why I started and when it stops being fun, its time to move on.
I am one of those people who love my blogs. I obsessively refresh Gala Darlings Blog and whimper everytime it appears and nothing new has appeared!
I Love childhood flames and the idea that people post negative comments makes me want to scream! Bloggers take time out of their lives to share their thoughts, knowledge expertise and love with us! Its a labour of love people! You have to love them back. Sometimes they move on… thats normal! Its sad and I would probably cry if Gala stopped updating but thats life!
i miss stylebytes…
I started blogging because I loved reading blogs so much. Susie B., Agathe and Tricia @ Bits & Bobbins were all inspiring in that way. I *love* doing it and try to keep to a post-a-day schedule–of course, that can mean writing four in one day and setting them up to publish later because, like you, I can remember getting annoyed when someone hadn’t updated in forever (though, also like you, I never would have said anything.)
There are definitely days when I just don’t feel like it but the rewards so outweigh those few moments that I usually rally and keep going.
Hey sweetie! (I’ve had a fantastic weekend, thanks for asking!)
I used to have a blog, and now I don’t, so obviously if people want to quit their blogs I say “Go, you good thing”. I started off my blog with big plans, and then it changed a lot over time, and in the end I just got busier and busier with my First Life (I now have 4 jobs, as well as 2 kids, a husband and a mortgage). Part of what slowed me down was finding other people doing what I wanted to do, only better (hello, Gala Darling!). I feel that making helpful comments on other people’s inspiring posts is enough for me. (And daily outfit photos on flickr, of course.)
ShowA59 – I don’t usually post unless something interesting happens to me as well. I also have more time during the day to take breaks and read other blogs. I never had that much time as a teacher!
Ivy – I agree. Sometimes I feel really pressured to update but then I think stuff it! I need to see a movie or sit on the couch with my man. I’m am very busy though but I swear I have ADHD and can’t sit still for longer than about 2 seconds.
E – Negative commenters are such a waste of space. And that’s another thing I love about blogs. No advertisements in the middle of the good stuff. Just to the side where you don’t have to look at them if you don’t want to.
Rollergirl – Oh me too! I think we’re at the start of something big here. It’s nice to see so many valuable and well established blogs out there. I’m loving it!
Kate – Thanks! I think that blogging does me happier. It’s lovely to have such a supportive network of like-minded people out there.
Tara – It’s so true. I was really bitter about style bytes but I then stopped and thought hang on, she doesn’t owe me anything. And there is always another lovely blog to read a new friend to make so I wasn’t sad for that long.
Selina – Wow imagine us still blogging when we’re fifty? It’s hard to imagine that there will be that much memory on the wed to hold all that info!
Hailey – Working full time and blogging is really hard! I’m so jealous of these full time bloggers who have all day to work on their posts. I’m lucky to get one done at lunch time!
Lauren – Its true. I think it’s great that LC recognizes that she should be her own top priority.
Lexi – It’s funny how you feel like you really get to know to your favorite bloggers huh? I think we’d all be very sad if Gala stopped blogging.
Gen – Me too..
Ambika – It’s just because it becomes a part of my daily routine you know? On weekends I don’t care as much but with my morning tea and lunch I love reading all my favourite blogs and if there is nothing new to read I get very upset.
Nadist – Did you used to have a blog? What did you blog about? You should never stop what you’re doing because you feel like someone out there is doing it better than you. It’s all subjective. I’m sure there would be people who would prefer your blog to hers. It’s all about finding what appeals to you!
I linked to my old blog in the comment – click on my name to read it. It’s about clothes and housework, really. I started when I still had a preschooler, but now I am all about the juggling and the paid employment. Find me a style blog written by a working mother! I’d be very interested to know if any exist.
[...] beat me to it. If you don’t read her blog – you are CRAZY! Her posts are so thoughtful, long (which I love) and she has a great sense of [...]
Wow. I basically agree with everything you said. Now that it’s summer and I’m off from school and I don’t have camp, I basically read a trillion blogs and try to update mine as regularly as possible.
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.