From time to time people email me asking questions about my blog and now is as good a time as any to share some of my thoughts on blogging and what’s worked for me. I started this blog as a way to share my journey to learn photography with my family and friends. Along the way I re-focused and established my blog as a way to propel my learning forward by sharing and engaging others who were also learning photography. Having a clear focus and purpose for my blog has helped me decide what to share with visitors and has made it easier to frame my thoughts and to write with intention. Although I don’t have a set schedule for blogging, I do try to blog on a regular basis but really my learning is what determines my schedule. I don’t believe in posting something just for the sake of posting but I do realize people check in on a regular basis to see how I’m progressing.
When I write my posts, I don’t have goals in mind like generating traffic or creating controversy but I do write from the heart with the hope that people will leave a comment. I write to engage visitors because I really want to learn from as many people as I can and also because I’d like readers to connect with each other. I’m always thrilled when people comment on what others say and even more delighted when they email me to see how to contact each other. This is what is termed “community” in social media circles and while I never set out to do this, I am pleased this is what seems to be evolving on my blog.
This brings me to the topic of comments. As you can see there are some posts with more than a few comments and while I try to respond to each one, I’m not always successful in doing so. If I don’t respond to a comment on the blog, I do try to respond via email. Again I don’t always get the chance to but I trust that visitors here know that their thoughts and comments are valued.
Over the past year I’ve had a fair number of guest posts. This wasn’t so much by design as it was driven by my excitement at having my friends share their own photography chronicles. Although this blog is about my journey, these are some of the people I’ve met along the way who’ve contributed to my learning. I do like having other voices here but it’s a careful balance I wish to maintain in the year ahead.
Once in a while I receive enquiries about monetizing my blog. My perspective on this hasn’t changed in the two years that I’ve been blogging. I won’t deny it’s tempting to think about making money from my blog but that really isn’t my focus. Besides I like the clean aestistic with the WordPress design I’m using and I would find ads distracting. I don’t disagree when others have advertising and sponsorships on their blogs, it just isn’t for me. Incidentally any giveaways you see here on the blog are completely self-funded (with the exception of the giveaway from Artistic Photo Canvas). Yes I work with Craft and Vision and because David is a generous guy, I can get eBooks and gift coupons for free but it feels more like a gift to my readers when it comes from me.
If I were to summarize everything I’ve said here, it would be to say that I’m just being me. It sounds a bit trite but it’s really the best advice I can give anyone who wants to start a blog or those who are thinking about making changes to their blog. Being you will make your blog unique in a way that no-one else can replicate. It’s also much easier to sustain a long-term presence on the internet if you write and present with your own personality. What about you? Do you have a blog? What advice can you share? If you don’t blog but are thinking about it, what questions do you have?
Being “just” you is perfect!
Thanks Jeffrey…I hope your opinion remains unchanged after we meet in person…maybe in 2011?
Absolutely! 2011 must be the year.
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I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and love how open and honest you are about your journey. So much of what you say resonates with me and it gives me private comfort that I’m not alone. My blog started as a way of staying connected with my family when I moved from the UK to New Zealand. It was blogging that fueled my love for photography and now the photographs play a central role in telling the everyday stories I share. In my experience work, life and blogging the best way to be is yourself – authentic to who you are and what you believe. My blog is a personal blog and I have fun writing and designing for it. I’m sure if I wanted to I could monetize in lots of ways but for me there is no fun in that. For as long as my Dad keeps reading I’m happy but always thrilled to read comments from others who visit.
Welcome Julie so nice to have you here on my blog. I love that your Dad also keeps in touch with you through your blog because that’s sometimes how my sister knows what I’ve been up to photographically when she’s traveling half way around the world.
I’ve added your blog to my RSS feeds and am looking forward to getting to know you.
I believe we learn about ourselves as we interact with people, face-to-face or through these blogging community. Through the awareness and understanding of ourselves and how we view the world we then will become better photographers. It’s been over two years since I began blogging. My first blogging attempts were images which took a lot of courage to do. I then gradually added a few thoughts and experiences which took more courage.
I like who you are and who you are becoming, as a writer, communicator and photographer. You add immensely to this community with your gifts and talents. As you and Jeff said, being “you.”
Thanks Monte, you’re very kind. I’ve been enjoying your blog as well especially because you share your images and thoughts on a regular basis. Keep up the good work!
As you know, I do have a blog and like yours it was intended to be a way to share my own rediscovery of photography. I have struggled more than I thought I would in finding what to say. I admire you ability to keep things interesting which I think also keeps people coming back. You started the FB page this year, has that worked out the way you thought it would?
That’s a really great question Ken. My answer is yes and no. One of my reasons for creating the FB page was to have a separate personal and “professional” presence on FB. From that aspect, I am happy with my page.
The page itself hasn’t generated the same amount of engagement as you see on my blog and I’m not sharing as much information as I thought I might. The reason for that is I’m sharing those links under Craft and Vision on Twitter so I feel I shouldn’t be sharing them through my FB page (my next post will speak to this in some regard). Maybe I shouldn’t be concerned about separating the things I’m working on as much as I do but for now, it feels like I’m doing the right thing.
I have a couple of blogs. One for my photographic journey, the other abut living in China. I try to post to them regularly, but there are times when life just gets too busy. (Like now – exams, competitions, marking, travel, Christmas … just too much happening to be able to sit quietly and think about where I am).
These blogs are also written from the ‘just me’ perspective, without any intent to present a ‘face’. They reflect where I am at on the day.
I agree with Monte – writing, either a blog or a journal, teaches us more about ourselves.
I really enjoy reading your blog. They say that you have to make the blog useful to others, that it cannot be about you. And then, you can make your photographic journey such a general story that anybody can relate to it. I think it is what makes it so popular- your thoughts resonate with people. Keep up being yourself!