The Thing About Blogs Is...

The thing about blogs is that they're really cool, and not the type of "cool" that expires once the popular kids are over it, or the type of cool that only certain people are supposed to or "allowed" to like, but the type of cool that's indestructible and static. Maybe cool isn't even the right word to use, but my point is that blogs can be so much more than just websites on the internet.

You can turn your blog into a business if you want too, but that's not the kind of "more" I'm referring to. With blogs you have a chance to create a space that really reflects you, allows you to connect with others and maybe it's a method to deal with your feelings too. Who knows. But I think that's more important, holding a space on the internet that you're proud of and that does a good job of representing you. At least that's the type of space I'm striving to create.

When I started blogging on Blogger though, that wasn't always the case. Within a few months I fell into the traps of the blogging world and started creating Things I Love Thursday lists, wish lists and a bunch of other random crap that had no meaning or value. Don't get me wrong, some people do these posts brilliantly, but you can tell when they're done for views or to keep up a blogging schedule and when they're done because they mean something. The difference is frighteningly obvious, but it's becoming the norm. As I said, don't mistake this for me having a go at bloggers who produce these types of posts, I'm not. I think the community on this site is amazing, but what worries me are the values that are in place and the content that's created, or more so why it's created.

I made a promise to myself this year that I was going to look at improving my writing. I miss just writing for the sake of writing, and sometimes I think that's where my best work comes from. Other times not so much. A lot of blogs that are now well known weren't started with the desire to become a popular blog. They were created because it was important to the individual to talk about whatever it is they're interested in. I've have friends tell me that they want to reach X amount of followers or that they're aiming to get X amount of page views. I think those things are great to monitor your progress, but it's too easy to get caught up in the statistic world, and that's really not for me.

Recently I've been channeling my efforts into creating more substantial blog posts, and even though the Ten Resolutions You Should Make This Year, may seem like a cop-out, I was really proud of that post. That's what I'm looking for these day; whether I'm proud or not. If I write something and I'm not proud of it, it doesn't go anywhere. How do I know if I'm proud of a post? If I can read it through a bunch of times and be happy with it, if I can publish it and see it get minimal views and no comments, and still be happy with it. As long as it's reflecting me, I'll be happy about it.

As I'm spending more time writing, I'm reading more too, and that includes blogs. I've found myself unfollowing a lot of people for their generic riffraff filled posts and it's disheartening that most of the time, the writing isn't taking centre stage. When it comes to my blog, I'm hoping to change that. While photography is a skill I'm hoping to learn this year, we should never underestimate the power of words.