We all talk about how much blogging has grown over the last couple of years but I feel like 2016 was the year that we saw it explode. The term blogger was suddenly (somewhat) understood and bloggers were being featured everywhere you turned.
There have been a few bloggers lately opening up discussions about blogging and sharing their opinion on the blogging community. In case you missed them I wanted to share eight of my favourites from 2016 that I found interesting and enjoyed reading.
I love hearing different opinions, understanding both sides, collecting the information and making an informed decision about where I stand. This is especially true when it come to the blogging world where things aren’t so black and white. I think the eight bloggers below did a great job explaining their point of view on these issues that seem to come up again and again within the industry.
1. Em Sheldon wrote a brilliant post over on her blog about blogging as a full-time job and what freelancers spend their days doing. As someone who started out in the blogging world in 2008 I’ve heard my fair share of snide comments about what I “actually” do. Em touches on some of the common misconceptions about having a creative job and it makes for a great read.
2. Joanne Larby published a fantastic post about why she hates the word “influencer” and how her job is much more than selling to her readers. Joanne had what she called a mini rant back in June on Snapchat about haters and for me it was more of an open and honest chat than a rant. I loved it! I think it allowed us to see another side to her, I have so much respect for her as a business owner and I wish it was available online to link to because it summed it up perfectly.
3. Emma Gannon discusses the ever so popular debate about whether bloggers deserve to be paid, and I feel like this relates to all creative fields. We need to respect our industry and demand the value we give because otherwise we are doing ourselves and our future careers a disservice. By doing too much for free or for a low-cost, we are weakening the value of the industry as a whole.
4. Victoria from Inthefrow shared a post about Girl on Girl Crime and why it’s time for us, as women, to start celebrating our accomplishments together instead of putting each other down. I got to meet Victoria last year while shooting for Blogosphere magazine and am still in awe at how hard she works. It’s so inspiring and motivating!
5. Corinne published a really interesting post called it’s not the community, it’s you. She shares some of her insights into blogging drama, picking your battles online and about how your perspective of the blogging industry changes more than the community itself. She makes some really interesting points and I think it’s well worth a read, especially if you feel that the blogging industry has negatively changed.
6. Grace talks about how we should support the blogging industry but that doesn’t mean we need to actively support all bloggers. We should all respect each other, our difference in opinions and our work but we don’t need to like everybody. The world doesn’t work that way.
7. Rosemary Mac Cabe has shared why she likes being called an influencer, what the word means to her and why she thinks people shy away from the term when describing what they do. I love that she looks at this from a different angle and proudly calls herself an influencer.
8. Sophie wonders if relatable is the new aspirational. Are we over the frequent trips to beautiful islands, the designer bags and fabulous wardrobes. With blogging and social media platforms becoming heavily curated, are relatable bloggers becoming more appealing?
Over to you! What are your thoughts on these topics? Did I miss a post you think I should have read? Share it in the comments below.
