Feb 20 2007
To Thine Own Blog Be True?
A friend asked me if I blogged for myself or did I write for broad appeal. He was wondering if I targeted my writing or not.
The simple answer is “both.”
Primarily, I blog for myself. I love writing and I hope it shows. I would guess that most bloggers love to write otherwise how would they be generating so much content?
I started this blog in September 2006 and have managed to post fairly regularly so far. Barring vacations and emergencies, I feel that I will continue to write regularly.
I have always wanted to be a writer and the passion I have for blogging has made me feel that I am indeed a writer. I’m no longer dreaming, I am doing.
As a writer, I don’t want to write in a vacuum. I want to find out what readers are thinking. In order to do this, I have to increase traffic to my blog. This means I have to participate in blog carnivals, post comments on other blogs, give a little “link love” – all in addition to writing (hopefully) great content.
So do I write for myself? Yes. But I do keep my readers in mind. Some of my writing is experimental or goofy like:
rain in the city
I Went With Him
My Pet Rock
Others are more like journal entries:
Confusion In Cape Town
Cradled In Business Class
Why I Use WordPress As My Blog Platform
One In Under-a-Million
Then I have the whole Public Restroom fixation, which I doubt is a crowd-pleaser, but amuses me to no end.
My answer is that I write for myself and I do want my writing to appeal to readers. The feedback I have received has changed my writing. It also validates me as a writer. Does this mean I am targeting my writing? I don’t think so. I think that it is improving my writing. Yes, I write for myself and my writing gives me a great deal of joy. What gives me even more pleasure is when someone tells me they loved a particular post or they laughed out loud or it made them think in new ways.
So why was I asked if I tried to target my writing? I was asked because I mentioned that I would start monetizing my blog. I’ve read quite a few other bloggers who’ve wrestled with the idea that monetizing their blog is somehow “selling out.”
I have felt hesitant about monetizing my blog. For one thing, my first few readers were all my friends. Did I want to subject them to advertising? Then there was the clutter factor. I like my site to be uncluttered and clean looking. But my dream is to write more and work less. My actual job keeps me away from writing. Ms. Q has a wine cellar to maintain!
As with most things in my life, timing is everything and I came across a post by The Probabilist and he wrote:
“If you’re not making any money from your blog, then you’re not being true to your own value.”
Hmmm. I spend many hours writing my posts. I haven’t timed them, but I know that my ‘quickie’ posts take me a hour. Yep, that’s a quick one. The others probably average 2-3 hours with some not quite making it for days as I ponder on my approach.
If I provide value to people, why shouldn’t I be compensated? As a reader, I know I don’t begrudge the other bloggers their ads. In fact, I hope they make great heaping gobs of money and start working less and writing more which will benefit me, the reader. I know I like to read new posts every day from my favorite bloggers.
I realize that I’m not selling out. Why?
I love writing. It’s what I do. I’d do it for free. But it’d be nice not to.
I suppose the answer lies in your being able to remain passionate about your writing and the subjects you tackle despite the motivation or end result, monetary or otherwise.
I, as a reader, am not too impacted by how you as a writer are compensated, be it via self-satisfaction, number of hits, links or advertising “click-throughs” generated. I seek to be entertained, enlightened or challenged and I believe the interest your blogging generates has its germination in your joy and skill in the writing process.
I think I just wrote, “I like what/how you write and I don’t care why” in an overly complicated way.
Hmmmm…. well *that* isn’t quite it either.
Hi, dietrologia – thanks for your thoughts from the reader point of view. Once I began researching (I loves my research) about blogging, I started to look at blogs in an entirely new way. Yes I love great writing but I’m also looking at layout, ad placement, etc. etc.
My guess is that when (positive thinking!) I make money from my blog, it will affect my writing. That is, I will be looking for more things to write to bring in more readers. Being rewarded would encourage me.
I’ve been having a lot of fun with not only the writing but with learning all the tools for blogging. Blogging is a great mix of technology and writing.
So far I’ve been lucky – I have a stockpile of topics I’d like to write about. Just not enough time!
My daughter has a public bathroom fetish. She has to visit everyone we pass by!
Hey, HMTKSteve: Gotta tell ya, it’s not a fetish. IT”S GENETIC. Visiting every public bathroom just in case is one thing. Well, it’s a female thing. TAKING PHOTOS of public restrooms, now THAT’S a fetish!
Your daughter is fine.
Selling out? I agree with you, Ms Q. Not! Writing takes effort to convert a blank page into something interesting and creative. You deserve to have some compensation for your time, effort and creative output. Reminds me of a attorney friend who is always being asked advice “on the side.” His advice is a product of education, experience and effort; he shouldn’t just give it away. Sure, his advice is just “words” but there is effort and value behind those words. Ditto with your writing.
So, yes, be true to your own value and keep those Public Restroom blogs coming!
Jake: thanks for the support for both my writing AND for my Public Restroom posts.