Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Blogging.

Blogging has been on my mind a lot lately. I keep asking myself: Why do I blog?

I blog because I want to document my life. I blog because I think words are important. I blog, sometimes, because I want to show off the crafty things I've made or done. I blog because I know, at least, my mom and sister check this URL to find out about my life.

My mind sometimes wanders and I think about the possibility of blogging to promote a business, gain a following, and make money. I have so many questions surrounding this take on blogging. It would be super cool to make a little extra money doing this thing that I genuinely love doing, but I have no idea how the "monetize" tab at the top of my page works (In fact, I just looked up the word "monetize" at dictionary.com to double-check it had something to do with money making).

Speaking of cool things to do. . . I would love to start an etsy shop and keep a blog to direct readers there. I find a ton of joy and satisfaction in making things and can't think of a neater way to help provide for myself and family than being able to sell the things I make.  However, as they say, "comparison is the thief of joy" and I'm always comparing things I make to other people's work. I can't make anything that someone else isn't already making. My ideas are not original. Why would someone buy this, when they could buy that? etc. etc.

The other day, when I was reading a magazine about artful blogging, I read the words of a featured blogger, who essentially said, "People go to blogs for the pictures. Be careful not to use too many words." Gasp! How can you use too many words if you are telling the story of your life? And I thought to myself, "How can I be an etsyshopowner-promotemybusiness-makemoney type of blogger and still be a tellmystory-recordforthefuture-documentmoments type of blogger? Is it possibleto be both? How do I do this? How do I keep a blog people actually want to come back to?"

So here's my questions for you, readers, whoever you are:
What do you like to read about on the blog?
AND
What would you be willing to buy if, hypothetically, someone around here started a business?

Sometimes I just blog to get answers. ;)

4 comments:

Allison said...

i love to read what people write and hear about their lives. pictures are nice, but sometimes there are too many and they aren't of anyone, so they are pointless. i also love seeing pretty things people make--but often they are much too expensive. if i found something i loved, and it was in my budget, i would totally buy. i am sure you would make such cute things!

Holly said...

I think you have a great balance of the things you write about on your blog. And to add to that balance, sometimes you use pictures and sometimes you don't. I think it's super! (I like reading the Pioneer Woman. She uses lots of words sometimes and people love reading her posts.) But I don't think you should change what you do, even if I didn't like it. When you change to what you think others want then it isn't sincere. It isn't the real you. You've got to be you and not worry about what others are doing or your readers will sense the fakeness.

Though I like reading about it all, I like the crafts/projects, the fun adventures you go on, and blasts from the past.

You definitely have a creative eye. In fact, I need your creative opinion about how to make a BYU onesie for Jackson ;) If you don't want the whole world to see all your personal thoughts you could start a separate blog for projects.

I have a hard time spending money in general so I don't really buy from people. It would have to be at a great price, but I don't know how you do that and make it worth the time, effort, and money you put into it.

Sara said...

Don't stop writing!! I think pictures draw people in, but they'll come back for the writing. I happen to find blogs that are mostly pictures really, really boring, but I don't read any blogs that are all writing, either.

And you're such a good writer anyway. It'd be such a shame not to share that talent!

Cory Sue said...

you are one of the few people who's posts i actually read. Don't tell anyone. I think bullets can help make people read, or lists. also pictures with captions. I don't think you should worry too much about whether other people read or not, it's for you. They for sure look at the pictures, so make those count especially if you are going to use your blog to help with your shop! You will read them and so will your posterity, that matters most!!
love you!