Blogging Rant!

Having a break from blogging also meant having a break from social media: I went quiet on the internet. I figured it would do me good and it would still be there when I got back.

What I wasn’t expecting, however, was to come back to massive arguments everywhere! What happened in those few months that I missed? There are posts all over Twitter with bloggers either telling others how to blog or informing them they don’t count as a blog if they aren’t a certain size, etc. Or equally heated posts arguing the opposite and everyone should be able to blog how they desire.

I’m on the side of the latter: everyone who has an active blog is a blogger, regardless of their content or the amount of times they can publish a post. Life gets in the way; not everyone can keep the same schedule or engage in the same way.

But it doesn’t matter whose side I am on: I can’t believe it has even come to this. I thought bloggers supported each other in any way they could, whether that is the odd comment, retweet or even just reading the material.

I have just spent my entire major project for my masters arguing that blogs are important for book publicity and should be considered an authentic channel of promotion. Then I see all the tweets about bloggers selling their ARC’s. C’mon, guys. That’s a certain way to stop publishers trusting us.

I’m late to this argument, and I’m certain you have all been witness to several posts of this ilk over the past few months. But I felt the need to have my only little rant, as reading all of these negative tweets about blogging is frustrating, especially for someone who still loves blogging.

I am a small blogger. I will never be a big one. I’m happy with that: I do it because I love it and I love what I do. I have my own way of doing things and try to produce as much content as I can. But I have a hectic work schedule. This means that I work evenings and weekends, for one thing, which prevents me from participating in the numerous chats that take place, in turn preventing me from making the connections that I want to. That doesn’t mean I’m going to constantly moan that I’m not part of a community.

I think it is nice when the larger bloggers offer support and/or advice to the smaller ones. But only if they ask for it: not everyone works in the same way and what works for one may not work for others. Blogging is individual and everyone should find their own voice and platform that works for them. They shouldn’t have to deal with being told their way doesn’t work.

To be honest, I have no idea what I am trying to achieve with this post. Only that I felt the need to express myself! Let’s keep blogging enjoyable!

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