Simon Says, “Blog Like This.” So, do you?
I read Amanda Hocking’s latest blog this morning. She titled it, “The Lost Art Of Blogging.” She says that blogging has lost something for her. It wasn’t fun anymore. She thinks it might be because her blog had devolved into something less random and rambling and more cagey.
What I’ve noticed is the cadre of experts who’ve cropped up to tell you that you need to provide “useful” content and it needs to be in a certain format, etc. Guess one might call it the professionalization of blogging. I’m all for blogging from your heart and whoever needs to hear what your heart says, will find you.
I worked for a company and it was really cool and uplifting until they decide to professionalize themselves. They had a piano, etc. Then it turned into a dark place where you had to watch your back all the time and the piano was removed. Since then I’ve tried to steer clear of professionalization – using it, acting like it, promoting it. I don’t even know what it’s supposed to do for a person or a company.
It’s hard to blog with your true voice if you’re concerned with being professional – whatever that means and for me it often means sterile and phony. Many, many blog posts back, I wrote about my uneasy relationship with professionalism and elsewhere about how I’ve tried to achieve PLORK = work + play. That way I’ve got one face to show rather than tens of faces I’ve got to put on for different situations.
I try to spend my days and nights with other folks who show me their personalities, their human sides, their faults as well as their strengths. When we expect each other to be perfect that’s when we feel justified doing bad things to each other when they act imperfect.
Amanda said she will blog more about nonsense and fun.
We need more fun. Look around the world and you see folks unable to have fun. Folks doing terrible things to each other in the name of tradition or progress. Even in the US on the campaign trail, the candidates rarely reveal a fun side.
I’m with Amanda. Let’s promote fun. Maybe the world will stop taking itself so seriously. We don’t know why we are here, why not try to enjoy it?
Thanks, G.
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I like blogs that just say what’s going on that day or week or whatever. I also enjoy seeing interesting posts that weave a story as well. Each person has a personality that is unique to their blog and if they start getting away from that, it becomes just another batch of words.
As far as needing more fun, you are absolutely right, I try very hard to have a little fun each day (is that a paradox).
Love the PLORK , I’ll have to remember that one.
Hi Lou,
Have you written a book? You’ve got such a great take on life. Enjoy learning all about you.
So true that if folks get away from their personality it becomes a batch of words.
Here’s to PLORK!
Always appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment! G.
Hi there, G, no, I haven’t written a book, but, I have been a teacher, a coach and a businessman and in Rotary for the last 13 years. Rotary’s motto is “Service Above Self” and we also try to live by the Four Way Test. I like to add my own 5th item to the test and that is….Is It Fun!!
I like the idea of service about self. My dad was in rotary for years and years. To make the world a more humane place we need to care about others. G.
I think the spirit of “dare to be different” works especially well in today’s world, if you want to stand out.
Hi J.D.,
Long time no see! Glad to hear your voice again on the blog. I agree with you about dare to be different.
How can we go wrong with our juicy selves?
Must be some kind of fate that you said it. My e-inspire at Fearless Design is called Dare to be different. Dare to be you. I started it probably 4-5 years ago. I have never run out of things to say on that topic.
Thanks! G.
Fun is a forgotten art. Isn’t that weird? Writing sci fi is wickedly fun for me, even on the days when I lose sight of that and start taking myself too seriously. You’re right, we get the fun trained out of us. And then have kids, who remind us to have fun, until we train it back out of them. Jeez. Time to break that cycle!
Hi Jenna,
You say it so eloquently, “Fun is a forgotten art.” We’d have a happier world if folks made fun part of their daily lives. You are right that the parents need to break the cycle. We could have a new “fun” industry.
I have heard that the latest generation with a name, The Z generation, doesn’t want to do all this Simon Says Stuff.
Sounds refreshing! Thanks for piping in. G.
I love this post! I love that you refuse to follow the rules. You do YOU brilliantly. I’m also noticing how scary but fun it is to allow myself to open up and follow my own muse… who knows where this new blogging direction will take me.
Hi Angie,
It is scary to go into the scary. No question about it. I will say that by going into the land of scary as often as possible, I developed the courage to free myself. I’m convinced that whatever scares me has been put there to free me – Otherwise, I’d still be chained to my fears. Still got more scary places to visit.
I’m excited to see where your blogging goes.
Thank you for stopping in, I know you’re juggling lots of interests these days! G.
I think that honesty is the secret. When we start tailoring a post to appeal to some imagined audience, then it becomes manufactured instead of organic.
Like you say, it’ll find an audience. Or not. There are things we can control, and things that we shouldn’t try to control. When we create, it should come from the heart. Whatever happens after that is secondary.
Michael,
You are a true artist! I am so with you on creating from the heart. Otherwise, what we create does not connect us to anything except maybe a fat wallet. The world cannot be happy if many of its inhabitants walk to a false beat.
Good to share the planet with someone like you! G.
Amen. There’s not a ton of time for blog reading in my day-to-day so I really prefer to read those who blog from the heart.
Hi Belinda,
I’m with you. I can only read so many blogs. If they don’t touch me emotionally – no matter what the subject – why bother?
Thanks for taking the time to stop by here!
G.
I wholeheartedly agree, Julie! I needed to read this blog post. My initial tiny rebellion was writing blog posts less than 400 words long. This was so against all the SEO advice of the blogging communities I started out in. I didn’t focus on keywords and I didn’t post regularly. Then, things started changing when I realized how all the SEO tips and tricks actually brought in more traffic… but what kind of traffic? Mostly spam. =P
Truthfully, the lesson has been learned. I’d much rather connect with the very small community of people who are truly interested in me and what I have to say, and are excited to discuss/converse with me, than with spammers looking for link juice!
Hi Samantha,
You’ve said something really important for bloggers: it isn’t about the quantity, it’s about the quality. For the writer and the reader.
All over the Internet, we’re pushed into getting TONS of followers and TONS of blog readers, etc. As you point out, it’s not the point of it. We want to be found by those who need us and vice versa.
I love your under 400 word blog post idea – like FLASH Blogging. And that opens up all sorts of ideas for blog posts. Hey, they could be one sentence.
You always blog about what matters to you in life. I love reading it…
Thank you! G.