I love blogging, I really do but there is still things which annoy me about it. I was writing this blog post and Becky my teen said how can you love something and still be annoyed by it? I may have said I love you don't I! hehehe
Linkies.
Linkies.
There are a lot of linkies which I love but there is also some which I have joined in with over the years which are not so great. A while ago I joined in with one who had 20 plus people linking up. I ended up getting no comments back despite me commenting on the majority of people linking up. It's sad but I realised it was not worth my time which is a shame. I have noticed that happening more and more with linkies. They're not what they used to be. Three of my favourites are Monday Morning Blog Club, Word of the Week and Katie Kickers Meal planning linky. They are great little communities and everyone is generous with their comments.
Freebies?
People who don't blog don't understand that I am sent products to review but they are not for free. It takes time to arrange what is being sent, write the blog post, photograph it and promote it. People who don't blog sometimes don't realise what effort goes into a blog post.
The Winter.
My house is dark and I struggle to take photos which is really bad when I have lots and lots of photos to take. It was a nightmare in the run up to Christmas when I had review posts to write. Thankfully now it's brighter and it's so much easier.
Using the free blogger url & being judged.
I am judged for using the free blogger address. In the past I was told I am not a real blogger because my blog doesn't have it's own URL, I have been told by a PR because I have own URL they can't send me something to review because I am not reliable despite blogging daily for over 6 years. Last year I saw a discussion on Twitter which stuck with me. There was a low cost item up for review from somewhere and one blogger said something along the lines of "you are an idiot if you review a low cost item" and another said "don't worry some one using a free blogspot address will do it." That made me feel pretty rubbish. Yes I review low cost items because I would rather be sent it without having to spend my money. I don't have the money to waste on something I may not like. Many times after reviewing a product I go on to buy more.
My draft posts.
Many a time I will have a blog post in my drafts then a different blogger goes and posts nearly the same post I have written before I have chance to post it. Hmmf. Obviously I can't go and post it then especially when it is about something so random.
PR's.
95% of PR's are lovely and do what they say they are going to do but that other 5% really annoys me. They say they are going to send me something to review but the item never turns up, I will be sent an item to review and review it and the post goes live only for them to tell me they need a follow link. They could have told me before. Grr and the most annoying of all is the person who will say they love a blog post of mine and try to get me to add a link to their website. They obviously haven't done their research. The other day I got one about rearing and caring for live chickens the blog post they wanted a link in was a recipe including chicken. lol
95% of PR's are lovely and do what they say they are going to do but that other 5% really annoys me. They say they are going to send me something to review but the item never turns up, I will be sent an item to review and review it and the post goes live only for them to tell me they need a follow link. They could have told me before. Grr and the most annoying of all is the person who will say they love a blog post of mine and try to get me to add a link to their website. They obviously haven't done their research. The other day I got one about rearing and caring for live chickens the blog post they wanted a link in was a recipe including chicken. lol
Replying to comments.
It is a job I hate when it comes to my blog. Over the last few months I have just stopped doing it unless there is a question to answer, then the chances are I will just tweet you the answer. I am a bad blogger. I do read every comment though and do appreciate them.
Social media.
The only social media I really use and love is Twitter. I read the other day that someone gets 90% of their traffic from Pinterest. Wow, I rarely use it. I dip in and out of Instagram. I will put photos on there every day then skip a couple of days, I will watch the stories and will heart photos when I pop on but that's it and I don't really bother with Facebook.
People who start blogging for the wrong reasons.
I love to support new bloggers but sometimes a person will create a blog purely to make money from the get go. I think that is the wrong way to go about it. At least write a few blog posts before you start asking for sponsored posts. When their first tweet or question in a blogging group is "how do I make money from blogging and get free things?" it really puts me off.
Winning competitions.
Before I was a blogger I was a comper. I still enter competitions, mostly on blogs. What annoys me is after I have won a giveaway the company who I won the prize from will get in touch and ask me to to tweet how amazing the prize is or to write a blog post about them. That is not on. I know the blogger chose the winner fair and square and bloggers will enter and people who are not bloggers will enter too. I have a feeling the company will not be asking a non-blogger to tweet or do these things. It's not fair to ask me to promote you for something I won! It's cheeky!
What annoys you about blogging?
What annoys you about blogging?
I absolutely agree with all of this. There are so many things that are amazing about blogging but I too still have issues. I've recently stopped linking to a linky I have been joining in with for years as week after week I wasn't getting any comments. I am also a bad Blogger who doesn't reply to comments and forgets to be as active on all my socials as I am on Facebook x
ReplyDeletehahaha! Glad I'm not the only one who doesn't usually reply to comments. x
DeleteI agree with all these, I was totally nodding along! I can't believe the comment about having the free blogspot version, so what if it's free? I still blog on wordpress.com, although I did pay to have the vanity URL, hasn't stopped me getting loads of fab toys for the kids. It's hard work reviewing some of them when all they want to do is rip it all open and you're shouting "hang on, just let me photo that bit!" My fave is Twitter too, it's the only one I get any kind of interaction on.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard work reviewing some things with the kids. I am forever telling to to wait while I take a photo. hehehe
DeleteI agree with a lot of thi , I don't do reviews anymore, because of the expectation . I only join in with one of the linkys you mention, I shall look up the other 2,because I like the ones that work like community x
ReplyDeleteI haven't joined in a linky for years! I found like you that people just stopped reciprocating
ReplyDeleteBlimey, such a strong blog post and I loved everything about it! I find it really hard to believe that people can be so narrow-minded about a free URL, it makes absolutely no difference and after 6 years and such hard work and dedication from yourself you are a fantastic blogger - regardless of your URL. As for your comment about similar blog posts, still post yours, even if its the next day or 6 months down the line. A lot of people say things differently, have different points of view and most importantly different followers! You have your audience, they have theirs. Just post it. Sky News and BBC survive with the same/similar content and I know i'll look at BBC over Sky as I prefer them. You are a different media! Good up the good work lovely! xxx
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I was really nervous about posting this post. I do worry too much about what other people think. Thanks for the advice, you are so right xx
DeleteI agree with some of your reasons and wish blogging was still what it used to be.I think much like parenting it is the relentless nature of blogging that can get me down. Like with parenting me time and self-care make me much better at it! #MMBC
ReplyDeleteHa ha, I hear you 200% ! I think the thing is, "older bloggers" (ie the ones who have been around for years, nothing to do with age !) have different priorities to the newbies, who mainly seem to think they know everything ! I still believe there's no right or wrong way to do things - I started off as a book blogger, then a mummy blogger. Now the kids are growing up, I'm not sure what to do next - I've even debated giving up the whole thing but I like the community spirit with the older bloggers, who have turned into genuine friends, and even the long-time PR people, who are genuinely lovely :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I originally commented I clicked the "Notify me when new comments are added" checkbox and now each time a comment is added
ReplyDeleteI get four e-mails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service?
Cheers!
So sorry. Who are you? I can try deleting your first comment and see if that helps but I can't see anything in my settings to stop the emails. I'll Google it. Is there an unsubscribe in the email it's self?
DeleteYep I agree it is a lot more work then non-bloggers imagine X
ReplyDeleteI love this bloody post! And yes most of these p**s me off too. Thanks so much for mentioning #MMBC. I'm so happy that you are part of our group. I also hate it when I join in with linkies and get zero interaction. That's why I started #MMBC in the first place, to hopefully create a little community where everyone joins in and to create a place where there is no clique and everyone feels welcome.
ReplyDeleteThe 'freebies claim' is very tiring too. Some people just don't understand what's involved in creating a blog post!
You should go ahead and publish your posts even if others have written similar content. Everyone has their own spin on things so it doesn't really matter.
Love your blog mrs! x