November 24, 2014

BLOG TALK: BLOGGING OBLIGATIONS (OR BLOG-LIGATIONS?)

BLOGTALK BLOGLIGATIONS
I feel like I've probably covered this topic already, but when it comes to blog talk, you can never get too tired of blog posts about blogging...right? 

Well good, because I feel like this is a topic that needs to be talked about. It all came to mind when a blogging friend asked me about my weekend plans. I casually mentioned needing to write up some posts because I didn't have any posts ready for the week (yes, that really does happen).

When I typed that up, I couldn't help but think about all of the obligations and the pressure we put on ourselves when we start blogging. The pressure to write perfect posts (more on that here), the pressure to post on schedules, the pressure to update your readers friends on your life, and the pressure to apologize for any blogging absence you may take unintentionally (or possibly intentionally).

I think that every job, every hobby, and every thing in life comes with some pressure. There's pressure to meet deadlines, get to-do lists done, and just be the best we can be. But I also think that at times, we put pressure on ourselves. When it comes to blogging, I put pressure on myself to get blog posts ready. To make blog posts and photos look good, and to blog about certain events, times, and topics.

And it's not that I think those things are bad, it's just the degree to which I take them. Is it okay to slip up and not schedule a post? Yes. And even though it irks the organizational freak in me, I've started to let it go.

It's not about the perfection when it comes to blogging. For me, it's all about sharing life and fostering a community with others.

So what does blogging mean to you? Do you ever feel pressure to post? What are some obligations you feel when it comes to blogging?

Blog Talk posts you may have missed:

20 comments

  1. I do feel pressure to post, and I do the same where I try to punch out a few posts on the weekend for my week ahead. This week, I only have 2 though. Today's and tomorrow's. I feel bad, but at the same time I think, it's my blog and I'll post when I want to. I was so tired last week, that my eye has been non stop twitching since Thursday. To me, that says to relax on Sunday (yesterday) instead of writing posts and putting that pressure on myself.

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  2. This is exactly how I am feeling lately.... I have wanted to take a break for a while and I'm thinking that the holidays coming up is the perfect opportunity to not post EVERY DAY. {Gasp!!} but I'm excited about it. I don't know why I put expectations on myself to post five days a week....?
    thanks for sharing this!!

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  3. This is great. I do feel the pressure to post even if it is once a week but I love to write to. But there is so much going on that it can become a burden. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. It's not about the perfection when it comes to blogging. For me, it's all about sharing life and fostering a community with others. <---YES.

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  5. Girl, more power to you! I all too easily forget that this is MY blog. I've told myself that and continue to tell myself, but it's something that I have a hard time remembering and sticking with. :) And hooray for relaxing, too! I, for one, need to do more of that!

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  6. YESSSS! You should totally take a break! You deserve it!


    And I don't know how you post 5x's a week, too! I tried that a couple years ago and failed miserably. 3x's a week is my max! :)

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  7. I'm with you! I see blogging as a creative outlet (among many other things) so while I love to write, I also have to try and balance it with work. It's tough, that's for sure! :)

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  8. YESSSSS. Girl, your comments are always golden. :) It really IS all about life and fostering community with others. That, my friend, should be one of the main reasons we blog. Keep doing just that!

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  9. 2-3 times a week is SO much easier. I used to do the 5 times a week and that was just wayyyy too stressful for me. So much so that I actually started to resent blogging (that and my content was worse than just meh).


    And I love what you said about


    p.s. I cannot wait to hear more about your no comment experiment/experience! You said it would last about a month, right?

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  10. Yeah, it's about over now :) It was an interesting experiment, and it gave me some good perspective on blogging and comments in general.

    *Amanda* | The Lady Okie Blog

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  11. I keep an editorial calendar, mainly to help me plan ahead and remember link-ups, but it's a flexible calendar. Like I was sick a few weeks ago, so I just didn't write one planned post for Thursday, and the only reason I wrote my planned post for Friday was because I'd already done most of it. I move things around, or I cancel them all together if I'm no longer feeling a certain topic.


    The main pressure I put on myself is to write at least twice a week, which is easy for me, and to promote my blog posts.

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  12. I think that the pressure thing is something I inflict on myself. If I don't post I doubt anyone cares except for me. And yet, I feel this pressure to keep my blog going with certain types of posts.


    Over the last few months I stopped thinking about it...I still keep an editorial calendar, but I pretty much post what I want. Do you know what happened? Last month I posted every single weekday and still had more post ideas. Every month won't go like that (this one hasn't) and that's okay. :)

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  13. That's cool to hear! I think it would definitely be a really great experiment and I might have to try it myself someday! :)

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  14. I have been thinking about having an editorial calendar for some time now. I write to-do lists (on sticky notes) and stick them to my laptop as reminders and also use Blogger's drafts as a calendar/schedule of sorts as well. But I think having an actual planner or calendar would be a great idea. I LOVE that yours is flexible! I think that is so crucial for blogging long-term. :)

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  15. I agree! I definitely think that pressure is something we put on ourselves. I think it's easy to try and blame other people/circumstances/events, but it really comes down to how we react to those things.


    And it's totally okay to have seasons for posting and blogging! I try and post 3 times a week because I crave that consistency, but I don't put too much pressure on myself because I don't want to hate blogging because of it. :)

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  16. Exactly!!! I love that you've found the perfect pace and that I can predict the kinds of posts I'll usually find on your blog each day. :)

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  17. Great post, Kiki. Found you via the Amplifound blog roundup today. While I agree that I've felt the pressures of blogging, I think one can easily spin that around to say that you're motivated and have high expectations for yourself. The healthier way of looking at it can get you far and bring a lot of fun, as long as you're able to recognize when it starts to REALLY feel like pressure or it gets to be a drag.

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  18. Thanks, Jennifer! I had actually never heard of Amplifound, so it's cool to see my blog name/links in other places (in other words, thanks for letting me know where you found my blog and post!). :)


    I love what you said about spinning things around and taking different perspectives. I agree with you in that perspective IS everything. I'm also known for being hard on myself and setting high standards for myself and my work so I do see what you mean! I never would have thought it it like that before!

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  19. Having been in your shoes I know where you're coming from. Hope my comment helped :)

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