Today I posed a question on Twitter: If I stopped blogging, would anyone notice?
I’m having a moment. A very long moment. I’ve been blogging for 3 years now, as of September, and I have hit a wall. A very big wall.
I wonder if my site has hit its plateau. Can I revive it, or reinvent it, or do anything to take it to the next level.
I know that I have a following, but it’s not the following I hoped to have had by now.
I genuinely love my readers. It’s a small crew, but they have been very supportive. I keep them in mind when I don’t feel like blogging. I love when they comment and tell other people to check the site out. A few have rocked with me so long that I feel like they are not just readers, they’ve become friends in a way.
I see other blogs that started the same time I did and they have blossomed into much more and I hear bloggers complain about shit I wish I had to complain about. I try not to compare me to anyone or anything else, but it’s human nature to wonder why…
To be honest, this is additional income for me, not my full-time gig but the beauty of it is that I can earn extra money doing something I love to do, but I want to see this grow.
I’m not trying to be the next Perez Hilton, I’m not looking for fame, maybe a little fortune but I keep getting stuck.
THEN, to top it all off, and what really made me question this whole thing, is that somehow some way Google disabled my Adsense account and I don’t get any referrals from Google searches (okay that’s a little blogger-speak, just know it sucks), which really drove a lot of traffic to the site. So my hits are DOWN, like WAY DOWN, and in turn my money is DOWN, WAY DOWN. It’s back to what I was getting when I started. That’s like a 300% decrease in a matter of 2-3 weeks. Getting through to Google is like trying to get in the White House and I may be bi-racial like Obama, but it isn’t working for me! So while dealing with my other plateau issues, I get kicked while I’m down.
I love blogging, I really do and I am not going to stop, I’m just wondering if my voice is being heard. Is it unique enough to draw people in?
I don’t know…
4 Comments
lol girl i’ve posed that question many of times. My remedy is as long as you don’t lose site of why you’re doing it. I know for me, its purely for the love of it. I love the reactions, i love that i can express myself on my own terms. I’ve had my original blog for about 2yrs and I’ve never made one red cent from it, and i’m ok with that b/c that’s not really my focus.
Now, I’d be lying if I said being a “successful” blogger didn’t initially cross my mind when I started this b/c I saw other blogs that I admired and drew inspiration from. I wanted to be like them but fortunately I found out that’s where my problems were. I was being too generic and for me the celeb thing got old…fast…I remember when I first stepped outside that comfort zone and started writing personal blogs and that’s when i drew my audience…
as long as its still fun for you, there’s no reason to quit. I say just brainstorm and start new avenues. you never know!
lol girl i’ve posed that question many of times. My remedy is as long as you don’t lose site of why you’re doing it. I know for me, its purely for the love of it. I love the reactions, i love that i can express myself on my own terms. I’ve had my original blog for about 2yrs and I’ve never made one red cent from it, and i’m ok with that b/c that’s not really my focus.
Now, I’d be lying if I said being a “successful” blogger didn’t initially cross my mind when I started this b/c I saw other blogs that I admired and drew inspiration from. I wanted to be like them but fortunately I found out that’s where my problems were. I was being too generic and for me the celeb thing got old…fast…I remember when I first stepped outside that comfort zone and started writing personal blogs and that’s when i drew my audience…
as long as its still fun for you, there’s no reason to quit. I say just brainstorm and start new avenues. you never know!
ditto. But think about it like this…you are still around. I remember when i first started blogging, i could not believe that sites like yours and some others that i loved would link exchange w/ me!
Since i started back in 07, i have seen tons of blogs/sites fall to the waste side, and if you are still around i think that proves that you have a unique voice, you still have something to say.
My hits are not where i want them to be, nor is my ad income (it’s so sporadic)yet i feel like i have a place (be it a small one) on the web.
ditto. But think about it like this…you are still around. I remember when i first started blogging, i could not believe that sites like yours and some others that i loved would link exchange w/ me!
Since i started back in 07, i have seen tons of blogs/sites fall to the waste side, and if you are still around i think that proves that you have a unique voice, you still have something to say.
My hits are not where i want them to be, nor is my ad income (it’s so sporadic)yet i feel like i have a place (be it a small one) on the web.