I’ve had this post brewing for a least a year – originally it was titled “Blogging Etiquette” but what do I know about manners? 😛 I suppose it can be viewed as passive aggressive to post this now, as I am departing from the world of blogging. At the very least, I hope this will get you to think about blogging practices, and how it affects other people.
Let’s get the Don’ts out of the way first. Warning: I swear in this post. 😇
Don’ts
Continuously post sponsored / free products. When every review you write is on some free product that’s “amazing” and “must-have”, then those words ring hollow. As much as everyone claims they form their own opinion even when given free stuff, it’s not truly possible with that invisible string tied back to the brand PR. 
This is why I consciously limit my engagements with brands – it’s not worth my integrity. If you went into blogging just to get free shit, then I’m very sad for you. Don’t be a shallow shill just for free shit.
Collect followers just to boost your count. I understand this – in part, the number of followers is a validation and tied to self esteem. It is also the “value proposition” in the playbook for blogging and social media nowadays: your followers count is your leverage to get free shit. Similar to how magazines do not exist to provide content – they sell advertisements – blogs have become another marketing tool. It’s gotten so senseless though. When I see that you’ve got 2,000 followers but only 20 likes and zero comments, it makes me wonder. I’m a person, I’m not a statistic to be collected for you to resell to whatever brand you want to engage with. I’m not following your blog / IG / Twitter just to increase your stats. Don’t make this a numbers game.
Act ignorant and make no effort to improve. Maybe this applies to do’s and don’ts for life in general, but it irks me to no end when people don’t strive to learn and improve themselves. If you’re posting about a product, perhaps research something about it instead of just posting pretty pictures and selfies? And year after year, there’s no evidence of growth. Don’t be stagnant.
Never read or comment on other people’s blogs. Oh so it’s all about you? Why don’t you just run a digital magazine and disable your commenting section. What, you like it when people comment on your post? 😮 That’s nice. Why don’t you stop being so selfish. This also applies to people who only post on other people’s blogs when they’ve recently uploaded a blog entry themselves, to lure people onto their own blog. Don’t be a self-centered jerk.
Bump up your post so it is at the top of the Reader / Feed. Stop with this practice already! You posted your blog entry at 8am and now I’m seeing it reposted at 8pm again? Or the next day? You want more exposure: more likes, comments and clicks – I get it! This is such a needy behaviour. It clogs up people’s feed with stale material. On online forums, this kind of behaviour would get you banned. Why don’t you promote your blog through other channels like IG or Twitter instead? Don’t spam people.
Summary: Don’t be a needy, hollow, and ignorant blogger with no regard for others.
Do’s
Develop an identity. Cultivate your brand. I’m sick of seeing a sea of sameness over and over again. You don’t have to be the WoRLd’s mOsT uNiQUE pERsoN (ouch, it hurt me to type that out!) but the combination of traits that are specific to you are what makes you, YOU. Myself, I know I’m known for being a makeup hoarder. 😛 I like creating tables and charts when I write product reviews. I don’t post photos of my face online. My signature colour is the putty taupey shade of my blog background. Try to list what makes you and your blog different from others out there. Your identity will set you apart from the crowd. ❤ Do you!
Engage people. At the heart of it, blogging is a virtual community. It’s nice to connect with people online. A super easy way to do this is ask a question in your blog post to invite a response. When someone talks to you in real life, do you just ignore them? So it goes with comments – try to respond to every single comment you receive, and make a concerted effort to reach out and comment on others’ blogs without being prompted or armed with an ulterior motive. And post actual comments related to the blog post, not just fluffy crap (“Love this!”, “Awesome post!”, “So pretty!”… and don’t get me started on comment pods 🙄 ) – this means you have to read their blog entries instead of skimming! 💡 Genuine engagement is how organic blog growth comes. I often start following people when I read their comments in other people’s blog entries, and I think to myself, now this is someone I’d like to get to know better. You’re not a number to me. Do give your time to others.
Remember that content is Queen. I know the common phrase is “content is king” but it’s 2018, ya know? 😉 Maybe I take blogging too seriously, but it’s my work that I’m putting out there. In a way, I view every blog entry as a mini essay and I want to be proud of what I create. I like offering high quality information, photos, and swatches. Posting a variety of topics and formats also helps to maintain the interest of your readers, so I recommend switching things up once in a while. If your content isn’t compelling – why do you expect people to click on your blog? Do have substance.
Create webs of connections. Continuing with the metaphor that blogging is like a community – connections are the glue that bind individuals together to form a community. Simple ways to create connections can include doing group collaborations, blog swaps, or guest posts. Give a shout-out on your blog to a fellow blogger, or link back to their post which inspired you (usually to buy stuff, ahem, you enablers! 😆 ) Give credit to where credit is due. This creates strong online connections and shows comradery among bloggers – we’re all in this together! Also, don’t forget to link back within your own blog if you’ve posted something relevant previously. Do link up.
Find balance. Blogging isn’t the real world. It may seem all-consuming but it can be an insular sphere. A small percentage of the general population have a blog (anecdotally, aside from people I met through blogging, I personally don’t know a single person who blogs), and teeny tiny fraction of those who do blog, do it full time. It’s good to get perspective by stepping away from the blog (and social media!!!) sometimes to get out of a singular mindset. Blogging should be a part of your life, not your whole life. Do real life!
Summary: Be yourself and be excellent to each other. 😀
Do you agree or disagree? What are your blogging do’s and don’ts? Discuss. 🙂
Have you seen my Hoarder Stash Giveaway? Details here!
stash matters 
This is bang on my friend I feel like I spend more time interacting in the community than actually writing my own shit!
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It’s true, I definitely write more in comments than in my own blog posts! 😆
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“oh so it’s all about you” made me spit out my tea – so funny! It’s something I phase in and out of being good at though, when I run low on time, the first thing I drop is commenting on other blogs as frequently, but it makes such a huge difference. When people ask for blog advice the first thing I say is comment on other people’s!
The making no effort to improve is a biggie of mine, it really irks me if I give someone a brief explanation of something (but enough to give them the guidelines of what the problem is) and rather than trying to research and understand what I’ve said they just expect the answer without actually caring about the understanding.
My second biggest gripe is what I like to call “lazy blogging” – no swatches, no pictures of texture, no application photos, just the photo of a foundation bottle for example – to me that adds nothing to the conversation and doesn’t help me understand what someone is talking about – I think you have to do your best to illustrate what you mean and packaging doesn’t cut it.
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Oh and I don’t actually mind reposting and scheduling – it helps me see stuff that I’ve missed. However there is a point where you can do it too much I don’t like seeing the same post for days and days – one post for one day – I’m fine with that and tend to do it twice a day (sorry!).
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It’s all personal preference, I get it! 😛 I definitely see the value in it but I’ve just noticed this trend more and more lately. Yes, the ones that bump the same post over and over again for like 2 weeks. C’mon! 🙄
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I find the best time for my reads is the morning, but because the best – my audience is very split across the world when I look at the analytics so it’s natural that I think posts get missed it I don’t reschedule, it goes up at 6am and then rescheduled for 10/11pm just before I go to bed – makes a huge difference to times when I forget to do it!
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It’s very time consuming to keep up with other people’s blogs. I try to carve out some time each day but the more people I follow, the more I feel like I’m spreading myself thin. Hence, I’m looking to cull a lot of blogs that I don’t find I glean much from… quality over quantity!
Yessss lazy blogging. I don’t get it. I guess maybe they’re just looking to improve their writing? Instead of photos and swatches, just write so artfully and with such detail that it makes a photo useless? 😆 I’m not sure their intention, really…
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I must say, I was guilty of “lazy blogging” with my early beauty reviews. It wasn’t out of purposeful laziness, it was more, I didn’t know what I was doing wahahahah big difference from travel blogging, you know 😉 It took me so long to set up the foundation for photo that I forgot about everything else. A few weeks after I published then I realise that “o, hang on, my post is missing the swatches”. Wahaha blogging and its joys
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But you showed self awareness and growth! That’s the difference. There are bloggers who continue on with lazy blogging – they don’t see anything lacking. Which is so frustrating!
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I totally agree with you, especially regarding commenting and bumping!
I love interacting with other bloggers, it is the best part of blogging! ❤
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Me too. It makes blogging authentic!
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Amazing and very useful! I actually don’t do all the “Don’ts” and I am happy about that, I also try socialize with other bloggers and read their posts as much as possible!
https://mademoiselleolantern.wordpress.com/2018/02/12/coffee-with-joy/
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Me too, the socialization in the comments is the best part of blogging! 🙂
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This is post is absolutely amazing! Glad you’ve written about this my friend. Everything is so true! I’ve fallen for a few of these things you’ve mentioned but I’m moving toward a more authentic way of blogging. I’m learning as I’m going. It becomes so boring and not authentic when it’s all about PR. I used to follow a blog that was just all PR. I got bored really fast. I feel a good blog should have a balance and sometimes more about what they buy with their own money and how they truly feel about the product. Heck blogging doesn’t have to be about a product. My favourite blogs are about life, travel books, plants, family and food. lots of food. 😀 I love this style of writing and would love to hear and read more. Don’t stop. Express your self more! so amazing and really helpful to all bloggers.
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Thanks so much Maria! I’m glad we talked about this and you encouraged me to post it. I was still nervous about posting it, right up until it went live! 😉
I think blogging is a process. We all trip on the pitfalls – for sure I focused on numbers too! But I realized that it didn’t fulfill anything for me.
I truly believe that living life outside of the blog and having a variety of interests help to make me a better blogger. It helps to gain a perspective to create more well-rounded content.
Thanks so much for your support, as always! ❤
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I totally agree Stashy! This is one of my fave blog posts ever. You are amazing for writing real and truthful content. So many bloggers out there blog for the wrong reasons. Ultimately at the end they are still full of emptiness. Thank you for writing this because it has opened my eyes and also inspired me. Love you very much. ❤️💕💗
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Great post! I try to do many of these things, but I am not great at commenting on other people’s blogs. Time is an issue there, but so is how inspired I am by other blogs. And that’s caused by so many blogs looking and feeling exactly the same.
After blogging for nearly 8 years I’ve seen so many people come and go and so many blogs look pretty much identical and their life line is sometimes very short. I have had many people simply disappear without a trace. I don’t have time to continuously build up new relationships.
So that combination is why I don’t always feel like commenting on other blogs even if I have the time to visit other people’s blogs. I consistently try to reply to people’s comments on my blog though.
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Yes, I’m less inclined to read blogs that are just copies of others. Some people’s blog names are so generic / similar, I can’t tell them apart!
Oh yes, I’ve seen lots of people just stop posting for no reason… it’s difficult to foster a relationship only for people to diappear. I understand.
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Well written, I actually stopped reading many blogs I liked reading two years ago, because they began to publish too much of sponsored content where I felt like I am reading about the same product on different blogs for a month (and it made me so fed up, I even lost interest in buying or even checking it out).
What is also annoying though, are those comment where somebody just refers to their own blog,not because they really appreciate somebody’s work.
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I understand what you’re talking about – when about 10 different blogs I follow suddenly start posting about the same company / product – it really takes the fun out of reading blogs! I start to feel like I’m being “sold to” rather than reading about something they like.
Oooh yes, when the comment is basically a link back to their blog. I often delete those comments! 😛
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Loved reading this. I’m still pretty new to this blogging thing and honestly I struggle at commenting on other people’s posts … I know I’m sorry … that totally convicted me.
I love it when I get comments and I want to read and comment on other peoples stuff but it’s so easy to put it on the side burner.
I will get better at it though 😉
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Commenting is a lot of investment in time. It’s not an easy thing… and sometimes I don’t have anything to contribute. I get it! I’d say start small – try to comment on 1 person’s blog post a day and see how you find it. Soon, I think it will come naturally. 🙂 Thanks for your comment! ❤
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Love this! LOL these memes are the besttttt. I love the dog one, and the baking cookies one killed me.
I didn’t realize what was happening with the post bumping when I first started blogging – I was like, “didn’t I see this post earlier today?” until I realized that people were bumping their posts. It’s good and bad, I think. Sometimes I missed their post the first time, and catch it the second. But it’s also annoying to see it twice if I didn’t miss it the first time around.
Something that really annoys me is when I comment on other people’s blogs and they don’t reply. I’m fine with a late reply – even one that’s a week late. But to never get a reply? That’s like the equivalent of trying to have a conversation with someone in real life and them just ignoring me.
The one thing I constantly struggle with is balance. I want to be more engaging on social media, to find the time to comment on other people’s blogs while creating quality content for my own blog and replying to comments on my posts, but not at the expense of spending time with friends and family, or working on other hobbies. I always feel like if I choose one, then I get less of the other. Even after over two years of blogging, I still haven’t gotten the hang of it!
The other struggle for me is creating my own identity, which I’m trying to be more conscious about in the new year. How do I get my personality and preferences across in my blog? Hmmmm. You, on the other hand, have done an amazing job of that!
I feel like people who non-stop do sponsored content just shoot themselves in the foot doing that – readers get sick of seeing sponsored content post after post and will eventually unfollow/unsubscribe. Also, it seems like more and more people start blogging just to get free shit. It’s sad, and it’s easy to tell when that’s the case.
Question – what’s a “comment pod”?
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It took forever to look for those funnies… I had more but had to cut some of them out. 😛
I understand the rationale behind bumping up their posts since people are in different timezones. There are some serial post bumpers who keep bumping up for days on end… just.stop!
I HEAR YOU about people not responding! Are they like that in real life? Or at work? When people email them, do they just not respond? I just don’t get it. Someone took the time and effort to write something… and crickets…
It’s definitely a challenge to find balance – there are not enough hours in a day. Ultimately, I think it’s about quality with online – I’ve determined over time that there will always be blogs that I follow but have nothing to say so I focus on those blogs that I have more in common (yours for instance). There’s no science to all this… it’s more of an art! I have definitely let real life things suffer at times for the sake of blogging (especially since blogging was so FUN… and doing chores is NOT! 😛 )
Part of having a blog is trying new things and hopefully discovering more about yourself and your identity to the world. I was just talking to someone about this today – a lot of people lack self awareness. Or their self perception is very skewed from how others (general consensus) view them… how does that disconnect happen? It’s very interesting.
I suspect something’s got to give with the whole social media / brand PR dynamic right now. I don’t know how sustainable this current system is… but all of these things go to cycles. Remember when it used to be about supermodels, then it was actresses who endorsed products… now it’s “influencers”. Who knows what the next wave will be – back to models? 😛
Comment pods are a relatively new thing and more prevalent on IG. People join commenting groups with the “pact” that whenever the members post something new, everyone in the group must go to that post and make a comment. It guarantees that their post will, at minimum, get comments from everyone within their pod. The idea is that it generates “engagement” and IG’s algorithm will boost their posts up, thus creating more comments – generating a manufactured engagement. It’s a way to game the system. It’s not genuine engagement. They have comment pods for blogs, twitter… you name it. 🙄
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Oooh yes, I totally know what you mean about picking and choosing which blogs to focus on. I guess in a way it’s just like real life, hey? There are people you automatically get along with so you find yourself spending more time with them, whereas others might just be “acquaintances”. I showed my husband the one of the kid raising himself and he laughed so hard, because it kind of rings true. We don’t have a kid, but he does pick up some of my slack when it comes to chores.
Oh my gosh, it’s funny how you bring up self perception, I think about this a lot! Do I see myself the way others see me? Do other people see themselves the way I perceive them? I hope the answer to the first one is “yes” but I guess I’ll never know! Like you said, where is the disconnect and how does it happen? It’s really fascinating to think about.
Haha, influencers are definitely the new celebrity endorsement! I think that influencers will continue to be a thing for a while, but it’ll eventually die down. Who knows what the next big thing is going to be, but I’m kind of excited to see!
Comment pods…what. I mean, I get why people do it. But like you said, it’s not even genuine engagement! It’s all about numbers, I guess, but it defeats the purpose of “social media” when you’re just manufacturing fake comments and likes.
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I think the thing with self perception is being receptive to feedback. Or even simply asking people for their thoughts on how you performed or if there are ways you can improve. I like asking for feedback and I do not take things personally. That’s how to grow!
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That’s a good point! I do that at work, but honestly, have never thought about doing it outside of a professional setting!
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Interacting all the time is so hard at times but def necessary. Love the Do’s for sure!
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You can’t really force it, I understand (sometimes I just don’t have anything to say!)… but sometimes commenting to say, “hey, I read this post and it’s great!” is a nice gesture. 🙂
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Nailed it. Even when I get something PR though, if I don’t like it, I’ll say I don’t like it. I have a few affiliate/coupon codes but I don’t shove them down everyone’s throats.
I do this as a hobby and I want to keep it that way. If this was my full time job I’d probably loathe it.
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I applaud your integrity – it’s not common to find nowadays.
I agree… whenever I hear people say they wished they could become bloggers / YouTubers as their full time job, I’m like, are you mental? I would be miserable if I relied on this as my income!
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I used to dream about doing it full time, but I’m too damn old to go through what these full timers do. All
The travel and crap? No thanks. But it would be nice to make the kind of money some of them make.
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Everything’s on point, Stashy! I’m absolutely living for this post!!!
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I suspected you’d agree! 😉 Thanks for the support as always!
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Of course, I’d agree! You’re like my soul sister when it comes to this thing. Hahaha. YOU GO TELL ‘EM, GURL! ❤ 😉
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Good tips. I’ve had a nice break and now it’s back to blogging. It’s nice to switch off have a vacation etc😊 It doesn’t have to be a all consuming thing (unless bloggings your job!). I have a lot of people who like every post but never comment even once, even though I make time to comment on theirs. I appreciate interaction, it doesn’t have to be every blog but on some it’s nice☺ x
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I’ve noticed that too – some people just click “like” on every post but never ever once commented. I sometimes think they have a bot that likes posts for them… 😛
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Totally agree with this post, some very valuable advice is presented. Also love the complete honesty. That’s why your blog does so well and continues to do so. Great post Stashy! xx
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Thanks so much Reeva! I just can’t fake it… 😛
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Agree wholeheartedly, I’ll admit I’ve not grown much since I’ve been at this for four years but I enjoy it and that’s the main thing! One thing I personally hate when people don’t take the time to reply to comments you’ve posted especially if you’ve put thought into them, it’s rude and takes engagement for granted! 🙂
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Yes, blogging for the sake of enjoyment is definitely a good thing! 🙂 People focus too much about page views and blog popularity… I don’t know what their end game is?
It irks me a lot too when people don’t respond – kind of rude, if you ask me!
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Agree I think it’s because everyone wants more PR samples and to be the next Zoella but for me it’s just a hobby that I love I feel if I monetised too much and did it full time I’d get bored? And for sure! I’ll admit I can be slow since I mainly blog on weekends but I always try to respond to everything!
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Another great post Stashy! Im going to miss your honesty! Hopefully there are a few more posts coming. I have to admit that I am the worst at commenting on blog posts, but I spend a good hour reading blogs a day. Something to definitely work on for the future.
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Thanks Sandie! I understand – I don’t always engage but just read / consume. It can be very time consuming!
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Gonna miss ur opinions Stashy ……..
xoxoxoxoxo
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Thanks Cat! 😛
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xoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo of course stashy i just gave wordpress a piece of my mind ….. they had blocked all my wordpress notification emails …. MISSING ALL THE POSTS ….
ALWAYS ALWAYS SPEAK ur heart – ❤
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Oh man! How DARE they!?!! I hope it’s all fixed now! Those Happiness Engineers…
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they fixed Lol xxxxx
i don’t like the reader thing do you ? old school cat and it’s confusing with times … SO BLONDE ……
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Wow so I didn’t even know it was a thing to repost something just so it would be top on a feed? Weirdddd
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I didn’t know it was a thing either… I’ve noticed that it’s become more common practice in the past 12 months or so… ugh.
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Haha! I had no idea about ‘bumping’ and just assumed my reader was glitching 😂 I have a hard time commenting on posts at times because even if I think it’s a great post, it’s hard to make that sound genuine via text. The blogging world has changed a lot since I started – loved this post 😘
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Your reader isn’t glitching – people are purposely reposting their already posted entry with a later time in order to have it be the most recent. Their rationale is that their readers are in different timezones so they can capture more people’s eyes…
I know what you mean – text vs verbal. I end up using a lot of exclamation marks in text so I don’t sound so serious. Then I come off as super excited! 😉
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Honesty is the best policy and posts like this are full of it! I hate people who blog just because they want the most followers and the ones who blog for “free shit” even more!
The point about individual identity I found interesting: I thought of a handful of things off the top of my head which define me and my blog straight away 🙂
Engagement is key and while I don’t promote my blog on social media every day I do occasionally if there’s a special post or something I want to highlight and share. Realistically I don’t have time to schedule or tweet links to all my previous posts but I do link back to them on my blog sometimes 😉
I didn’t know bumping was a thing but I do get annoyed seeing a post appear again when I already read it. Maybe sometimes it could be WordPress error?
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Thank you Chanelle! You definitely have a unique identity – it also helps that you have naturally red hair! 😉
I assure you it’s not a WordPress error that you’re seeing repeated blog posts – people have openly admitted to purposely bumping up their posts. It’s a tactic to get more people seeing your post especially to capture people in different time zones.
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Unique is cool!
Oh wow. How do people find time for things like that. I wonder how useful it is and if it does get their blog more traffic (not that I’m going to start doing it).
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I’ve heard from people that they do get more “likes” when they repost but not sure about more actual engagement. I guess it really depends what’s more important to you.
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I loved this post! It absolutely made my day. I felt like you were some motivational speaker on a stage addressing a crowd and passionately standing up for the blogging community. 😀
I really enjoy your brand that you put forward, by the way. Your content is always immaculate and the fact that I have no idea what you look like intrigues me in a way. I want to get to know you better because of it.
You addressed such important points here. I think my major pet peeve with blogging is when someone comments and they add a link to their latest blog post stating that you can feel free to check it out rather than commenting on something you took time to do and put effort into. I honestly don’t mind if I am discussing something in the comments with another blogger and they send me a link on their blog relevant to whatever we are discussing but it’s the same kind of point you made about showing that you didn’t just skim through or comment with alterior motives.
I am going to miss your blog so once you officially depart from this digital space!
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Thanks so much Nadine!
I didn’t want to come off as “preachy” in this post… 😛 I just hoped to shine a light on some of the habits I’ve seen in the blogging community lately. It seems many people notice them but might be reluctant to call them out? I suppose I have “nothing to lose”… 😉
When people would spam my blog comment section with links back to their own blog, I used to go into their comments and edit out their links (but just leave their lame ass comment “Great post!”). Is that petty of me? Absolutely. 😆 It’s my blog and I don’t want it spammed!
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Oh my word, if I had known I could edit out links from comments I would have done it too. 😀 haha I don’t think it’s petty at all. When you have put work into something then it deserves more than just some silly, generic comment. Then they can rather not comment at all, in my opinion. 🙂
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In the WordPress dashboard, you can go to your comments section and see all of the comments in your blog on in one place where you can reply, delete, edit etc.
For your blog, it would be here, I think:
https://nadineblewett.wordpress.com/wp-admin/edit-comments.php
😉
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Stashy, you are a blogging genius! Thank you. 😁 I am truly going to miss you in this community. ❤️
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I agree! She made so many great points! I’m going to miss her when she’s done blogging. 😭 I also find it intriguing that she never posts pictures of herself. In a world oversaturated with selfies, Stashy’ lack of facetime stands out!
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Most definitely! So few people do stand out these days and it’s wonderful when people are able to find away to stand out in a world where everyone seems to want to be copies.
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Thank you to you both! 😀
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Hey, ya’ll talking about me like I’m not even here! LOL 😆
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Lol! Totally! 😉
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What an amazing post and such relevant topic.
I have always admired your style of writing and investment in each post- yours is like no other – it has never been a “I write to write post and I have always been able to take something from each post – so thank you for that:) (typing as I roll on my body shop eye serum 😉 )
Blogging and mingling is very time consuming and I have been struggling with time management lately quite a bit. I would like to dedicate more time to it, but at times writting feels forced and I don’t want it to be that way so I choose to pause and restart when inspired 🙂
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Thanks Grieta!
I was thinking about you and whether you are enjoying that Body Shop eye roller serum! It’s great, isn’t it? Glad you got it on sale too! 😀
Well, I can’t even imagine how you get everything done in a day with kids, hubby, a job to balance! Remember, blogging is a hobby and should be fun! Don’t force yourself. You don’t want to miss quality real life moments. 🙂
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Eye serum is great, I keep in the fridge for that extra freshness, especially in the mornings. My time management hasnt been the best lately haha But im working on it 🙂
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Great to hear! ❤
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I cannot agree more, Stashy~~ I find those random “Love this!”, “Awesome post!”, “So pretty!” etc are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO annoying. Sound like bots at times.
[the rant begins…]
The zero growth thing is another issue. A key point to start a personal blog is to learn something. It’s one thing to not know how to blog / present / photo etc, but it is another to not find out how to improve over time. Some blogs are amazing from the start so there’s very little to improve on, but just like Rachel said, some blogs are just not informative at all and remain fluffy for all posts.
The commenting on other people’s blog thing is difficult. It takes active effort to comment on other people’s blog, especially sometimes I do it out of sheer support (action is more important than intention in this case). It is one of those awkward moment where I’d really like to support the person, but don’t know what to say? Saying generic stuff makes me feel bad. Can’t win, hey. Then again, problem with blogs like yours is that I’m typing a freaking essay!
For the free shit and PR, well, I don’t have a problem supporting the blogger who disclose properly. PR is a validation thing. Though, it does annoy me endlessly when they add “all opinions are my own” or when they say “not sponsored” but have a direct affiliated link with that brand in particular. I mean come on!?!?! The reality of the person NOT proactively purchasing the item with his/her own money is already a loud statement. If I bought something with my money, if it sucks, I’ll figure something out to get it working; or if I love it for real, I’ll repurchase or stock up. This is a way better indication.
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I feel that on some level, how people are online is a reflection of how they are in real life. If you’re complacent, you’re like that everywhere. Why bother?
Commenting on blogs regularly takes a lot of time and effort! I never want to sound forced or fake… but ultimately I think saying something is better than remaining silent?
Yes, very true about the difference in opinions when getting things sent for free versus spending your own money! That’s why I ask myself… would I actually pay for this item that I got for free? That is the true test!
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Joyce! It seems this topic resonated with a lot of people! 😛
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So many great points! You were one of my first “blogging friends”! I have always appreciated your comments and support!
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I still remember discovering your blog. It was through Ingrid! 🙂 I’m glad we connected too!
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Ingrid, she’s great! 💗
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I needed to read this ❤
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I’m glad you enjoyed! 🙂
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Totally agree! I really enjoy blogging but I can live on Instagram – seriously. I guess that’s where i sort of feel “my social family is”. I don’t have much time to devote to my blog so I’m not as roped into it. But Instagram, I’m an addict. So, I was on someone’s profile as I was looking at people who posted about a product I’m interested in and I’m like oh wow… she has 66K followers. That’s really impressive. I mean, shit, it’s hard to grow by 10 followers these days on Instagram let alone 66K. Oh wait, she has 2 comments on her Instagram post. Oh wait, there’s only 5 on this one. WTF. There’s 9 on that one. I mean, c’mon. With 66K followers, you could post a dog turd and you’d get more comments than that! I guess after buying followers and paying for likes, the comments were just too much to spring for?
I think this is a great post! I wish I had more time to read posts. I feel like I never sleep and I was considering just limiting my activity to Instagram but I don’t know… I wasn’t sure what you meant about reposting something. That must be something on WordPress.com?
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Instagram is so ridiculous with the followers versus engagement! So many people buy their followers or use bots / services to boost their numbers, it’s so silly. I’m so sick of the follows and unfollows. I don’t even reciprocate anymore. If I like someone’s IG account, I follow them just purely to follow them. No strings attached, the end! I used to really like IG but lately it feels very superficial and draining…
The reposting has to do with the WP reader / feed. It shows snippets of posts of all the blogs I follow. It’s not necessarily limited to WP blogs, I can follow non-WP blogs as well. What people do is post their blog originally at, say 8am. Then later, they go into their already posted blog entry, edit the time for the future so it posts it again. In the reader, it becomes the top post (as if it was just newly posted). So what ends up happening is that I saw that post at 8am, but then I’m seeing it again later at the top of my feed, and later again… next day, the week after. UGH.
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OH! I was thinking … Oh shit, every edit sends the post to the top of the reader? But they are changing the time, I see! I agree with Instagram. I have a ton of unfollowers every day. I used to have new followers every day and occasional unfollowers. Now? It’s always equal so I never grow. No matter how hard I work to create beautiful photos! I love the people I am connected to though. But, I get so tired of the unfollows AND the fake comments “your feed is so inspiring, come see mine” OR “we would love to gift you our sunglasses”. But honestly, the worst are the pervs “Hello dear”…. I block as many as I unfollow. So sad.
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Is Instagram a reflection of real life? Creepers everywhere… 😮
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I am very sad that you’re leaving! Are you ever coming back? I’m sorry I haven’t been very consistent with reading your blog and other blogs. I haven’t been consistent with my own blog. I’ve had a lot of health issues going on for a while. I really agree with the things you say in this post though. It all needs to be said. I’m going to miss you! 😦
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No replies for me I guess 😕
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Aww Katie, don’t take it personally. Work was busy for the last few days and I actually took yesterday off completely so I limited my online time (it’s one of the things I’m consciously trying to do – be offline and living life). Of course I was going to respond to your lovely comment! ❤
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Okay I was just making sure lol. I had commented on some other posts of yours and didn’t get a reply. I wasn’t sure if I got put in a spam box because that happens on here. I’ve thought about that too. Living real life instead of living it mostly online. It’s healthy to take breaks and just enjoy your moments instead of documenting them meticulously.
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I think it’s healthy to just live life in the moment and not feel like having to always document it. Or needing an audience. Don’t get me wrong, I still love taking photos to remember the moments, but for only myself to see / relive. 🙂
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Exactly!! I couldn’t agree more 😊
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Never say never, I always say! For right now, I don’t see myself doing the same type of blogging in the future. Maybe I’ll mix it up into other topics. I’m just unsure so I don’t want to promise anything. I hate breaking promises!
I totally understand that your health situation is a huge factor in how frequently you can post. No need to be sorry about that. At least you’re up front about it. I think your engagement is amazing! 🙂
Thank you for your support, always! ❤
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Well let me know if you ever blog about anything else! I enjoy your posts and your writing style. Will you still be on social media at least? I just would love to be able to keep in touch ❤ I’m hoping to get my health issues more under control soon. I am seeing some specialists next week. I need to get this pain under control, but I’m feeling very hopeful about it. Thank you for always being so understanding 😊
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Thank you so much! Yes, I plan to stay on social media. I will definitely keep in touch you with! You’re one of the OGs of my blogging journey. 😀
I hope the specialists will get you the help you seek!!! You’re so strong and rarely complain – you always have a smile despite all the issues – I really admire that! ❤
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Awww thank you so much!! ❤ I’m glad that I will be able to see you around on social media 😄
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I agree with all of these. I think I’ve been guilty of some of the don’ts, especially the not commenting one, when things in real life sort of take over I feel like I have to get X amount of posts up to keep people coming back and don’t comment on others because it’s all I have time for but it took a lot of the fun out of blogging. Now if I’m not up to posting on certain days I read and comment instead, definitely makes it more fun but does make me add more things to my wishlist! 😆
I also fell into the trap of just posting similar content. I started out doing computer games and life and health posts as well as beauty but my stash got bigger and I felt like I had to post about everything I bought and sort of lost the more individual posts I was doing. When I’ve got my blogging space sorted (I finally have a desk/vanity!) I’m making sure it’s not too generic beauty blogger and it still has some ‘me’ in there, if that makes sense. And I’ll try to actually finish any ‘series’ I start, I have a few half finished ones that are so out of date now.
Basically, I love the post and think they’re things every blogger should do/not do. 😁
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You’re right, reading other blogs do pose its own challenges – namely, all the things that other bloggers “made” me buy! I actually created a spreadsheet of wishlist items with links of blogs where I learned about the items so I could reference back. I know… 😳
One of the reasons why I am stepping away from the blog is that I feel that most of the topics that I’m passionate about, I have posted them and “gotten them out” of my system. I used to get really fired up about a topic and hammer out a post. These days, it’s been tougher to get that same passion.
I’m glad you found this post helpful! I now kind of wished I’d posted it sooner. But hey, maybe it was the perfect moment to post it now I have more perspective. I look forward to reading your beauty series!
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That spreadsheet sounds like a great idea. Though I tend to forget the products after a week or so so if I did that I’d always remember and probably buy more! 😆
I think it’s easy to sort of run out of ideas or rather the passion for specific topics and fall into just posting the same thing over and over. I didn’t even realise I was doing it. I’m trying to make it so I don’t just blog about everything I buy, just things I find it easy to write about rather than forcing posts if that makes sense. I’m just hoping I don’t end up having my blog as jumbled and disorganised as it was at one point.
Maybe it was the perfect time to do it, plus you have such nice followers everyone’s so positive in here 😁 I know a lot of places and blogs on the internet might have turned into arguments with this topic but you did a great post about it. Hope I actually finish them then 😆 I’ve definitely got enough for a decluttering week of posts already!
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I’m sooo guilty of the first one in terms of continuously posting PR at the moment yikes. I’ve been so inconsistent because of school so I have been prioritizing PR. And I definitely need to go back to being more engaged! I completely agree blogger interactions are so necessary. I’ve had so much support from fellow bloggers.
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That’s the thing with PR stuff though – there’s this obligation that hangs over those products. Like you can’t leave them too long to post about them… and they take precedence over other things. Of course, you being in school makes it more challenging – don’t beat yourself up over it! I think it’s cool that people recognize these things in themselves. I’m guilty of some of the “don’ts” too! And not doing enough of the “do’s”. We’re all human. 🙂
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OMG love it! What a great post.
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😁 Oh yes, I am guilty of a few of these things, I think. Most of it stems from working on my blog/life/whatever more than reading other blogs; plus, I am fairly introverted and it takes a lot of effort from me to engage with others (esp. online). Well, at least I don’t complain about not getting comments on my blog when I’m AWOL. Hahaha!
You’re spot on with these, in my opinion. You are a harsh blog mistress, Stashy! 💕👠
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I think it’s cool you have your own thing going on! Maybe I’m biased when it comes to you because I’ve met you. I know you’ve got STUFF going on. And I get the sense that you post your blog entries for the sake of the topic at hand, not necessarily to get the feedback. I guess I’m a whore for comments… 😛
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Thanks! ❤ LOL 😆
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I am so guiLty of the Never Improve and Never Comment, as well as ignoring most of the Do’s ^^;
But I agree with everything you stated. And this makes me reaLLy sad that you’re ‘departing’ soon
😦 😦
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Aw, it’s sometimes not a linear process. I don’t think I’m always improving but just trying your best is important!
Thanks for all your support – I can’t believe how long we’ve “known” each other! 😀
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I’m going to comment tomorrow, but I want to mention a few things I’ve learned from blogging right away (before I forget)
1. It’s OK to write damning reviews about house of cr@p worthy products.
2. It’s OK to do posts about manis that didn’t turn out to be awesome (wait for tomorrow’s mani post…). Or when I didn’t get the photo right… hey, I’m a real person!
3. It’s OK to be a real person!
4. It’s OK to remain anonymous!
5. It’s OK to be a hoarder. I. Am. Not. Alone.
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I love your list! And here’s the main thing: there’s no definitively list of do’s and don’ts in anything. What works for me may not work for you. Plus, not everyone goes into blogging with the same goals. Maybe they don’t care if anyone reads their blog. Maybe they want to just post pretty photos and no words to explain it all. Who am I do say what they should and shouldn’t do. It’s a bit presumptuous. 😛
Yes, it’s ok to be a real person! Last time I checked, I’m flesh and bone and not a construct of the web… ❤
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Yes, we’re real people!
But there are so many bloggers out there who feel the need to apologise for not sticking to their schedule (= posting 3 hours late or something like that). Ah well…
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Honestly, I don’t think that readers are eagerly waiting at their phone / computer for a blog post from bloggers… (get over yourselves!)
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Exactly! 😀
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OMG I just had the comment of the century, then I clicked “post comment”.
Next thing I see is “sorry, the comment could not be posted”.
Now my right eye’s twitching, and my body temperature rose by at least 2 degrees.
I don’t know if I can manage to write up my thoughts again… I’ll try. I can’t make any promises, but I’ll try! But here’s the key point: Not everyone’s meant to have their own identity as a blogger. Some people really just blend in with the masses.
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ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 😮 I hate it when that happens! I want to read that comment of the century. Internet, why do you conspired to rob me of that?! 😥
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I was angry when it happened.
Angry!
I guess the internet didn’t want my comment to be out there.
One could say it served me right for saying some bloggers won’t be able to develop their own identity as bloggers. No matter what, they’ll always just blend in. I’m well aware I’m not a rock star blogger, and I don’t mean to be rude but, just like you, I follow quite a few blogs that I can’t tell apart. I really don’t mean to be rude, and I like some of these girls (maybe all of them – who knows… because I can’t tell), but I can’t keep up with who’s who and who reviewed what. And it doesn’t help when they all have similar names, similar blog names, similar interests, similar pets with similar names… there’s one girl whose blog I used to follow – I swear she posted the exact same photo of her FOTD every day. People went overboard with their comments – but she always looked the same. Face AND hair. Always the same. I don’t know what happened to her…
See, this is just a fraction of the comment of the century. And again, I didn’t mean to be rude. It’s just… this is how I see things. And I really mean no disrespect to anyone.
Anyhoo… if I have the time, I’ll try to write up my thought again – in Word. And then I’ll copy and paste! 🙂
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THANK YOU for retyping your comment! I appreciate it! ❤ (I always type my comments in the notepad program – I've had too many disappearing comments that I've learned…)
But YES, I agree with you that some bloggers won't or don't WANT to develop their own identity. I guess it's a mirror of real life. How many people do you know that are truly unique or stand out from the crowd? It's not being rude… it's just reality.
I don't understand people who post essentially the same thing all the time… and they are rewarded with lots of attention. I guess one word: sheep. 😛
Thank you again for typing all this out. It's now "out there" for the world to see! 😀 If you want to, please feel free to write up the remaining points… I think venting is good for the soul. 😉
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THANK YOU! Mwah! xx
I’ll try to write up the other points again. It might take a few days.
And yes, venting is good for the soul. I also believe it burns calories! 😛
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Okay I’m picking a sad time to get back into blogging. You’re leaving!?? Also great points. Sass and truth are two other things I feel your blog is known for 🙂 Which is yet again why you just can’t leave. I’m off to catch up on your other posts to find out whyyyyy!!!!????
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Aw yeah, I made the decision early in the year. I don’t have one reason – in general, I just am not passionate about it anymore, ya know? So funny that you’re getting back into blogging now too – another fellow blogging just got back into blogging the same day I announced that I was stepping away. It just goes to show how everyone’s got different things going on. I’ll still be online commenting so you bet I’ll be reading your blog!
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Hello Stashy.. although I’m not on here often, but I sure will miss reading your posts. I think I’ll just fade away on here 😂 not getting the same motivation on blogging anymore.
Have fun in whatever you choose to do instead 😁😁 see you on IG! 😘😘
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Hiya! 🙂 Thanks so much for your comment. 🙂 I do enjoy your blog but I understand that when the passion fades, it’s a big challenge to force yourself to continue. I really love your VIDEOS that you created of how you do your nail art! Do you still create them?
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This is all so perfect. You’ve said everything that needed to be said. You can tell when someone is not genuine and blogging for all the reasons, and it’s a lot of gosh dang work, so it’s definitely not something to be taken lightly.
I love what you said about finding your own identity. I think I started and stopped blogging so many times before I really started getting going because I was trying too hard to imitate other blogs. Once I just really put down my OWN thoughts and feelings, it’s been so much more fun and fulfilling ☺️
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I’m glad this post resonated with you! 🙂 Yes, blogging is a lot of work! I know it’s also a hobby but why half-ass it?
It’s true about so many blogs imitating each other. I understand that a lot of popular styles are popular simply because they show things in the best way (ie. hand poses for nail polishes… they’re all fairly standard just because they look best that way!) but I think it’s fun to challenge the norm. Happy blogging! 🙂
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This is so good! One thing I would add are those who follow blogs just for a follow back, some go as far as unfollowing a week later. I follow content I like and I think others should do the same. Like you said though, it’s a numbers game for some. I do post PR but not too often, and only when I’ve researched what I’m receiving and know I would actually use it or the brand stands for something I can get behind.
I think more people should do more on your do list! I will make a greater effort to comment. When someone puts a lot of effort into a post and their blog it’s important as readers we do the same!
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I’ve not tracked my follow / unfollows on my blog because I think I would just pull my hair out. I actually wait quite a while when someone follows me before I check out their blog – if at all. Call me a snob but just because you follow me, it doesn’t mean your blog is at all something I’d want to read (I’ve had a bunch of religious blogs follow me – ha! 😆 ) And when I follow someone’s blog, I have no expectation that they follow me back. I hate the IG mentality… it is so prevalent there that there are apps to track unfollows – like REALLY? Is this the best use of my time? Ugh.
I’m glad you liked the list! 🙂
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I try not to track but I’ve had someone follow me, unfollow, then follow me again a few months later. It’s like, I can see what you’re doing there bud, but it’s not working. I always check out if someone follows me because Im always curious of other people’s content.
I’m sure you’d attract a lot of religious blogs, I wonder if it’s because of your devotion to all your makeup! Hehe!
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LMAO, The Church of Makeup! 🤣 Oh man, why didn’t I think of that as a blog name…
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oh that would have been soo good!
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These are SUCH great tips! Everything you said was right on! I love how much of a community it is here. Thanks for sharing beauty! ❤
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Thanks! I’m so pleased that this post was well-received. I think it’s great that these things are being discussed in the open – we can all do better, I think. It’s how we grow! 🙂
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Boy am I late to this one! Haha! But this was such an honest post, and I’m glad you made it. I think everything you said is absolutely true!
I’m always in and out of the blogging world (mostly as a silent reader) and most of your “Don’ts” are what turn me off of some blogs as well. And because I try to take blogging seriously, I felt like I had to stop my own blog because I wasn’t giving it my best, and that’s not fair to the readers! I toy and toy with the idea of starting back because I really do like the blogging community, and I love writting and getting my voice out there, but when I do, I want it to represent me at my best!
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Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed this post! 🙂
I hear you about wanting to put out the best content and if time is limiting, it’s not worth putting out something half-assed. It would be great to see blog posts from you again but no pressure – I know you’re a busy person being a doctor and all that! 😉
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This was such a refreshing read! I have been taking an unintentional blogging break and I really have some things to think about when I get back into it. One thing I find really difficult is voice. I tend to be a bit of a grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. freak but I feel that blogging is not as formal a medium as, say, essay writing. It’s a thin line between trying to write the way that I speak/think and writing in a way that makes me sound like a child!
Always appreciate a Bill and Ted reference :]
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I hear you about “voice” because I don’t want to come off as too formal but not too informal. I try to structure proper sentences, but also not use too many colloquial speak, so I do end up using a lot more exclamation marks than I would to balance my tone. 😛
Bill and Ted just isn’t as appreciated anymore… 🤔
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This is my favorite! “Never read or comment on other people’s blogs” – and leave a comment to check their page and follow for follow😡. Haha
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Yeah it’s super annoying and so OBVIOUS. 🙄 Call them out!
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hahaha
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100% agree with your statement. That us why I am back! Looking foward for more updates from me 🤗
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Glad to see you back! ❤
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Woah what a post! I love your summaries at the end of each section, the don’t summary made me laugh! I am guilty of taking ages to reply to blog comments cos i turned notifications off so i dont get distracted by them so only do it on my laptop once a week! A pet peeve of mine is constant streams of sponsored posts too. Some very good points here! Xxx
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I’m glad you enjoyed the post! 😀 Sometimes real life happens – the blog isn’t everything – but at least you do come back to respond to the comments. I get so jaded when some blogs are just pure advertisements… it takes the fun out of blogging!
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Ohhh sassy stashy! 😂
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It seems like this topic really resonated with fellow bloggers! 😆
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I think you’re so funny 😂
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