Friend: “I want to make a video blog. Is that a good idea?”
My close friend asked me after her makeup class while on the car.
Me: “Yes, it is an awesome idea. Like you’re studying it already, might as well make the most out of your talents. And through it, you can get some future clients and projects like a legit makeup artist/vlogger.”
Friend: “But many of my friends are already doing it. Entering to it makes me an ‘another vlogger’ in a pool of YouTube vloggers.”
Me: “There’s nothing bad about it, you just have to be different and have a good purpose for it.”
I don’t know how to start here, but one thing I’m sure when it comes to blogging is this – it’s NEVER EASY, BUT WORTH THE INVESTMENT OF TALENT. I can encourage people to go and do blogging with a caution. But because of the popularity that this industry can give, most of us are not well-educated to see its good and bad side of it. That’s why many of us can jump to a wrong conclusion that blogging is ALWAYS GOOD.
For some, it’s easy to see the life of blogger/vlogger/online influencers as luxurious and fun because of the events, travel, and perks. But the reality is this: NOTHING IN BLOGGING IS FREE and NOT ALL THE TIME IT IS ALL ABOUT LUXURIOUS. IT COMES WITH A PRICE. A price that you need to constantly need to pay if you want to keep your blogger name stay alive in public.
How about this, the blogging community is getting larger every year. And because of that, some people don’t want to enter anymore no matter how great their ideas are. There’s another dark side of it. Because the blogging community is so big today, fake news is starting to put poison to the name that we protected. We’re no longer making a difference because of these issues.
So this is how we make our blog sites not relevant to the public. By experience, these are the things I’d seen that dull our color and credibility as a blogger (no matter how we try to impress with gimmicks):
1. Your blog ONLY fuels for MONEY
Any blog perks/honorarium/cool stuff you get as a blogger is not a bad thing. However, if these things are the only fuels you to blog, better recalibrate and have a heart check. Just like a famous artist once told me, “If you’re only doing your art for money, it’s like your making a prostitution out of your talents.” Personally, I used to be tempted to do a blog project that compromises the values of my blog for a good price. Yes, I get my honorarium, but I lose some of my readers in the process because they no longer know me and my niche. Money or Niche? Where do you focus your blog? Have a heart check now and recalibrate.
2. Your blog is “NUMBERS-oriented.”
One of the things that keeps me all night is to OVERCHECK the numbers of my follower and stats on Instagram, website, etc. It gets so weird to the point that I even bargaining to people, just for them to like or follow my social media accounts. And that’s how it can ruin a blogger. When every single thing we do is the ULTIMATE GOAL of making us big in numbers, we’re degrading our values, not just a blogger but a person as well. We’re living on a facade that we need to try so hard to fit in, ALL BECAUSE OF NUMBERS. The effect: depression and self-doubt come in. People see their self-worth based on their social media likes and they will lock to this delusion that being popular is better than not. I learned this lesson by shutting my phone sometimes and rely on God alone for more followers and stats. Because if I don’t, it will hurt my reputation and it will leave me obsessed and arrogant. There’s nothing wrong with numbers, you just have to learn how to control it right, not the other way around. And because of that, you can now sleep tight and so will I.
3. Your blog is ALL OVER THE PLACE.
People from the blogging industry always reminds us of this main important point: FOCUS ON YOUR NICHE. For some reason, I tend to jump from one niche to another; even if I’m not good at it. Before I started blogging way back 2015, I made it clear to myself and my readers that this blog site is a Christian Blog. So I started that way from promoting church events, worship songs, and my favorite Christian kids show online. Little did I know, opportunities start to open, that leads me to do food, beauty, and lifestyle blogging. And it didn’t stop there because I ended up selling food supplements, and doing PR posts of the things I have no idea what it is. So people no longer distinguish me from the rest, even PR companies don’t know where to put me because my website is full of things that are no connection to who I am as a blogger. So I have to learn to choose well my blog projects. I should not be swayed to any perks nor gimmicks just to fit in. Be a blogger that I want people to be, and surely God will honor my work.
Before I concluded with these points, I have to learn the hard way. I was open to the good, bad and ugly of blogging and it affects me in so many ways. But let me tell you this before you question my points: I never imagine to be a blogger. As a teacher, blogging is not my cup of tea nor top of my talents. I’m still figuring it out why I ever enter this industry with less expertise and connections. But I believe the reasons why I’m doing what I’m doing because of these things:
1. God gave me a PURPOSE TO BLOG
2. I value things that GIVE VALUE to PEOPLE, that’s why I blog it; and
3. It will be a PLATFORM for me to SHARE HIS GOSPEL OF LOVE to MORE PEOPLE, earning from it is the second.
And all of us need it, doesn’t it? A PURPOSE AND VALUE that makes us a blogger worth following. What I learned as I made this article is this – The only thing that separates a blogger from anyone else is their PURPOSE and VALUES they’re shown to the public. And that’s how #ResponsibleMedia works.
If you want to be a blogger, focus on these points first. Surely, with or without the big numbers, perks, and honorarium, you will be ok because God honors all good work that’s honoring to Him. In this industry, I learned that every opportunity is a blessing from Him. A blessing that I can’t take for granted nor ignore. So with or without blog events/opportunities, I AM STILL HIS. No room for bitterness nor complaining. Just pure love and stewardship for the talent and avenue He gave.
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