Last Sunday morning I sat down and actually read some posts that came up in my twitter timeline for the first time in.. a very long time. The theme across the board seemed to be the death of old school blogging, some people talked about what they missed, others about what they disliked about the blogosphere today, either way, it aint what it used to be.
I started wondering whether we could ever get back anything of what we once had. Obviously there are considerably more bloggers and vloggers now than there were 5 years ago and so growth and engagement is down across the board but there are things we perhaps stopped doing (or at least cut back on) that we could start again. Ideas we have dismissed because we didn’t think people would enjoy them anymore, formats we’ve retired that we once loved.. could there be a dusty old gem we’ve left behind that still has the potential to shine?
This feels like a September thing to me, I think it’s the ‘Back To School’ vibe I’m getting but here on my blog and on my YouTube channel I am declaring August ‘OG Blogging Month’ .. I was going to use Old School but I decided I was hip and cool OG was catchier. So for the month of August I’m going to be delving in the archives for inspiration, daily blogging, bringing back beauty videos and hosting a weekly twitter chat and sharing, sharing, sharing! I used to love twitter chats and I know they’re still around (I attempted to get involved in one last week and felt 150years old) and am definitely not trying to horn in on anyones territory but for August I’m going to run one on a Wednesday night at 8 for those taking part in the OG month along with me.
There are a bunch of things I miss about blogging 5 years ago compared to now but the biggest thing I miss that I know I have complete control over is my motivation. I was so driven and worked hard every week to produce a huge amount of content, I took zero time off when I had a baby/was working 4 days a week and was doing 100% more than I am right now. I want to pull out a bunch of new stuff and actually take the time to test it out, I want to want to promote those reviews on twitter because I’m engaged in the community and I want to read other people’s posts and comment on them. Long time readers will know this is something I’ve struggled with for too long and I’m forever searching for my missing mojo. I’m thinking it’s not just me that feels entirely disconnected from something we once loved to do and hoping that during the next month we can support each other (I know, it’s unbelievable but we used to do that all the time) and show some new bloggers what blogging used to be about.
If you’re interested in joining me in this ‘challenge’ I’ll be online tonight at 8 to chat using the hashtag #OGbloggingmonth and will be back here on the 1st August!
Love this post, I completely agree! I’m yet to join in on a blogger chat so that actually sounds great x
http://www.xosophhh.com
the thing is, these days there are no big/small bloggers because even the largest bloggers aren’t as huge as they once were.. I feel like it’s time to get back to the community we used to be
I cannot wait to take part in this. What a fantastic idea!! I will try and join in with #OGbloggingmonth chat tonight and start posting daily from the 1st of August.
Thank you for the much needed motivation!! xox
Yes I’m looking forward to this! I have lost my sparkle for blogging a bit too and am looking forward to bringing it back!
I’ll try And be there for the chat tonight
Charlotte
I had nearly a 2-year break from blogging and came back to a whole new world! It’s all so bloody professional now! I went through 350 posts during my redesign and put a lot of crap that was acceptable back in 2011 back into draft I’m embracing the changes and throwing myself back into it but I do miss the old days! Looking forward to the chat! xxx
This sounds like such a good idea! Blogging has changed so much over the years, it’s nice to go back and relive some of that nostalgia x
A Little Treat | Beauty & Lifestyle Blog
This is awesome!
I really love the new direction your taking with your blog and You Tube channel. Since I turned 30 I’ve had a total F*** it attitude and I think you explain really well that having an online presence is something to be enjoyed, not stressed about. It shouldn’t be all about numbers.
Like you say, engagement – or to avoid buzzwords, just CONNECTING – with real people online is what it’s all about. Having beautiful pictures is great, in fact I wish mine were better, but honest, interesting and entertaining content has got to come first in my opinion.
Sorry I’ve gone off on a bit of a tangent there but basically I’m saying good on ye. Well done xx
thank you! I feel exactly the same way. With age you just don’t care as much about what you used to! You want to get back to enjoying things again
Yessss!! Blogging has changed so much!! I feel like so many of the bloggers now are controlled by ads and sponsors. It’s not like it used to be when we blogged about products we loved and didn’t care if we got something for free (thought it was always super exciting if we did!) The #bblogger world used to be so supportive and I made the best friends. We always had a Sunday afternoon twitter chat and I waited all week for that time! Ah, I miss the good old blogging days! Can’t wait to see how you bring it back this month!!:)
nor can I! I so miss ‘the old days’
Please can we not adopt the annoying Americanism ‘bunch of stuff’ – proper sets my teeth on edge.
Unless you are talking about bananas or flowers that is!
Similarly gotten!
I make no promises
As a fellow Yorkshirewoman, I would appreciate it!