Blogging Archives • Countries & Cultures

The Evolution of Blogging

Leigh Ann — Sun, 22 Jul 2018 01:32:30 +0000

The Evolution of Blogging

he idea of blogging was born out of the desire to share authentic experiences with others. Travelers would post their raw, imperfect photos and write about their adventures. They didn’t have a million photo filters to edit their pictures or unbelievable drone footage. Blog posts were filled with words and if there were any photos, they were of more than just themselves and their food in iconic locations.

As blogging has gained popularity (and monetary value), more and more people have sought the title “blogger”. As someone who is and has always been incredibly passionate about writing, there are several aspects of this “Blogging Era” that leave me more than a little perturbed…

Now, I have to clarify that when I refer to “bloggers” I am specifically focusing on those who refer to themselves as travel bloggers. Here are my questions and challenges for you (and of course myself).

What Frustrates me About “Blogging” Today:

Posts share very little useful/applicable information
Too many photos, not enough written content
Photos don’t capture realistic experiences
Posts have little if any insightful/thought provoking comments

Travel bloggers…what happened to all the relevant and applicable information?? What happened to the story? I search for three things in blog posts: 1. logistical information related to the adventure so I can experience it myself, 2. storytelling that draws me into the moment and makes it feel real and 3. thought-provoking insight that challenges me to consider new ideas.

I love a stunning picture of some remote beach or mouth-watering food or your exotic experience swimming with sharks…..and while these photos have me picking my jaw up off the floor, they also leave me with about 1,000 questions, none of which are answered.

How did you get to that gorgeous beach? Did you hike, take a sketchy bus ride, ride up the mountain on a llama?? Is there anything extra I should bring with me? Where was the restaurant with that amazing food? How much did it cost? Did they speak English? How did you book your shark swimming extravaganza? Is it something I need to book far in advance? How much does it cost??

If anyone else can relate here pleeeease let me know. I can see pretty pictures all day on Instagram, but when I go to someone’s website, I want to discover the stories behind the photos! Can the author transport me into the moment with their storytelling? Can their words make me feel as though I am walking down the foreign streets right next to them, can they bring the sites and smells and flavors to life?? These are the posts I am desperate to read and am dying to write myself.

Not only is there no logistical content telling me where and how I can do what they did, but there is also no cultural or insightful information.

I crave posts that cause me to pause and think about a topic for longer than 2 seconds. A post that is thought-provoking, challenges me to look at something from a diverse perspective. A post that makes me look at myself differently, look at the world differently. There is so much we can learn from each other when we take the time to share it. Each of us has a unique set of experiences, backgrounds, religions, world views that all come together to give us our unique perspective of the world. Each of us could have the seemingly same experience and come away with completely different thoughts and insights.

Technology has created a global web of connectivity where we are able to interact with people from every culture. This is access to so many different minds around the world is something that can be used to share so much more than just pretty images.

I can’t tell you how frustrated I get when I am scrolling through a blog post and it feels more like I’m scrolling through their Instagram feed. There are 100 pictures and almost no words to explain or describe anything.

I’m calling myself out as much as anyone here because even I feel that pull to add as many beautiful photos to a post as possible. There is this part of me that feels like if I don’t have photos scattered all throughout my blog posts then people won’t continue reading. As if the photos are the only thing worth giving any time to! And let’s be honest, often times they are. When the writing is poor (or even non-existent) why would anyone spend their time reading through it?

To be fair, I would argue that the appreciation for reading has decreased significantly in this new age of technology. More often than not, we seek something that will allow us to turn off the wheels turning in our head and put our brains on autopilot. Okay, if I get on this topic I could go on for days so I’m going to real myself and avoid that bunny trail for now. But essentially, I wanted to note that even when blogs do provide quality written content, it can be hard to find the right target audience who will value it.

So, my challenge for you and for myself is can we refocus our energy on sharing more than just the images of our most coveted moments? Can we create a community where each of our personal experiences can be used as a means of broadening all of our world views?

We can use this powerful tool called the internet for so much more than just momentary stimulation from photos. Yes, we can and should include our amazing images and videos in our content, but what I really want to know is what did that trip teach you? How did it change you? How can I learn from your experiences and how can I teach others from mine?

This is my ultimate goal as a writer. I want what I share to bring tangible value to the lives of others and I challenge you to question how you can do the same.

I hope you enjoyed this article and I would love to hear your thoughts regarding this topic. As a writer, what has your experience been in the blogging world? And as a reader what kind of content are you searching for?

If you enjoyed the article click the heart at the top right of the page and share! I love to hear back from you guys so comment below! Even if it is just to say hi, your feedback and engagement is so encouraging! Unless otherwise noted, all photos and content have been taken and written by myself.

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Blogging as an Introvert

Leigh Ann — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 17:38:39 +0000

Blogging as an Introvert

n the age of technology and social media, the world of blogging has transformed dramatically. As Instagram increases its social media dominance, its reach and influence has become undeniable. A bloggers ability to navigate the ever-changing waters of Instagram can significantly increase the success of their online blog.

But with more and more profiles competing for viewer’s attention, the amount of forethought and energy that goes into growing and maintaining a loyal following is enough to exhaust even the most extroverted bloggers…..not to mention us introverts….

Here are my some of the aspects I struggle most with as a blogger trying to grow my reading audience:

To start, there’s a few personality traits about me that are helpful to understand:

I am a huuuge introvert
As an introvert, social interaction is extremely exhausting to me
Not only is social interaction exhausting, when I feel like I am being forced to socialize with others I inherently want to do the exact opposite (AKA, run away and hang out in a coffee shop by myself)
I looooathe small talk and loooove really genuine and meaningful interactions

1. Blogging as an Introvert – It’s Exhausting

As an introvert, social interaction in general is tiring. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love socializing, it’s just I am completely exhausted at the end of it. A few hours spent with friends hanging out and I am ready for an equal amount of alone time to decompress and recharge.

For me, continually engaging with followers on Instagram is as tiring as having a face-to face conversation. Again, I love it! But I get burnt out quickly trying to maintain communication with so many different people at once. From responding to comments on my own posts, direct messages, or commenting on the posts of others, there is a seemingly never-ending flow of conversations happening.

2. Blogging as an Introvert – My natural instinct pushes me away from social media

If I have learned anything in these first few months of blogging and Instagram, it’s that consistency is key. You have to maintain a steady stream of communication and engagement with your followers. Without it, you will fade from their focus and quickly as you entered it. As I mentioned above, when socializing is required, my automatic response is to retreat internally and avoid communication at all costs.

It’s such an interesting dichotomy for me because on the one hand my emotional response to doing all these things so that I can grow my audience is immediately one of repulsion. I don’t want to post every single day and keep a steady stream of photos and videos on my Instagram story, research all the right hashtags, respond to posts as quickly as possible, blah blah blah….

But my mental response it that I truly want to make my mark in this community and at the end of the day I will do whatever is required to really stand out and be noticed. But it is SUCH an internal battle for me. Every day I am mentally fighting that introverted response of wanting to avoid attention. I have to fight against the exhaustion I feel after all the virtual communication with so many people. I know there are many who love engaging with so many people on a daily basis and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Their energy comes from social interaction, mine comes from sitting alone in a café and pretending I’m listening to music so that no one talks to me ?

I have a commitment to myself that if at any point I come to hate writing (veeery unlikely) or Instagram becomes too all-consuming and draining, I’ll stop. At the end of the day, I write because it makes my soul happy, I share my writing in a hope that it will do the same for others. But if I have to sell my soul to Instagram in order for others to discover me, I’ll take my heart and my writing and find others way to share it with you all! More to come on this topic soon ?

3. Blogging as an Introvert – I crave sincerity, authenticity and quality conversations

Social media (Instagram specifically) has proven to be such a powerful tool for brands to advertise and reach an incredible number of people. But what is even more incredible is the transformation of the noun “Instagram” to the verb “Instagrammer, now known as “Influencers,” and rightly so. Countless people are making a living posting beautiful photos and videos on Instagram; getting paid to write product reviews or travel to breath-taking places.

Their “influence” on Instagram is something that holds tangible, monetary value. But as the power of a large Instagram following has grown, so too has the presence of fake accounts. You can now buy pretty much anything on Instagram: followers, likes on your photos, comments on your photos, you can even pay for companies to actually comment on others photos for you…..

If that doesn’t scream insincerity to you then I don’t know what will….I write because it makes my soul happy. And I, like so many others, have realized the undeniable fact that Instagram is an amazing tool for sharing my articles with a vast audience. But I can’t tell you how quickly I became disenchanted with it all as the weight of artificiality began to overwhelm me.

As Instagram began to feel more and more like a chore, I happened to meet some fellow “Instagrammers”; bloggers and kindred spirits who reminded me that even amidst all the toxic insincerity, genuine people could still be found. The prevalence of falsity in the social media world has made these relationships an even brighter light. I have absolutely loved getting to connect on a deeper level with these passionate and authentic hearts. Each of their journeys’ are so unique and it has been so reviving to follow their stories and create a supportive community with such incredible people. I link to their individual blogs and Instagrams below!

I hope this article wasn’t too much of a downer for you all! These are thoughts that have been running through my head for weeks now and I finally decided to make a post out of it. I realized that this was an excellent opportunity for me to share a really different and often times unknown side of my personality with you all. In a way, it is a small glimpse behind the scenes of what blogging and “Instagramming” is like for me.

Still being so new to this world, I know there is still so much to learn, so many challenges to overcome and so much to SHARE. And that is what keeps me excited to continue: the fact that I can write to my hearts content about some of the things I am most passionate about and maybe inspire, guide and support some of you along the way 🙂

I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts on this topic! Does using Instagram leave you energized and excited or are you more like me and find it drains your energy stores? If so, what have you done to find a balance and continue to enjoy using this resource? What are some of the things that are most overwhelming or difficult for you?

Some of the genuine and inspiring bloggers I have connected with!

Rita Quinn – Full time RV traveler and spectacular photographer – Instagram, Rita Roams

Heather & Nick – Couple who renovated a bus to live on the road – Instagram, Vicaribus

Brain and Sabrina – Couple traveling the U.S. in their RV and spreading Jizo love – Instagram, Traveling Zen Den

Britt & Tony – Travel RV Family raising their kids on the road! – Instagram, Simplexing Life

Jeani and Jerry – Full time RV couple roaming the U.S. – Instagram, Repurpose Dreams

Jessica Lavey – Yogi Blogger – Instagram, Happiness Hustle

Wendy McLarnan – Airstream Renovator, Farm Life – Instagram, This Orange House

Amber McCluney – Virtual Fitness Coach, Writer, Sommlier – Instagram, Tiny and Tenacious Fitness

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