Thursday, January 23, 2014

The Only Blogging Rule You Need To Listen To

Do whatever the hell you want.

It’s really as simple as that.
Post 7 days a week. Be my guest.
Write about how you love being a SAHM. Do it.

Give me dating advice based off your terrible online dating. Yes please.

Use the ‘perfect’ keywords to make the search words to your blog explode. BRING IT.

When I first started blogging I just jumped into it. I went and swapped with every person I could find. Personally this was not a good idea for me. I felt overwhelmed trying to keep track of it all and I was ready to throw in the towel. Also. My writing was pretty terrible and so not me. I was putting on an act and trying to be this picture perfect newlywed and mom and omg I’m glad that blog when to the blog graveyard cause most of the writing was shit. ALSO. Oh this is my biggest regret. I would review products I either. One. Didn’t really like. Two. Would never use/buy. Three. Didn’t really fit into my blog. WHY? Because that's what bloggers do. That's what you're SUPPOSE to do. If I would have just listened to my inner monologue once then I could have saved myself a lot of time and trouble. For some people this might work. They can BS their way through it. I cannot and could not. It was a disaster and it was very apparent when I was trying to push something onto people and it was soooooooooo unbelievable.

So I then did the logical next step in my mind. I went and look at all these posts on ‘blog rules’. Please do yourself a favor and don’t look at it. Because the moment you do it WILL effect your writing. You will be crippled with fear and anger that you try to write and you’re stifled by all these ‘rules’. I’m not saying that the ‘rules’ some bloggers are giving aren’t great. BUT. They should be advice. Because when you say rule it implies that if you don’t follow it you are breaking the law and will get nowhere. That is a lie. There are plenty of bloggers who do not follow the 'rules' and they are what many people would deem as successful.

What I am saying is that there is difference between blogging advice and blogging rules. Advice is something people give as a recommendation. They are telling you what worked for them perhaps but you need to know that it might not always work for you. I can’t stand when someone goes and gets a consultation from another blogging and they are pissed because a week later there stats aren’t through the roof. They were giving you advice. They told you what they did. You and they are two different people. Your background is different. Your writing style is different. You are not that person. So for you to think that by doing exactly as they recommend that you will become them is dumb on your part. Also. Why would you want to be exactly like someone else? That’s no fun. Nor is it believable. You need to take what they did and gave as advice and put your own twist on it. Make it your own and people will be able to relate better. People can spot a fake person in blog land a mile away. And as shameful as this is to admit. I use to be one of them. It took me along time to realize it but people enjoyed me a whole hell of a lot more when I wasn't pretending to be someone else.
 
 
Be Yourself quote by #judygarland   via #mollyjacques
 


13 comments:

  1. Yayyy and YES!!!! Being you is so much better than being anyone else, when I look for new blogs I'm looking for something unique. I don't want to read the same blog over and over BORING!!

    If you're going to be a blogger just be you. Everyone has a different goal or reason for blogging and there's no right or wrong way to reach your goal. Just be you and do your thing, not everyone's going to like you but that's not any different than life.

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  2. So glad to see you back, and I love your ig shots of your calorie burns :) one question: any idea why your posts aren't showing up in my blogger feed?! I have to come to your site to read your posts. It just says "this blogger doesn't have any recent posts" even though you do. Dumb.

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  3. You. This. Happy dance! I think you're pretty damn great and I think this post is pretty damn great. You do you, Brin.

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  4. Love this; people are often scared to be themselves because it's "against the rules" well it's more fun to be a rebel anyways... "Rules" can take a hike! Thanks for your honesty :)

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  5. I think this post couldn't come at a better time.

    You're right. There ARE no rules. There are good SEO practices, etc. But never rules. Love this.

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  6. I totally agree..which is why I got fed up with my old blog and decided to start a new one and just write when I felt like it, when the mood strikes and abotu whatever the hell I feel like! Feels good!

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  7. totally agree, love this. we all need to hear this.

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  8. I agree... DEF a difference between advice and rules... because what works for one person isn't going to work for everyone else!

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  9. as if i needed a reason to love you more...

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  10. So true and I needed to hear this! I just started a blog and my one promise to myself was to be true to me. Obviously I write because I feel like a have a story to tell and I would love it if my blog ended up growing but I can't let me be my motivation. I would much rather have a blog that no one reads but makes me happy than a successful blog that is a facade.

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  11. Yes!!!!!!! I love this! And am glad to see you're blogging again! Now I will have new things to read while "getting ready for work" or "working" haha

    My blog doesn't go by any rules or advice at alllllll. And I suck at blogging. Probably why no one hardly follows me haha oh wellllll.

    My favorite of blogging is when you comment on someone posts and they comment back on your latest.. Or if you leave 3 different comments they do too.

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  12. Ahh thank you for this! Sometimes I come across those articles or posts about increasing your traffic, or just being a better blogger in general, and then reading through all of those lists of things you "must" do to be successful makes me just want to almost give up. But thank you for the reminder that it's just advice, not the law, and that it's so, so much better to be genuine.

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