Screw Blogging Advice, Just Write.
Ten years ago I ran a popular, and successful blog dedicated to the topic of recovery and eating disorders. I had a widespread following, received a steady stream of comments from my subscribers, often found my posts being quoted or shared by fellow bloggers, and regularly made it onto user generated lists for 'best eating disorder blogs'.
When I first began writing my previous blog the idea of trying to become a successful blogger wasn't even on my radar. All I wanted was a space to express my thoughts and feelings in the early stages of eating disorder recovery; to talk about my frustrations, my doubts, my fears, and my triumphs, and to share those with others in the spirit of mutual community support.
But then people began to read my blog, and the more people read it, the more people wanted to engage and interact. At first it was just a few, and then a few more, and then a few more on top of that, and before it had even fully registered I suddenly had a 'following'. Now it seemed readers weren't just looking for the type of self expressive posts I had written before, they wanted to be handed some sort of expertise and guidance - and I was only too happy to give them what they wanted. Instead of self expression, my blog now became more about buzz words like 'content reach', and 'accessibility'.
I certainly don't regret becoming a successful blogger. At the time it allowed me to team up with others in the blogosphere, and deliver some real world help to those in need. We regularly got young girls, and boys, into treatment programs while they were still in the early stages of their own eating disorders, we acted as recovery mentors, and we helped people negotiate those initial, often terrifying and overwhelming first few months in active recovery. We did a lot of good work, and I do not regret any of that, not for one second. But it isn't what I envisioned, it's not what I intended when I first started out, and it came at a cost - the sacrifice of my own need, and desire for self expression.
So now I see these blog posts on 'how to make your blog more successful' talking about bite sized content delivery, dividing up paragraphs with eye catching headlines, sprinkling your writing with the proper amount of marketing hype and buzzwords to ensure better engagement. And that's fine if you're looking to market yourself, and to increase both your reach and your post engagement. But if you're just looking for a place to express yourself, if you just want to share your passions and interests, then screw the blogging advice and just write. Even if only one person in the world sits quietly patient and waits for your next update, then that is still one person your words have reached out to, and made an impression on. And *that* still makes your blog a success in my book.