BritMums Live 2012 was an amazing event, and I am sure I am not the only one feeling overwhelmed by being part of such an amazing community of bloggers.
I am full of admiration for the organisers, and for all the wonderful people I met, listened to, or spoke to amongst the sponsors, the speakers, and the delegates. I have learnt so much and have a head full of ideas – for blog posts about sessions I attended at the event, for sponsored posts, for redesigning my blog – and lots of food for thought about what blogging actually means – to me in particular, and to the world in general (deep!).
So lots of positivity was gained from the weekend, but somehow it’s left me feeling a little blue. Maybe it’s because I had such a wonderful time with my friends, and miss them now being so far away (geographically at least, though virtually just a tweet away).
Or maybe because I found it all very white and middle class, like one big PTA meeting. Is blogging just something else that the right-on middle class parent has to add to their already busy load of being wife and mother (lets face it, daddy bloggers were far and few between), employee and homemaker? The audience certainly did not reflect the cultural diversity of the UK population, and I wondered why that was.
Am I feeling low because all the sponsorship and freebies from big companies left me with a slight bitter taste in my mouth? Don’t get me wrong, I probably loaded up with more babywipes and lego than anyone else, and have one very happy son wearing a Yogi Bear teeshirt right now. In retrospect however, I wonder how much blogging is about the individual voice. Is is instead just another tool that can be exploited by consumer capitalism to keep us all in its thrall?
Perhaps it’s just because I drank way too much wine?!
I am very sorry to be starting my blog posts about BritMums Live on a negative note. Now that I’ve got that off my chest, I will be back later in the week with the positive aspects, of which there were plenty. Bear with me BritMums!
Twitter:
on June 25, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Really honest and interesting comment Moll. Im glad it was so positive on the whole but I think you’re right that in blogging, as in life, you have to be true to yourself x
Thanks for your comment Kathryn. Just lots fo think about. x
Twitter:
on June 25, 2012 at 8:33 pm
This is similar to how I felt after Cybher. I knew quite clearly why I blogged, but wondered where I fitted in to the whole blogging thing. Where my niche was? I definitely felt blue, was disappointed not by the conference itself, but somehow in myself. I really struggled blogging afterwards, but somehow felt much better couple of weeks afterwards. It all seemed to click into place. I seem to have a not so much a love hate relationship with it, but love and frustration?!
Thanks for your lovely and interesting comment. I’m glad to hear that this is a normal reaction after first blogging conference, and that things will fall into place. Or else I can always run off and join the circus 🙂 x
This is pretty much exactly how I’m feeling right, a dose of blogging depression 🙁
Thanks for your comment – sorry to hear it (but also glad it’s not just me). I didn’t get to speak to you at the conference but found your workshop on accounting basics very useful (and you delivered it wonderfully) -thanks.
Nope you are definitely not alone, and I’m glad you found my session useful 🙂
Hello! Thank you so much for leaving such a lovely comment on my blog. I have felt so much better having such support for my post. I am sorry you felt blue too. I thought what you said about it all being very middle class and sponsor ridden was very interesting. I hadn’t thought of that before. I was asked by various brand people if I would write about their products and, to be honest, I won’t be doing so. I came to the conclusion a little while ago that the reason I blog is for me and that I don’t feel comfortable blogging about this that and the other product. Each to their own obviously, but I definitely feel better now that I’ve decided not to go down that route. I did, however, desert all my principles and came home with bags and bags of swag from BritMums Live!!
I will definitely follow you and look forward to hearing about/seeing your allotment!! Take care. Sarah x
Thanks for commenting. I can”t make up my mind about product reviews – when I started blogging I thought I’d never do them, but I gave in pretty quickly. I don’t mind doing some every now and again as it gives a bit of variety, but if I do too many then I feel guilty and immediately cut back. Need to make up my mind whether to stop completely, or just do products/services that I really believe in. Britmums has given me a lot to think about – I have a few outstanding reviews to do but after I’ve done them I’m going to have a serious think about whether to abandon this side of blogging. Thanks again for your comment, and for following me on Twitter x
I think we all doubt why we blog from time to time, at which point I have to remind myself that I blog for myself and not for anyone else. Be true to yourself and don’t worry about changing course, if you feel like it.
Awww, some sad bloggers!!
I think you have to blog for yourself and only yourself. And that’s why all these brands pushing stuff on you is dangerous. Because once you start blogging for the free stuff you’ll grow tired of it very quickly.
Work with the brands you genuinely love and forget the rest of them. They’re only after your readers, that you’ve worked hard to cultivate. Plus I find most of them don’t even bother to read your blog properly before they make approaches.
I think you also have to be careful about being a blogging sheep. I started out by doing fashion blogging “here’s me in a pretty outfit” posts, because that’s what everyone else did. That’s fine for some people but it’s not me. I grew tired of it very quickly and it became a real drag.
Now I feel I’ve found my voice and I love it more than ever.
So if you love it keep doing it, but just be true to yourself! Here ends my words of (vague) wisdom. xx