FBFF: Community in Blogging
Well it's been quite some time since I've participated in FBFF, but I figured now was as good a time to jump back in as any. This week we're talking about community and interaction in blogging, and how it affects bloggers.
1. What blogging communities do you belong to?
Currently I'm a member of Independent Fashion Bloggers, Fashion/Beauty Friend Friday (when I remember!) and I recently joined Blog Trends, which has been amazing for interacting with new bloggers and getting different perspectives.
2. What role do you think community plays in blogging?
I think that's up to the individual blogger. Stats and comments are not a good measure of the quality of content, just the popularity of the blogger, so it's really up to the blogger to decide how they want to engage with the larger community or whether to remove themselves from it entirely. I think that it's entirely possible for a blog to be of high quality and to be successful without being a huge part of the zeitgeist, so community as it relates to blogging is I think more about the relationships you form with other bloggers as people and less about the actual blogs themselves. Even now, there are bloggers who I respect and admire and interact with regularly, but I've stopped reading their blogs. It's less about our individual content and more about the interpersonal relationships.
3. Commenting and social media interaction has decreased in the last several months. Why do you think that is?
Firstly, I think that this has a lot to do with the fact that so many bloggers are making the jump to blogging full time. Since they're now consumed with the day to day business of working with brands and managing their finances and their images, there simply isn't as much time left in the day to read and comment and interact as there used to be. There's only so much time in the day after all.
Secondly, I think that as a result of so many bloggers becoming businesswomen, the fashion blogging community in particular has become very insular and selfish, especially when it comes to personal style bloggers. This isn't an accusation, just something I've observed over the last few months. With all the designer collaborations and brand partnerships, the market is full to the point of bursting. Everyday, more people are making the leap to blogging full time, but there is only so much money to be made. I think that many bloggers are beginning to recognize this, and it's inevitably led to selfishness and jealousy. It's one of the biggest reasons why I've vowed to always ALWAYS remain a hobby blogger.
4. How do you cultivate community around your blog?
I have to be honest, I don't even try. When I started blogging, I always knew that it was a venture that I would be undertaking for myself and no one else. When it comes to readers and stats, I'm grateful for the limited recognition that comes my way, but it's not the reason I blog. I've always been a hobby blogger, and that fact allows me to remain fairly divorced from any "responsibility" to the community as it were. It's not to say that I don't want to participate or that I won't, only that the success of my blog isn't tied to participation.
5. If you could make one resolution to be a better community member what would it be?
My resolution would be to be more constructive with my commenting. I don't have the time to read other blogs like I used to, but I think that the driving force behind blogging is the conversations and discussions that they can generate. I think that being more mindful of the way that I participate in conversations online and being more open and honest without being combative, is something that will enable me to get more out of the experience of being part of the fashion blogging community.
1. What blogging communities do you belong to?
Currently I'm a member of Independent Fashion Bloggers, Fashion/Beauty Friend Friday (when I remember!) and I recently joined Blog Trends, which has been amazing for interacting with new bloggers and getting different perspectives.
2. What role do you think community plays in blogging?
I think that's up to the individual blogger. Stats and comments are not a good measure of the quality of content, just the popularity of the blogger, so it's really up to the blogger to decide how they want to engage with the larger community or whether to remove themselves from it entirely. I think that it's entirely possible for a blog to be of high quality and to be successful without being a huge part of the zeitgeist, so community as it relates to blogging is I think more about the relationships you form with other bloggers as people and less about the actual blogs themselves. Even now, there are bloggers who I respect and admire and interact with regularly, but I've stopped reading their blogs. It's less about our individual content and more about the interpersonal relationships.
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| via amberrisme.com |
Firstly, I think that this has a lot to do with the fact that so many bloggers are making the jump to blogging full time. Since they're now consumed with the day to day business of working with brands and managing their finances and their images, there simply isn't as much time left in the day to read and comment and interact as there used to be. There's only so much time in the day after all.
Secondly, I think that as a result of so many bloggers becoming businesswomen, the fashion blogging community in particular has become very insular and selfish, especially when it comes to personal style bloggers. This isn't an accusation, just something I've observed over the last few months. With all the designer collaborations and brand partnerships, the market is full to the point of bursting. Everyday, more people are making the leap to blogging full time, but there is only so much money to be made. I think that many bloggers are beginning to recognize this, and it's inevitably led to selfishness and jealousy. It's one of the biggest reasons why I've vowed to always ALWAYS remain a hobby blogger.
4. How do you cultivate community around your blog?
I have to be honest, I don't even try. When I started blogging, I always knew that it was a venture that I would be undertaking for myself and no one else. When it comes to readers and stats, I'm grateful for the limited recognition that comes my way, but it's not the reason I blog. I've always been a hobby blogger, and that fact allows me to remain fairly divorced from any "responsibility" to the community as it were. It's not to say that I don't want to participate or that I won't, only that the success of my blog isn't tied to participation.
5. If you could make one resolution to be a better community member what would it be?
My resolution would be to be more constructive with my commenting. I don't have the time to read other blogs like I used to, but I think that the driving force behind blogging is the conversations and discussions that they can generate. I think that being more mindful of the way that I participate in conversations online and being more open and honest without being combative, is something that will enable me to get more out of the experience of being part of the fashion blogging community.
What are your thoughts on blogging and community? How have you been interacting with other bloggers? Head over to Modly Chic to see other perspectives on this topic!
