Bloggers get a lot of advice to do things differently, try harder to get traffic, make more connections, monetize properly, write for SEO, or build a subscriber list.
Those of us who write about the craft and business of blogging spend a lot of time thinking about how you can improve your blog and get rewarded financially for your work. You might read online “experts” who say that the personal blog is dying, and that you should have a niche blog instead of just writing about your own thoughts, experiences and feelings.
In case you could use a reminder of the value of your work, take a look at what some have written in praise of personal blogs.
Fashion designer and blogger Anika of ByAnika.com writes a “love letter” to personal bloggers:
I didn’t know it was possible to type in a web address and to feel at home. Do you know why reading your blogs means so much to me? Do you know why I keep coming back? When I visit your blog I get something that I can`t find anywhere else. I get to be with YOU. Wonderful, vulnerable, strong, honest, generous, opinionated, stylish you.
You are brave, you know that? You dare to believe that you have something to offer. You are a line-dancer, balancing your personal life and your honesty, your shyness with your spunk, your self-doubt with your confidence.
You reach out, you connect, you support, you retweet, you are in it with intention, not a savage blogger but a gentle one.
Victoria Suzanne of ParfaitDoll.com describes the special bond between blogger and reader:
I find, in the quiet spaces between articles and comments and page breaks, the personal blog does something the editorial doesn’t. For a handful of people, the personal blog touches hearts. The highlight of my day is when I get a note from a reader saying that my blog made them smile, or helped them along the path to becoming a Lolita. I have to say that the true allure of personal blogging is its promise to connect with your readers on a whole other level.
Lorelle VanFossen, author of Blogging Tips: What Bloggers Won’t Tell You About Blogging and blogger at Lorelle on WordPress writes about the perfect personal blog:
A personal blog works when the walls are dropped. You can blog anonymously, but your words and stories are personal. They come from the heart – your heart – as you share yourself with others. The more transparent you are about who you are as a person, about your personality, your spirit, energy, thought process, beliefs, and the lessons learned, the more the reader can connect and relate.
It’s not important they know who you really are. It’s important that they know who you really are beyond a name and address and job.
In her guest post on BlogHer.com titled “Small Blogs: The Art of the Personal Journal,” Celeste Lindell of Average Jane compares personal blogs to handwritten diaries from earlier generations:
I believe the clearest value in personal journaling lies in the pictures it draws of the lifestyles of the writers. What will future historians think of the warts-and-all parent blogs that detail the struggles and joys of raising children in our times? How will they interpret the stark contrasts in point of view between left- and right-leaning personal bloggers? What will they take away from our casual recounting of every goal, dream, want, need and random idea?
Celeste Lindell closes her post by suggesting that insights from personal blogging and Twitter feeds will someday be a distinct academic discipline. She asks: Wouldn’t it be interesting to make that your life’s work? Or do you prefer to be the one writing the material that they’ll be perusing?
About the author: Carol Zombo gives grammar and writing tips on her blog, and writes frequently for Tribal Blogs. You can connect with Carol and subscribe to her Writing Tips Newsletter at BlogRehab.com.
[…] It’s not important they know who you really are. It’s important that they know who you really are beyond a name and address and job. In Praise of the Personal Blog […]
I love this! Just when you feel like quitting because the reward isn’t immediate or enough $ something like this comes along and makes it all worthwhile.
Thanks, Jen! 🙂
I have a personal blog. Most of the blogs I read are personal blogs. We aren’t out to set the world on fire or make money. We don’t exactly know what SEO is and we don’t care. We started out writing for ourselves, maybe as a goof, maybe because we read about blogs and wanted to try it out and lo and behold we enjoyed it. The writing, the sharing, the catharsis and the friends we have made all over the world. I’ve had a blog for 6 years – not the same one today as when I started out, not the largest number of regular readers but you know what – I have made friends. I’ve touched people and they have touched me. When I need to talk, to vent, to be understood – I know where to go – my blog. And that’s the reward. That’s the fun. That’s the reason we keep on doing it. There isn’t a region in this country where I couldn’t find a couch to crash on. We write, we share, we commiserate, we laugh, we cry together – on our blogs, through our blogs. And we are all better off for it. We make a difference to each other and that is priceless.
What a great way to describe it, Grace. I love the image of crashing on the reader’s couch! It’s hard for non-bloggers (muggles?) or those who aren’t blog readers to get the whole phenomenon.
That’s a great way to describe it, Grace. I love the image of crashing on a reader’s couch!
I wasn’t describing something, I was stating a fact. And I hope they know they are welcome to my guest room whenever they like!
I love what many of the bloggers you quoted had to say about personal blogs…there are a handful of blogs that I truly read every post of because I feel such a strong connection to them through their blogs-people I’ve never met!
Thank you for stopping by my blog. Just FYI I responded to your questions in my comments here: http://www.whatilivefor.net/2010/09/jack-o-lanterns-from-jar.html