Blogging for Creatives (2012) by Robin Houghton
Thirteen years later, this reads less as a how-to than as an artifact from a simpler time, the glossy screenshots trapped in amber. Why have so many blogs been abandoned? Was this niche better filled by Facebook? Youtube vlogging? Etsy storefronts? While even this next gen of social media encourage frequent content updates to keep the audience engaged, the audience is more aware of the role their attention plays in this economy and the mental health ramifications of information overload. We resent both poorly targeted and uncannily relevant advertisements. On an intellectual level, we appreciate that we are looking at what amounts to someone else's carefully curated highlights reel and should not compare this performance to our lived, unedited experience or we will doom our generation to the anxiety of inadequacy.
But this book was able to expand my horizons --
- A blog can be legitimately written just for myself, to organize my thoughts. However I am still stumped what "performance" metrics to evaluate myself against if this is my aim.
- It is possible to post from my phone on the go. This allowed me to continue capturing daily gratitude even on a road trip... But the workflow isn't so great I would consider mobile blogging my prefered method of composition.
- It inspired me to add my blog address to my farmgirl sisterhood signature. In doing so, another sister did the same, which allowed me to visit her blog and post an encouraging comment. Maybe some day I'll add my blog to my email signature-- before I do, I need to level up on my online positivity/diplomacy and do one of those Martha Beck courageous honesty challenges so that I am addressing any annoyances in daily life (rather than complaining online).
- I love photo-heavy posts from others. I could start working on photography/photoshop badges to put better material out there.
- It gave me ideas for content plans to try-- although the lazy girl in me plans stick with MJF's merit badge system as scaffolding for my content updates.
- an "aural" blog post-- body double with me while I do household chores or garden.
- guest post somewhere -- it would be so cool to help MJF with a forward feature some day.
- blog idol/kindred spirit "hang" -- (i.e. Kevin's Epic Gardening channel in San Diego, or Siloe's high production value whimsical Victorian home renovations in MD)
- a list -- round up of my favorite worth-repeat-reading books
- a contest -- Frugal February, Maker's March, Stocktober
- a photo -- before/after home and garden makeovers
- an interview/profile -- with local candidates up for election, it seems like for the hometown races, there isn't enough information to make an informed decision.
- a how-to -- create a home that levels up your health
- a take/point of view -- my policy if I ran for president (Bukele, 1950's tax rates)
- a controversy -- list of my 101 hot takes/unpopular opinions
- a prediction -- dozen dares and my prediction for how they will go vs. reality
- a story -- post preowned gear (etsy, poshmark) with an epic Neil Gaiman-esque story in the product description
- a review -- home school curriculum end of year walk through
- a roundup -- my version of James Clear's Thursday 3-2-1 post
- something different (one blogger had a cute Christmas puzzle widget embedded in her post)
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