For the most part, blogging as a hobby or even as a career can bring amazing things; creativity, freedom, lifelong friends and a part of the internet to call your own. But there are drawbacks which go beyond the cliques of "it can be lonely" and "blogging will take up most of your free time".
Which is why I thought it was about time we discussed some of the true drawbacks to blogging (along with a few positives, mind) that barely get mentioned!
Most people won't 'get' it (and that will never get less frustrating)
While your nearest and dearest may see the work that goes into blogging thus understanding it more than the average, your Aunty Margaret will not. Nor will most people for that matter. In fact, you will often get family members and even friends being perplexed at what blogging is and why you are wasting your time on it.
Which is semi-understandable the first time you tell them or they find out you own something called a 'blog', but after 8 years it gets a little old and you do start to wonder if they are being purposely ignorant.
To this day even though I've been blogging full-time as my main career for the past 5 years I still get family members asking me what I actually do or thinking I don't have a job - which makes zero sense! While it's something you get used to over time it doesn't become any less frustrating!
There's no rule book or guidelines... but you will find support
If there was one thing that the blogging community could do with it would be set guidelines or a union of some kind. Because whether or not you want to make an income from blogging there will be times you feel clueless about something and there won't be anywhere reliable to turn for answers or advise. From figuring out how to do everything above board to how much to charge it's a minefield, heck even now, 8 years into blogging I still get it wrong.
However, there is thankfully support to be found in other bloggers. It may be a single blogger friend that will be able to help out or a bunch of gals that can offer advise you need. While it will take time and effort to forge these relationships they will be rewarding in so many ways and beyond helpful to have.
You will juggle more things than you ever imagined
You've probably heard the derogatory saying "Jack of all trades, master of none" well if it was applied to blogging it would read "Jack of all trades, master of all". From writing, photography, photo editing, social media marketing, HTML, pitching, designing and much more, you will find you do it all with the aim of mastering it all as well.
This is a huge positive as it not only makes you more knowledgeable with a much wider skill set but also more employable. However, there will be times where you feel like you are stretched too thin and juggling so many different things all at once. This is part and parcel of blogging and building a successful career and proof it very much is a one man/woman show most of the time!
Readers will think they know you
Deciding how much of your personal life you want to share on your blog is very much a learning curve with no right or wrong decision. While keeping it strictly professional and on-topic can work, sharing your personality and a glimpse of your life can do wonders for how engaged your readers feel and how often they come back to your blog.
However, this can come with drawbacks and sometimes unforeseen issues. Yes, I'm talking people thinking they know you, which can result in unwanted opinions on your life, judgemental comments and even the odd few that will try to find out more than you are willing to share i.e following your family members on social media (this hasn't happened to me, but it's more common than you would think) and even where you live!
Basically, if you put your life on your blog or social media you can expect a million different opinions which can be a bizarre feeling!
Growth is a frustrating and constant process
Whether you have 100 followers or 100,000 followers, growth will be something that is often at the forefront of your mind. While you may be gaining in followers on one platform it can be a very different story on another.
For example, Instagram has become notorious for being a tricky platform to master when it comes to gaining a substantial following, being a one-step forward three-steps back affair that can be beyond frustrating. And even if you read all the online guides out there on beating the algorithm you still can find yourself in the same yo-yo situation.
I've personally excepted that blogging is partly about the numbers and while it's still a source of frustration for me at times I do try to limit how much weight and importance I put there. Now focusing on smaller achievable goals I set myself.
Although this post has been honest and possibly on the negative side I feel I should add that the positives do outweigh the negatives, which is why I guess no one likes to take about these kinds of things!
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If you are a fellow blogger I would love to know what you would share with someone that's new to blogging that you have discovered with time!
Fee xo.
