I ticked off a goal on gomighty.com this week. It was taking my friend, Hilary, (above) to ALT Summit 2013 with the Go Mighty team so she could decide if blogging was how she wanted to expand her creative footprint.
This will have been my 3rd ALT summit experience and it’s one of my favorite events of the year. There I was thinking I would be all let-me-introduce-you-to-a-world-I-know-well, except something happened on the way to the end of the conference. I stumbled into what I can only describe as a Mid-Blog-Crisis amongst the Blogospherians. Yikes! What happened to what happened?
Hilary isn’t saying just yet whether she will or won’t buy what blogging has to sell, but I left confused about why blogging and its purpose has became all about Hard Work and Twitter Spreadsheets and teams of 48765384562 to produce 1 post.
Lucky for me, and hopefully Scripps, this month I am leading a workshop for the 20 or so digital folks at the network who want to explore what’s next for the platform previously known as blogging. I’m thinking stuff. For real. I’m going to work on working this out. I’ll use my experiences from old media + the new, as well as the past 100 days which I have spent helping to build Go Mighty.
The internet up to now has been focused on feelings rather than doing. People post lots of words and pictures about what could happen, or may happen, or did happen. Brands have been doing the same, just in smaller boxes, off to the side. You may have missed them. Or ignored them.
Online is helping to build businesses, big and small, online and off, via crowd-sourcing, kick-starting and open-sourcing while the business of blogging, which came before most all of that co-existence (not you, open-source), is starting to look old-fashioned. Beyond selling your brand to build another, how do you expect to make money being a blogger today? By collaborating, connecting and co-existing around doing stuff. For real. By being part of a community that is bigger than one. By getting out from under a Big Brand’s moniker so your brand can be the value-add. By returning to the days of bold.
I left feeling confused too, and maybe a little sad that it is all about social media engagement, which can be at odds with the time I spend making, photographing, and writing. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the importance of engaging readers, but it’s so daunting for a one person operation. That being said, Alt was amazing.
YES, THIS! Now what?!
YES!
You nailed it.
I thought I saw the blogosphere split into publishers, authors, bloggers and web site havers. There’s a big difference between the goals of all four online folks.
This medium has so much to offer — I can’t wait to see where it goes.
I love “Blogospherians”, it sounds like some strange alien race. Jessika Hepburn had a really interesting take on ALT Summit and the potential of events like this… I’ve reached out to her because I am interested in the community building part of this conversation and how to make these kind of events really work well. I think one of the cruxes is how sponsors/advertisers are allowed to participate in the space, because of course they want to be there to sell things, and we want to them to be there, because they can pay, but it really changes the environment and makes it uncomfortable for a lot of people. Just read this: http://www.ohmyhandmade.com/2013/contributors/exceeding-expectation-my-alt-summit-experience/
She’s so smart and has an amazing point of view. Lots to think about there.
Agree! Agree! Agree!!
I’ve always thought this. Always. So glad to read it!
We’re starting to look more outward instead of inward. A circle holding hands facing out instead of in. So much more exciting and really more engaging when you think about it.
I’m so glad to hear you early commenters feel the same way because the only way a shift happens is if the people power it.
Leslie, I think what you are grappling with and what Jessika talks about is the tension that happens when you grow. Becoming a business or making money from what you love is a benefit that not everyone wants to achieve. But if you do then it takes a certain balancing act to stay true to your core but also let others in to work with you.
I think blogging is at a point where there are many who can become viable small businesses, many already are, but how that is managed and manufactured is the key to success on both sides of the ledger.
Love the “now what” discussion. There is so much talent and brains – so….”now what”? What next? What next in a meaningful way.
Count me in.
I would have loved to have been a part of Alt Summit. It just sounds like the best time.
“it takes a certain balancing act to stay true to your core but also let others in to work with you.” Yes. Exactly. When it’s in balance and it works, it’s flawless, but it’s so easy to let it slip a little to a place that isn’t quite right. I think the answer to the “what’s next” question is really to just keep trying things. There are like 50 different answers and you have to find the one that fits you best.
how did i miss seeing you at ALT? i love the conversation that you are starting. there is also this shift that i am seeing in slower blogging or getting back to blogging more about what you love, like we did in the beginning (yet still working with brands, i would suppose) and realizing its not the end of the world if we don’t post everyday or on the same weekly topics as expected. i would wonder how this all fits into the change you are foreshadowing?
xo . trina
Trina! I’m so sorry I missed seeing your happy face at ALT. I love how you describe a need to slow blog. I am seeing a positive move towards valuing expressions rather than impressions by brands. Just like when bloggers shifted from giveaways to paid content it’s now time to shift from sponsored posts towards authentic storytelling with brands as your partner, not an intruder. I also think it is time to rename bloggers online influencers because if you believe you are an influencer then your brand’s integrity should be as important to you as the brands you are working with.
Sarah: thank you for this post. I’m eager to be part of “what’s next” discussions, too. Thanks for leading the way! Laura Rossi http://www.mysocalledsensorylife.com and http://www.laurarossipublicrelations.com
Sarah,
I too have been feeling the shift and was in a deep conversation with my husband, Mark, just last night about this exact topic!
The idea of the breaking apart into “types” or different “goal oriented” bloggers like Helen Jane mentioned was one of the changes I was telling him I noticed at Alt.
Also, I recently wrote a post on Blogging as a Catalyst and how it has put me in touch with myself, my tribe and my goals/passions away from my blog. How I can achieve goals true to my core without sacrificing integrity and becoming distracted by outside noise (a.k.a. sponsors, ads, page views, etc.) To trust the process and figure out what it is I really want from my blog or the act of blogging, if you will.
Here is the post: http://bit.ly/WDqJAX
Great conversation as it is something happening right now in the blogging community.
I think the ads on a blog are done. So avoid that phase if you can! One of the issues I will be focusing on for the Scripps workshop next week is the idea of moving from being a writer to an author. This means bringing more of a personal responsibility to what you create and as a result value. It doesn’t mean you can’t work with brands within your content, it just means there is purpose.
Love your post! Thanks for sharing.
Yes, I completely agree on the ads and that is why I no longer seek them out anymore. I know what I write and how I shape my writing and subject matter has shifted back to the heart of my original intentions. Staying focused and true to my voice. I am an author of my own story and think that is exactly what we all are doing, each in our own way. Telling our stories, authoring our lives online. With purpose as you say. Definitely!
I’m in, let’s do this!