Some of the loudest voices on the internet tell you that you need to monetize, grow, get PR contacts and have a stronger media presence. Other loud voices are on either side of a partisan line, engaged in political gamesmanship and one-upmanship. But there are quieter voices in the blogosphere who have been raising their hand lately and reminding us all that they are here, and that their passion and devotion to personal expression is what the blogosphere has thrived on for over a decade: meet the bloggers who blog for the love of it.
Blogging provides immeasurable gifts that may never result in quantifiable “success metrics.” Success can mean living a higher quality of life because your blog simply means something to you and others. It makes you and your readers happy, makes you think, makes you feel.
Bon Stewart moderated a conversation with
Alexandra Rosas ,
Dorothy Snarker , and a room of bloggers who share the love.
[<a href="http://storify.com/RealPoshMom/blogging-for-the-love-of-it" target="_blank">View the story "Blogging For the Love of It" on Storify</a>]<h1>Blogging For the Love of It</h1><h2>Blogher 2012</h2><p>Storified by Jennifer · Tue, Aug 07 2012 16:45:23</p><div>Follow your voice. That's what you've got #bh12loveofit @bonstewartmarty l</div><div>Know that your stories matter. #bh12loveofit #BlogHer12Tricia</div><div>"No matter what your opinion, someone will not like it. Just be who you are." @dorothysnarker #BH12LoveOfIt #blogher12Queerie Bradshaw</div><div>I keep getting teary in this session. It's that inner-writer-thing -- that I keep ignoring. La la la. #bh12loveofit #blogher12Jenna Hatfield</div><div>If you are worried you are wasting your time go to first and last post. You will say "I got good" #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>I could not afford what blogging has done for me. @GDRPEmpress #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>"There are more metrics than just the economic. There are metrics of friendship & connection." @bonstewart #blogher12 #bh12loveofitJenna Hatfield</div><div>"If I keep looking out there for numbers to tell me I'm good, I'm never going to think much of myself" @GDRPEmpress #BH12LoveOfIt #blogher12Jenna Hatfield</div><div>'when we read stories about other people's lives, we [often?] value the economic capital above all else' @bonstewart #bh12LoveOfIt truth.sarah gilbert</div><div>Folks in #bh12LoveOfIt, check out the #bigdealcampaign. All bloggers are awesome, no matter the readership size. #BlogHer12Queerie Bradshaw</div><div>Being a beautiful writer doesn't always translate into economic value #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>As personal voices are in world where economics is validated we start to question ourselves #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>There is no true separation between art and economic #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>YES. "The truth about stories is that's all we are." (Thomas King) @bonstewart #bh12loveofitSarah Piazza</div><div>When you are transparent, reader is treated as a close friend. You become intimate with yourself. @GDRPEmpress #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>Made decision early on that everything I wrote would be the truth. Let them judge me right away. @GDRPEmpress #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>Each way that you live your personal life has a different constraint to online life #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>How we choose to connect personal and professional self is a conversation that is coming for everyone @bonstewart #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>My blog is a great servant, but would be a terrible taskmaster. #bh12loveofit @chloejeffreysmarty l</div><div>Big difference between anonymous and pseudonymous #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>Tweets are more personal than blog @dorothysnarker #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>Blogging for the whole word except your home town might be good, but hard to do @bonstewart #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>In personal blogging there are still boundaries on what we blog about #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>We are negotiating line between blogging for the love of it and "oh look other people make $" #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>Interactivity is important part of blogging. #bh12loveofit (Comments are blogger crack)Tricia</div><div>The identity aspects of blogging will always be important @bonstewart #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>To put something of yourself out there and have it received by someone else is a powerful part of blogging #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>There is economic & social capital. When blogging for the love of it and not making money you earn social capital. #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>Be aware that online identity is an extension of your offline identity. Where different? How do they intersect? #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>#BH12LoveOfIt "There is a social contract. Be careful when talking about others." @bonstewartJennifer</div><div>You don't tread on someone else's identity space. #BH12Loveofitmarty l</div><div>Writing has helped me to become more extroverted in my voice @dorothysnarker #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>#BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfIt @GDRPEmpress I let husband and kids see posts before going liveCapital Mom</div><div>What does that voice your embodying have? A blog should serve a purpose that should be felt. #blogher12 #bh12loveofitShannon Steffen</div><div>You can honor your voice by "putting it to sleep"+moving on to another topic. You can know you're done @bonstewart #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveofitAndrea B</div><div>Look 2 steps ahead of where you are now & envision where you want to be -- so you know when it's done. #blogher12 #bh12loveofitJenna Hatfield</div><div>The blog community is what it is - a community. #bh12loveofitmagpie musing</div><div>@bonstewart used her blog as a place to teach herself to write. - Interesting concept to me. Writing is critical. #Blogher12 #BH12LoveofitAndrea B</div><div>"blogging was about finding identity with things I couldn't share in public." @bonstewart #bh12loveofitakbutler</div><div>Mommy blogging is a 100 more things then poop. It is also about identity @bonstewart #BlogHer12 #BH12LoveOfItCapital Mom</div><div>"My blog was never for me." ~@bonstewart #blogher12 #bh12loveofitShannon Steffen</div><div>"blogging for me is about acceptance...finding myself again." Beautiful from @GDRPempress . That is it for me too. #bh12loveofitakbutler</div><div>The biggest gift is writing to bring you back to yourself. @gdrpempress #bh12loveofitShannon Steffen</div><div>"If I was a doctor, every 'scrip I would write would start with, "Start a blog." -@GDRPEmpress #blogher12 #bh12loveofitJenna Hatfield</div><div>Being able to make money while writing about what you love is possible. #bh12loveofitShannon Steffen</div><div>Social capital is connecting with others. Culture capital is the creative content. Economic capital is rewards. #BH12LoveOfIt #poshblogherJennifer</div>
THANK YOU so much for this post, and for your love of blogging.
ReplyDeleteTogether, we can realize that we do it because it's our connection to ourselves and it's the outline of who we are.
WIthout it, our voice is lost. WIth it, with our words down in black and white: we can see ourselves. And grow into who we were made to be.
Thank you SO MUCH.
Thank you, Alexandra! This was one of the top two sessions of mine at BlogHer.
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