Blogging in 2012 is so different from present day 2019. When I set up Fashion and Style Police, I knew I was in the for the long haul. I was passionate about writing and this blog was and is still like one of my children. So I put in my all from day 1. My early blogging days was full of plenty mistakes. I wasn’t really sure what I was doing (shoutout to bloggers that share blogging tips). It was all trial and error, and I had a lot of learning to do. My photography wasn’t great. I was still finding my writing voice so my posts were short and not as good.
Blogging has been a learning curve for me. I am still learning and there is no end to this education thanks to the many changes on the web. Like I said earlier, blogging in 2012 is so different from how it is today. Here are some of the many differences I have noted.
You can’t afford to ignore social media in 2019 like you may have done in 2012
Social Media has really changed in the last few years. There were so many platforms available back then that are no longer available now, and there are now new kids on the block. The way we use social media has also changed compared to how we used the platforms in 2012. To succeed as a blogger, you have to keep up with social media pretty much. Ignoring the popular platforms like Instagram and Facebook wouldn’t be smart. A lot of traffic comes from social media platforms. I get a lot of traffic from Facebook in particular, which is why I make sure my Facebook page stays active.
Brands and PRs take into account the amount of followers and engagement you get on your social media platforms. So if you plan to make some money off your blog, you need to start paying attention to social media. Bloggers could afford to neglect their social media platforms in 2012 (I know I did), but definitely not in 2019.
New bloggers want their blogs perfect from day 1
Now this is not really a bad thing, it could actually be a good quality depending on how you look at it. However, wanting your new blog perfect from day 1 isn’t really possible. What is blog perfection really? What could be perfect for you, may be amateurish for me. I believe in working to be better than I was yesterday, everyday. I don’t believe in perfection, so it is not something I long for. Which is why I worry when I see new bloggers wanting to get thousand of views, sponsored post opportunities and all after blogging for a month. These things take time, effort, quality photography, good SEO, and a bit of good luck to come most times. In 2012, when I started blogging, I didn’t worry about these things. I just wanted an outlet to create and create is what I did.
New bloggers in 2019 don’t have the patience for that. They want it all from day 1, which is why blogging usually frustrates them because it doesn’t happen that way.
More lifestyle blogs
In 2012, blogging was all about niche. A blog had to have a niche and stick to it. Fashion and Style Police was purely a fashion blog where I wrote about fashion and shared my daily outfit. I had a job in an office in Manchester then. So I took outfit pictures every day and shared them on the blog. Along the way, I incorporated beauty and lifestyle, and now I talk about my twins and travel, because we like to do these things. I also share freelance tips as as a self employed freelancer who works from home, and blogging tips; which is why you are reading this post.
In 2019, there are lots of lifestyle blogs around. I think there are more generic lifestyle blogs, than niche blogs, but I may be wrong. This was not the case in 2012. It was all about 1 blog for 1 niche, which is why many bloggers then started off with multiple blogs to enable them write about a variety of topics. I know many people still run niche blogs today, but they are no longer the norm.
How long have you been blogging for? Have you noticed any of these changes? Do you have any blogging tips to share?
Beautiful
Thanks.
Hi. I like your comment about non niche. That sits very well with me. Nice work! Stacey
Thanks Stacey.
I like this a lot. I am a relatively new blogger and some of the more OG bloggers who I went to to get advice when I started, told me that I had to have a niche so I did that and was failing. And my site looked pretty bad, but recently I took some real time to do my own research and the blogs I liked weren’t niche so I redid my whole site, got rid of my old posts and started over. When I started I knew that I was going to have to change the look as some point but I just ended up tossing it out. I do have a tip for bloggers. Don’t get attached to any part of your blog because you may have to change or get rid of it to make your blog better.
That is a great tip. Good you did your research and change your blog brand. Thanks for stopping by.
As a fairly recent blogger, it’s so cool to hear the thoughts of someone has been around for so long. Excellent information and congrats!
Thanks Liz.
Very true. Niche blogs are now almost rare. Blogs are now more personal, so you should be able to talk about anything that you want.
Yes Bindu. Thanks for reading.
In answer to your question, I started my blog kind of adhoc without much focus. A curious blend of taoist thought, personal paranormal experiences and short stories. This year I will be splitting the paranormal/short stories aspect off to another home and focus solely on a self help niche.
Oh nice. I love the sound of these niches.
Love your blog!!! Keep it up. My bog is on word press and I never post. I’m working to change that.
Thanks Calisha.
Thank you for stressing that it’s okay for your blog to evolve with you. ❤
Yes it is important to evolve. Being the same is boring. Thanks for reading.
I am still new to blogging and frankly, when someone asks me about my niche, I am not sure what to answer. My blog is my little corner to be free and I don’t feel like talking about the same thing. You are the pro, I should follow your advice.
Yes you should be free to write about whatever you feel like writing about. Thanks for stopping by.
Great article. This is a topic I know I need to learn more about and you really helped me understand some good ways. Thank you.
Glad you like the article. Thanks Helen.
I will agree that right now, social media really plays a very important role in the blogging scene and one just can’t ignore it. I had been but right now, I’m also working on it too.
Yes it plays a vital role. Thanks Dalene.
Very helpful
Glad you found the post helpful.
This post is so much truth in one page. Blogging these days is so so different than how it used to be in those early years.
Yes it is very different now.
I’m a new blogger and you blog post is really helpful to let me know the importance of social media and patience.
Glad you found the post helpful.
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