Today is the 9th Anniversary of Rachna says. The blog that transformed my life in a way and made me indulge in my passion of words. I also launched two more blogs: cooking and fitness blog, Rachna cooks and travel blog, Rachna’s Travel Tales subsequently. Last year, I had hosted a giveaway and gave some lovely books from my collection to my blog readers. This year, I will go with sharing some lighthearted moments about my blogging from friends and acquaintances:
How Can I Become Like You?
Well, they obviously don’t want to be my clone. I guess they mean how do they become an established blogger. I can’t tell you how many people have asked me this question. And I really oscillate between amusement and confusion. Well, starting a new blog takes about 2 minutes after googling for 2 minutes. But, writing consistently, building an audience and credibility and developing your unique voice may take ages. It always boils down to hard work, perseverance and most importantly passion.
What is Blogging?
This is a genuine question. Most people have no clue what blogging is. Why are people writing online journals and why exactly is someone reading it? Very valid question. But, with the advent of social media, there is an audience which reads what you write if you connect with them. Life, relationships, food, reviews, fitness, health… You name it. Think about it. Wouldn’t you want to read someone’s personal experience or reach out to someone who is experiencing what you are. After all, we are all social animals.
What Exactly is Your Work?
My children often encounter questions about their mother’s profession. What does she do? “She works in content.”
Errr what is that?
“She is an Editor.”
“Magazine? Newspaper?”
“No, a portal!”
“They have Editors for that?”
“She is also a writer.”
“Which books has she written?”
“No, she writes online content. For websites and people.”
“Oh, so she works in IT!”
(Bangs head)
You get the gist. Most people struggle to understand what exactly is content.
Is Blogging a Hobby?
Well, it surely started as one, but it lead me to my profession in content. My blog is monetized so I do make money from it. Yet, most people think that I have free time and to keep myself preoccupied I lay bare my own thoughts and those of my family online. Haww What a terrible person I am!
Is Blogging Easy?
It certainly is not. Most bloggers spend hours crafting posts, proofreading, editing, finding the right images, linking to valuable resources and giving you a balanced post. If it is a food post, even more work in not only preparing but photographing the dish, editing it and then using it. If you create videos, the time taken increases. When people mock bloggers, they have clearly no idea about the kind of work involved. It is not trivial. It is a lot of hard work, and most of us are very invested in what we do.
Can I Also Write?
As someone who regularly works with writers and agencies, I can tell you that even people working in the field of content are not necessarily writers. A lot of people are certainly writing these days, but many of them don’t satisfy the basic criteria of good language, punctuation, ideas and connect with audience. Sadly, this lack of quality has made every person believe that they can be good at writing. If you are really interested, do spend some time in honing your craft. Brush up your language skills and then try writing.
Do share what questions you hear regularly as bloggers.
I would like to hear from you what Rachna says means to you. Why do you read me?
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