We all have our secrets, right? I know I do, and I think all bloggers have a few things they'd rather keep to themselves.
But today I've decided to expose myself. No, not like that. I'm about to admit ten things that I probably shouldn't admit as a blogger...but what the hell, I can trust you not to tell anyone, can't I?
Confession 1: I don't enjoy Pinterest
This one may come as a surprise to you, because I'm always banging on about how amazing Pinterest is for blog traffic. Strangely though, I don't actually enjoy Pinterest as a platform; I find it boring and time consuming. I never go on there for fun. I use it strictly to promote my blog and I only work so hard on it because it gives me mad pageviews.
Confession 2: Sometimes I feel out of my depth
Even though I've had this blog for five years (and I've technically been blogging for over 12 years now), some days I still feel like an absolute amateur. There's so much to blogging and so many things to learn, plus it feels like things are constantly changing and it can be difficult to keep up. I'm constantly taking courses, buying ebooks and reading other blogs in an effort to improve.
Confession 3: I suffer from impostor syndrome a lot
As someone who has been blogging for so long, I really enjoy sharing the things I've learnt with other bloggers, especially newer ones. I know that a lot of people find value in these posts (because they've told me) but I still often think I'm not 'qualified enough' to tell other bloggers how to blog. Who am I to give advice or sell an ebook about blogging?
Confession 4: Sometimes I compare myself to other bloggers
I'm quite good at not comparing myself to other people in general - everyone's different, after all - but occasionally I come across someone who's only been blogging for about six months and has 20,000 followers and is already making £5K a month from their blog. I know that these people are few and far between - it doesn't happen that way for most of us - and while I'm always happy for other people's success, I'll admit that someone's apparent overnight fame can be a little irritating.
Confession 5: I'm terrible at replying to comments
I love receiving comments on my blog posts. LOVE IT. Please keep 'em coming. I'll also happily leave comments as long as essays on others people's blogs, but when it comes to replying to comments on my own posts I'm just too lazy. I've been getting a little better recently, but it's definitely still something I need to be more diligent about.
Confession 6: I learnt HTML from MySpace
It's useful for all bloggers to know a bit of basic HTML. When I started blogging I found that I already knew some...because I'd spent way too much time designing and perfecting my MySpace profile back in 2006.
Confession 7: Ideas for posts come at the strangest times
I often find it difficult to come up with new topics for blog posts, but then I'll have ideas at the most random times. In the past, ideas for posts have come to me while in the shower, on the toilet, during a run, as I'm falling asleep...basically the most inconvenient times, when I can't write them down.
Confession 8: I often feel like packing it all in
There have been many, many times I've wondered whether blogging was worth all the work. Once or twice I've come close to deleting the entire site. The only thing that's stopped me is the thought of letting five years of hard work disappear at the click of a button. I'm not sure I could do that.
Confession 9: I care about the stats
This is something you're not supposed to admit as a blogger. We're supposed to blog purely for the love of blogging. But I love looking at the analytics and audience demographics. DA, number of pageviews, bounce rate, comments, referring sites - I find it all so interesting. I write for people to read. If I was writing purely for myself, I'd write in a diary. If no-one was reading my blog, I'd probably stop blogging.
Confession 10: I love editing, but I HATE promoting
I'm one of the minority of writers who actually enjoys editing their work. I just feel like once a blog post/article/book is written, the hardest part is out of the way and all I need to do is improve it. However, I really don't like promoting my work; after all this time it still feels awkward, and a little embarrassing.
So there are my dirty little blogging secrets; I'm relieved I've finally told someone. Can you relate to any of them?
What are your blogging confessions you've never told anyone? Expose your own dirty little secrets in the comments, or write a post and link back to this one!
If you enjoyed this post, you'll love my blogging ebook The Blogger's Survival Guide: My Tips and Advice from Over 12 Years of Blogging full of industry knowledge and strategies for both new and seasoned bloggers.
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