The state of blogging in 2017

Let’s Talk Blogs

Let’s have a candid conversation…is blogging relevant anymore?

That may be too broad of a statement, but is blogging in the sense of writing your thoughts and feelings into the internet ether a route to success?

Absolutely not.

The days of long Tumblr posts, Live Binder, and personal Wordpress accounts that operate strictly as text on a page are gone, and that’s just reality.

What isn’t gone? The blogging essence of content creation.

One of my favorite bloggers, Alexandria Spence who runs OkayAndie.com, just published a post “Is It Crushing Us All?” She worries that Instagram and Youtube are making her website obsolete. Her worries are valid, but I don’t think they’re totally true.

While people can make social media accounts their own “blogs” in a sharing and storytelling sense, blogs that operate as micro-publications still are deemed valuable to people and are growing into their own counter-current publications.

For example, two blogs that evolved into something more than personal blogs are The Messy Heads and Rookie Mag. While Rookie began as a small blogging project of Tavi Gevinson called “Style Rookie,” it has grown into the one of the leading voices for young women (now Rookiemag.com), pushing traditional teen magazines to replicate her approach. The Messy Heads, a newer blog, has grown in three years from a Tumblr account to a Wordpress blog to now a physical bi-yearly magazine, promoting positivity in teen girls.

These “bloggers” have have tens of thousands of followers with active communities to boot. They’re living the “dream,” making a living off of their content, which for the most part is the written word.

So what makes these blogs different? What makes them relevant while other “blogs” are deemed “so 2007?”

Here’s my theory…

Embracing visual storytelling.

Use high quality images to propel your information, not just cute photos for the sake of cute photos.

A screen grab from OkayAndie.com, here Spence uses high quality digital images that propel her brand as a “Toronto Style Blogger.”

Marrying your blog to social media

Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are not the enemy, they are your partner in storytelling, it’s the magazine insert that says “subscribe” (more like follow me).

If you love creating content in fuller forms with blogging, take a portion of that story and post it to social media, let people get to know you there and feel connected to you…then they’ll go to your website and interact with your content.

Creating unique imagery

Rookie and The Messy Heads are not afraid to create with Illustrator or Photoshop, they’re not afraid to scan in collages or any other “creative type” work. While this should not be a recipe for every blog, (know your audience and skill set) it can add a splash of creativity that will bring new users.

Creative collage like imagery from Rookie Mag.

Make a logo, make your own stickers, make visual content that will get people looking, this does not have to be just photos. Make and create what sets you a part.

The Messy Heads has created “auxiliary products” as a way to monetize their blog. Not only is this a way for the blog to make money, but they’re getting to spread their brand and show their creativity in a physical way.

Building a community

The heart of blogging and social media is the desire for humans to connect with each other. Blogs are successful when they help connect like-minded people. So if you are writing into a void without engaging with other blogs and social media accounts, in an authentic way, you probably will see few views.

The Messy Heads uses its Instagram account to interact with its followers, prompting its community to share their thoughts as an Instagram comment.

AND last but not least

Not blogging with the sole purpose to make money

Adwords or WordAds are no longer the main source of income for bloggers, and some experts say ditch the program ads completely. Yes, that means even the big name bloggers aren’t believing that Ads will fund their trip to the Bahamas by simply creating content.

Your blog should seem genuine to people and make you develop your interests to level you’ve never expected. For most of us, you likely won’t make money off of becoming a blogger, but that shouldn’t prevent you from trying.

Going in with the mindset that you want to be a content creator and make connections will let you genuinely start building a community. With that may come monetary success, or it just may be a way to feel more connected to people who share your interests.

To me, blogging isn’t dead. It’s a communications method that, if you’ve noticed in the past 10 years, is rapidly replacing print. Just like the way we use Facebook and Instagram has changed since 2007, so is the way we should look at blogging.

It’s not for everyone, but if you’re passionate about it, go for it! It’s still here.

If you’re interested in what I write and create, take a look at my portfolio caseymarley.com or my blog, rosetint.co.