I spent a lot of time yesterday reading articles following a google search where I asked the question:
“Is Blogging dead?”
It is not that I am really worried about it. But I have noticed a number of bloggers with BLOGS of all sizes are dialing it back and then stopping altogether. Not just the white hot DIY blog – YOUNG HOUSE LOVE, who formally “retired” this fall…but many of the blogs in my “favorites” list and when I go looking for inspiration photos I keep finding previously busy little blogs whose last post was three months or two years ago…
Blogging for me has always been a natural extension of the slightly over-sharing, very enthusiastic to show you what I just painted or built or cleaned out, always have 5 logs on the fire…. person I have always been. Other than adapting to the technology, there is nothing I say or show you or create for my blog that I would not be doing anyway. I have always loved to share my home and my projects and my color ideas with whoever is in listening distance…only now my listening distance goes all over the world!!!
Here is the good news…the answer is to the question:
“Is Blogging Dead?”
is a little yes and BIG NO.
YES, the number of NEW blogs and especially of Blogs written by Teens….which were the bulk of the initial blog-boom …has decreased…greatly…dramatically…AND mediums like Instagram and Twitter have enabled the same voices to be heard…quicker..and some might say … Easier…
One article I read about blogs said something like “now they are just for 40 somethings with kids” . GREAT! except…if you think about it…the teens of 15 years ago are NO longer teens right…they are closing in on being the 40 somethings with kids!!!! HA!!! happens to us all!
So it is the the NEW teens, the NOW teens who utilize quicker means of communication than blogs.
EXCEPT…
Blogs are still being read. And some say, more than ever. Comments are down, true, across the board…but with fewer blogs and less…”ranting” blogs…the blogs that remain are usually of a higher caliper of writing and content, written by authors more dedicated to the craft of online blogging, and are now an integral part of the digital landscape.
I like what Onur Kabadayi, co-founder and managing director of Boomads, said in his article in the Guardian entitled ““Blogging is dead, long live blogging”:
so BLOGS AND THAT INCLUDES
MY OLD COUNTRY HOUSE
ARE HERE TO STAY!!!
but IN KEEPING WITH THE TIMES ….
PLEASE FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM
(AND TWITTER AND FACEBOOK IF YOU CAN….) I AM GOING TO BE POSTING ON ALL of these sites more often, with specials and giveaways that may not be posted on my blog….
thanks for stopping by!!! xoxoxoxoxo
I agree that there is a decrease in the posts of blogs I read. I hope blogging doesn’t die completely because I find so much inspiration with my fav blogs!! Keep up the good work, an please keep on blogging:)
Thank you Kathy!
I hope blogs are decreasing. I love them. I dislike facebook and don’t use twitter or instagram or text at all. I chose not to because I refuse to have my nose buried in a phone at the expense of everyone around me. It’s rude and puts more importance on someone else rather than the person in front of you. I enjoy your blog. Thanks.
Sorry, I meant to say I hope blogs are NOT decreasing. sorry.
I think they may be decreasing a little bit… I am starting to wonder if the novelty of social media in general is starting to fade. Facebook traffic is a lot lower, etc. also. I have a love/hate relationship with social media and blogs. On the upside, I don’t really buy magazines anymore because everything I could need or want to read is online. The benefit of this of course, is that I am saving a few trees and money. The downside is that I get so sucked into reading blogs/facebook/pinterest/instagram, that I have to consciously make myself STOP so that I can read an actual book. I miss reading books. One of my New Years resolutions is to decrease my social media so that I can get back to reading books. Even though I don’t comment much, Lesli, I do love your blog and read it regularly. I hope you continue to share snippets of your life and I sincerely hope that Dash finds his way home to you. 🙂 Happy Day!
Lesli, I certainly hope blogging is not dead and, in particular, yours. I am a professional blogger who writes for interior design sites where the owner/designer does not have the time, the ability or the desire to post but recognizes the need to have a blog as part of their overall content marketing/social media program. That is how I see blogging changing…more to a marketing program than an opportunity to chat and share with like-minded people. But that still leaves room for conversation and photographs and sharing what’s new in the market. I was sorry to see YHL leave as I enjoyed their free and easy way of sharing and also enjoyed following their success but I do believe they did not retire…they took their blogging to a higher level i.e. paid jobs for someone, and will re-surface at some point. That is the sad part of blogging…you make friends and once they become successful they leave you in the dust to play with their new friends. But I think it is here to stay in some form for quite some time so keep writing your posts, sharing your artwork and adding a smile to all of our days.
(we are still enjoying our portraits of Maddie and Nala–:) )
The new puppy is adorable