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The blogosphere is now so full of fantastic writing and awesome communities that new bloggers might feel that it is too late for them to get started and gain ‘blogging success’.
During the Mom 2.0 Summit 2009, Janice talked to Kristen Chase from Motherhood Uncensored and Cool Mom Picks about when and how she started blogging and if she feels it’s too late now for others?
(Please note that Kristen’s writing style and writing topics can be very adult oriented and may offend some readers. If you prefer family friendly writing with no cursing or talk about sex, you may not want to click thru to her websites.)
Watch the video interview with Kristen and hear her thoughts on blogging expectations, goals and success…
You can follow Kristen on Twitter @mublogger.
Watch more video interviews from the Mom 2.0 Summit 2009 here.
If you’re going to Mom 2.0 this month, let us know. We can’t wait to see you in person.
Otherwise, the next best thing is video conversation. Join us at Say It Face To Face.
This video interview is part of our Mom 2.0 Summit 2009 series. We saved a collection of fabulous speaker and attendee interviews to share with you now as we all prepare for a new season of conferences.
Enjoy!
So Tell Us…
Do you feel like the blogosphere has become overcrowded and competitive? Do you concern yourself with ‘blogging success’ and if so what would make you feel you’ve reached a degree of ‘blogging success’?
Talk soon,
Susan, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom.
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Hey, did you know Janice and I also own two online stores… a pedal car store and a rocking horse store.
Cecelia says
This all depends on how you define blog success. For me, my primary jobs are motherhood/family and my teaching career, so for the amount of time I have to blog Cool Baby Kid has risen well above the “success” I could have hoped to achieve. If I had more time to devote to the site I would expect more return on my time investment. Success for one person may be failure for another.
Too crowded for newcomers? No way! I’ve been blogging since 2007 and while the landscape has changed quite a bit in the “mom blog” community during that time, there are even more opportunities than ever. It is important, though, to define your niche and know what sets you apart from the crowd. Once you do that and define what success means for you, anything is achievable.
laura says
Thanks for the optimism. I am looking into getting into the blogging world and to hear that it might already be over crowded is discouraging. However, I like to think that every site has a specialty, an audience and a talent. I just have to find mine.
Mary says
I agree with several comments above. I do think there is more out there than the average person has the time or patience to sort through. However, I hope that a commitment to consistently offering valuable content… along with being an expert in your area can still count for something. Kind of like realestate- gone are the days when and shmoe of the street can just make money selling homes without even trying… but there are some solid hard working Realtors out there that are still making a living.
Alexandra says
I think if you are dedicated to making your blog successful it will happen. It’s all about time and commitment. I have a few friends that have successful blogs, but they are blogging constantly. Sometimes I have time for it and sometimes I don’t. 🙂
Petula says
I am very much concerned with blogging success in a monetary way. I am recently divorced (separated when I was 8 months pregnant almost 3 years ago) and I was not prepared to care for me and my four children on my own. In fact, I have some very pressing financial problems to address (electric being caught off on Monday if I don’t come up with some money and possible foreclosure this month), which have currently put me in a frozen position. My anxiety level over this is off the chain!
It’s frustrating seeing moms who began blogging after me reach such a wide audience and be given so many more opportunities. I haven’t been able to attend conferences and things like that, and feel like I am doing everything wrong. (You didn’t ask all of that, did you? Sorry!) I’m currently considering some addition and deletions to my blog in the hopes it will make a difference.
I would consider myself successful at this if I made enough money to care for us and, at the same time, fulfilled what I’ve been trained to do and love. And that’s writing.
Amys blah, blah, blogging says
I agree with Brandy’s comment. When I first began blogging many years ago it was so enjoyable just going from blog to blog and getting to know others. There was just story everywhere you turned. It was very simple then. Now, everything is about contests and product reviews and free stuff. I feel overwhelmed by it and it seems overcrowded as a result. It seems unless you have free stuff to give away (which no company will give you stuff to give away until you have followers and hits, so unless you are willing to put the money out yourself for a dividend in the end) or have some horrible tragic story, which, of course everyone loves, it’s hard to get people to go to your blog anymore just to visit. It’s too bad because I miss that community.
Brandy says
I think it’s yes and no. I’ve been blogging 2 years and I still haven’t got very far in stats and followers etc. Blogging is just a hobby for me though a way to break out of staying home all day. I think a lot of new bloggers are only in it for the free stuff. When Mom Bloggers became known for free products, reviews and giveaways is when the blogosphere started getting over crowded.
Mary says
Like in business, success isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. It depends why you are blogging. You need to know who you are talking to and why you want to talk to them in order to be able to measure whether you are “succeeding”.
CT Web Design says
I think it depends on what you’re trying to get out of your blog. You could be blogging to earn money or for SEO purposes or just for an outlet to express yourself. I don’t think its overcrowded the Internet is a big place.
krissy says
I don’t think new bloggers are doomed to fail. Honestly I’ve been blogging for years. However, I took time off when I had my kids and just recently started full time mommy blogging. I love to write and feel like it’s a great emotional outlet.
I think having readers means more than just followers. I don’t know how many readers I have, but I really hope that as I keep blogging and keep making new contacts, I will find loyal readers who love my blog. 🙂
Heather says
I just joined the blogging world a month ago. And as I was reading the last comment to this post, I was nodding my head in agreement….until I read that she has only been blogging for a month also and has 131 followers. Those are the moments when I worry that I won’t be a successful blogger because I have only a handful.
I thoroughly enjoy blogging, but I don’t know how to market myself and earn more readers and followers. I tell myself that I’m doing this for myself and myself only, but when I read other successful blogs, I want what they have…all the followers, all the buttons and gadgets, all of the close friends who seem to comment regularly and personally.
Is the blogosphere overcrowded? I don’t know, but it’s much larger than I knew. Is it competitive? I’m starting to think it is. Am I concerned with blogging success? Absolutely. What would make me feel as if I’ve reached blogging success? More followers, more readers, more comments.
Thanks for letting me vent!
Brae says
I don’t think that we, as new bloggers, are doomed to ‘fail’- I think sometimes it can be overwhelming. There are several blogs I look up to, who have thousands of followers, and have buttons and gadgets and things that I have no idea how to do yet. But I’m learning. As for ME, what I WANT out of my blog, to be successful, is to have a lot of readers- not just followers (That is amazing, and if I ever get to that point of having thousands, I will feel very blessed! But I don’t count my success by the number of followers I have. I follow probably hundreds of blogs, but I only read about 40 of them daily. I will feel like I am a success when I receive many many comments a day be READERS. Readers are people who READ my blog, not just follow, not just skim, but read it, regularly, and leave genuine heart felt comments. I try to be a good reader to the blogs that I follow.
I dont’ think it’s too late. Blogs come and go. I only started mine a month ago, but I’ve READ blogs for years, and I don’t read the same ones now as i did when i was in college.
Saying that there’s not enough room in the blog world, or that no one can make it because it’s all been done before is like saying that there will never be another great novel, or that technology cannot possibly progress.
I started my blog a month ago TODAY (January 10th 2010) and I have 131 followers, probably about 12-15 regular readers, my hit average is 96 per day, and for a blog so young, I think I’m doing swimmingly.
Great blog entry!
Kelley says
I do think it has become crowded to some extent; however I dont think that is such a bad thing. Kristen’s comment about “honing your craft’ is very valid. There are blogs I read 2 years ago that had to purpose and are gone and others that have developed to wonderful places to read, share and learn.
So crowded? Yes. Too crowded? I dont think so.