We Co-sign on Co-blogging

It's been a little over two months since I started blogging here at The Starry-Eyed Revue. I think it’s time to talk about it! Co-blogging has sort of blown up over the last year or so. I’ve seen so many bloggers give up their blogs to move to others, or just add bloggers to theirs. A last ditch effort to keep things going? I’m not sure, I think for some it has been. And maybe some do it now just because it’s what all the cool kids are doing. (Yup, we are cool now!)

We totally co-sign on this whole co-blogging thing, and here's why:

When I started blogging with Jen, I was kind of at my wits end. I’m a working mom, and running a blog alone is hard. Really hard, and I was doing a horrible job of it. I was so overwhelmed, that it wasn’t fun anymore. 2 months later and I can honestly say that I’ve never been so happy blogging as I am now. Not even when I first started.

I think compatibility is a big part of this. Jen and I are so similar it’s almost creepy at times. We have the same priorities, and I think that’s very important in a co blogging relationship. Our families come first, always.

Some things I love about Co-Blogging...

-Not having to post everyday! This was the hardest thing for me. I don’t think I ever posted on my own blog every day. It was just too much. We split the week up, we both get 3 days to post whatever, and one day that we post together. It’s worked out so well, because I can actually schedule ahead!!!

-Our friendship. I’ve always considered Jen a good friend, heck we’ve been talking to each other for years, but working with her has made us even closer.

-Early access to posts! It’s the ultimate co blogging perk. I thought it would be weird having access to each other’s drafts, but it’s not at all.

-Planning discussions and joint posts. It’s much more fun when you have someone you can bounce ideas off of. Plus, buddy reads lead to joint reviews, and we recently reviewed Open Road Summer together, that was a lot of fun to do.

I think one of the hardest parts about co blogging for me, was giving up my blog and moving to Jen's blog. From day one, Jen has always made me feel like it's ours, not hers, and I love her for it. It made the transition seamless for me. Joining The Starry Eyed Revue is one of the best decisions I ever made. I would make that decision over and over again.



If you'll remember, I probably looked about like that chick this time last year. Last summer, my sister had offered to co-blog with me and post a few times a month to help alleviate some of my stress, but that never really took off. Not blaming her, but I should have realized beforehand that that partnership was never really going to work...past experience and all that. So, even though her name still appeared on the blog, Mendy wasn't really doing anything. It was all up to me again. And somehow, I was managing to post at least once a day, almost every single day.

Move forward to January of this year when April and I were talking on Twitter about being overwhelmed with the blogging thing. She mentioned wanting to co-blog with someone else but not wanting to deal with some crazy person. I'd actually been wishing I had a legit co-blogger but didn't have a clue where to start. 1) My blog is my baby...how do I just let go of the reigns and give power like that to someone that I don't know (or barely know), that I can't gripe at the way I can my sister? 2) I'm a perfectionist. How do I accept that someone else isn't going to blog the same way I do? 3) Do I really have the time to train someone on the ins and outs of my blog?*

I was on the verge of burn-out and April just didn't have the time to run her own blog anymore. So, when she said she'd actually been considering joining up with another blogger, I thought, this is my chance. I know April. I've known her for three years and we actually have a lot in common. We talk frequently, and I know I can be completely honest with her and vice versa. And she was already running a blog, so I won't have much to show her that she doesn't already know. So, I jumped at the chance...I didn't even give myself five minutes to consider all the possibilities, as I am usually wont to do. I just asked her. And unbelievably, she said yes.

And here we are, two months later, loving blogging again, probably even more than we did in the beginning of our solo journeys into this community. Because we've already got our foot in the door. We're bringing our combined knowledge and our combined friendships together to forge something even better. And I'm loving every minute of it. Having someone else to bounce ideas off of, to take up the slack on a week when I'm not feeling it -- and I try to do the same for her, even though she's never as behind as I am -- and being able to just read as I see fit instead of sticking to that meticulous reviewing schedule of mine...it's all made this experience so much better.

When I started blogging three years ago, I had no idea where it would take me. The friendships I would make. The connections with publicists and publishers. The external pressure to post new and unique content, besides regular reviews. But I was missing out, letting it all get to me...not appreciating my own hobby anymore because I didn't have the time to make it mine like I did in the beginning. And then April comes along and gives that all back to me, almost immediately. From the moment we added her name to the blog, it's been ours. We both put a lot of work into our reviews and discussions, and I think we both get so much from doing this together now. Looking back, I was actually pretty lonely, doing this all on my own.

There are reasons for bringing on a co-blogger and then there are REASONS. I regret nothing. In fact, this is definitely one of my better decisions when it comes to blogging. And I think it calls for a happy dance.

*The funny thing is, my friend Lisa is going through the same thing right now. She needs help and wants to bring on a co-blogger, but she's asking herself these same questions. And then she posed the questions to me, knowing I'd already been through this twice now. So, I told her a few things that I've found to be true:  patience and honest are key; remember that you were friends before and you'd like to keep that friendship even if you're not co-bloggers till the end of time; allow your co-blogger to have her own voice so that the blog feels like hers, too, and that she's not over-stepping any of your boundaries; and know your strengths and weaknesses and recognize them in your co-blogger, too.

Co-blogging has definitely been on an upward trend, but I don't see that as a good or bad thing...it's just a truth. We're not the first ones to do it, and we won't be the last. And we're certainly not the only ones talking about it.

Do you blog with someone else? Are you considering a move in that direction, and if so, what are your REASONS? If you're a solo blogger, what are your thoughts on co-blogging? Do you think other solo bloggers need to band together in solidarity? Is this a passing phase or is the co-blogger a permanent fixture in the community?

Labels: blogging goals, co-blogging, discussion