Have you ever checked out the reviews on Goodreads for an older, backlist title and ran across old blogger friends' reviews and thought, "Hmm...I haven't seen them around in ages. I wonder what they're up to or if they're even still blogging..." This actually happens to me pretty frequently now, and not only because I'm a lame, out-of-touch blogger. Though, I'm sure that's partly to blame.
You see those posts all the time about how a blogger is feeling less than motivated to keep posting, as if they're not being heard and it's all pointless. I know I've posted about those feelings from time-to-time. But then there are those who actually just give up blogging altogether, never to be heard from again...even on Goodreads.
I've contemplated only reviewing on Goodreads and just posting discussions and promotional stuff here. I honestly think they get more attention over there and are just more visible than they are here in my little corner of the blogosphere. It also seems that more people have taken to Bookstagram and Booktube, in lieu of traditional blogging, and it does tend to make me wonder, "Why bother?" Especially when you discover that some of those people are getting paid for their contributions.
I see nothing wrong with that. At all. We put a lot of time and effort and even our own money into this "hobby" and it would be nice to be fairly compensated for that, especially when we're promoting on behalf of a publisher or author. I honestly don't get those who think being paid for this would be a bad thing, that the early reader copies are compensation enough. If I could at least make a part-time job out of this, I'd definitely be more inclined to keep doing it.
But I digress. This wasn't supposed to be a post about getting paid. It's about missing the good ole days. About knowing the people you're blogging beside and remembering our fallen friends, those whose other priorities meant they had to leave the community. It's about being stressed and wondering at what point you just throw in the towel.
If I were witty and clever, I'd sing about the disappearance of bloggers to the tune of "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?", but you really don't want to hear my singing voice and the song is stuck in my head now anyways.
So. Do you think traditional book bloggers are on the edge of extinction? Have you lost any friends to the abyss? Are you considering a departure in the near future, or do you plan on hanging on till the bitter end?
You see those posts all the time about how a blogger is feeling less than motivated to keep posting, as if they're not being heard and it's all pointless. I know I've posted about those feelings from time-to-time. But then there are those who actually just give up blogging altogether, never to be heard from again...even on Goodreads.
I've contemplated only reviewing on Goodreads and just posting discussions and promotional stuff here. I honestly think they get more attention over there and are just more visible than they are here in my little corner of the blogosphere. It also seems that more people have taken to Bookstagram and Booktube, in lieu of traditional blogging, and it does tend to make me wonder, "Why bother?" Especially when you discover that some of those people are getting paid for their contributions.
I see nothing wrong with that. At all. We put a lot of time and effort and even our own money into this "hobby" and it would be nice to be fairly compensated for that, especially when we're promoting on behalf of a publisher or author. I honestly don't get those who think being paid for this would be a bad thing, that the early reader copies are compensation enough. If I could at least make a part-time job out of this, I'd definitely be more inclined to keep doing it.
But I digress. This wasn't supposed to be a post about getting paid. It's about missing the good ole days. About knowing the people you're blogging beside and remembering our fallen friends, those whose other priorities meant they had to leave the community. It's about being stressed and wondering at what point you just throw in the towel.
If I were witty and clever, I'd sing about the disappearance of bloggers to the tune of "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?", but you really don't want to hear my singing voice and the song is stuck in my head now anyways.
So. Do you think traditional book bloggers are on the edge of extinction? Have you lost any friends to the abyss? Are you considering a departure in the near future, or do you plan on hanging on till the bitter end?
I don't know how to answer any of those questions. I just know that song is in my head now.
ReplyDeleteI'm in it for as long as you're in it. I feel ya though. We've had this discussion many times. And I agree about goodreads. I feel like more people see stuff over there. If we ever throw in the towel, I will still be active on goodreads. Love you !!<3
ReplyDeleteI've been tempted to give it up every now and then. Especially since my subscriber list has stopped growing and there are so few comments back to let you know that anyone even read the post. I get a lot more feedback from goodreads, so sometimes it is tempting to just use that.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that the list of blogs I follow has become full of ones that don't even post any more while vlogs pop-up all over youtube. Makes me wonder if people would rather listen to reviews other post than read them.
I love this post because most of the people who inspired me to start a blog have since moved on from book blogging, or blogging in general. It does make me sad, but there are always awesome people joining the community. I have also taken long hiatuses from my blog and for a majority of this year, I haven't felt like taking the time to write reviews for the books I've been reading, so I know what it's like on that end too. I thought that it's just because I've been lazy, but maybe in the back of my mind it's because sometimes it feels like no one cares.
ReplyDeleteYouTube and Instagram seem to have become the new medium, which is really cool and I love spending hours looking at both, but also kind of sucks because I put 5 years of hard work into my blog when I could have just been posting pictures of books or making haul/shelf tour/TBR list videos. It's true, I get more feedback on reviews on Goodreads and my follower count on my blog has stayed pretty much at the same number for at least a year, but I do still get a select few who consistently return and leave comments, so that makes it worthwhile for me. Honestly, I don't know how long I'll do this...I've considered YouTube for a long time, and I may make that leap someday. Thanks for sharing these thoughts, you really got me thinking about where this whole blogging thing is going!
I have noticed the same thing. Blogs that seemed to be the "big" ones when I started blogging don't seem to be around anymore. But, I don't think traditional blogs are going away. I personally don't have the time to go watch the video reviews and posts that people do, so I don't check those out really. I personally will keep blogging as long as I enjoy it, and that is the only reason I do it. Even before I had many readers and followers, I did it because I loved putting my thoughts about books down. So as long as I have time, I will probably keep up with it! Great post!
ReplyDeleteI just started this year, so I don't think blogging is dead yet. I just hope it doesn't all move to bookstagram or booktube though, since I have 0 interest in either of them.
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