That feeling when you send a blog post out into the world and there's a typo in the freaking TITLE.
This what I have not missed about blogging.
I have a bunch of automated crap for sharing my posts, because that was the accepted wisdom back in the olden days. I have no idea if it still is, but I also have no idea anymore how to stop any of it. Which sucks, because this probably won't be the last time I have an embarrassing typo.
I'm so much better at proofreading and editing other people's stuff than I am with my own. Of course, it helps that someone ASKS me to look at their stuff, whereas I'm usually in such a hurry to get to the next task that I often hit the publish button prematurely.
Perhaps I do need to look at one of those "How to Create a Successful Blog in One Month" pins that keep showing up on my Pinterest feed. Hopefully they include a reminder to proofread before hitting publish. The last time I looked at one, the first suggestion was to make sure to "offer readers something of value in each post" and the second was to "give them the information they need".
Further investigation revealed that successful bloggers don't consider laughing something of value, nor do they consider learning which people are pissing me off to be information they need.
(Have you guessed who's pissing me off today yet? I promise that you won't have to click through 27 ads to find out!)
I'm not saying that I'll never give advice, or that I haven't given advice, but this idea that every post has to include valuable information. . .
that's what has gotten the blogging world to a place where people are sharing recipes for chocolate chip cookie dough HUMMUS. Which is obviously a crime against hummus, chocolate chips and humanity. No to mention an obviously desperate attempt to create something of value for readers.
I've also seen a blog post about how to organize your yogurts by date in your fridge. Anyone who needs this information is way too disorganized/uninterested to accomplish it and those of us who do stuff like this don't need a blog post to tell us how.
I blame The Pioneer Woman.
Plenty of niche blogging, including parent blogging, has been informational. Even if that information was just, "Oh my god, my 1 year old bangs his head. And my pediatrician said not to worry about it! But I totally am!" It was relatable, not authoritative. Except for The Pioneer Women.
She did all her amazing recipes and homeschooling and whatnot fantastically, without swearing or admitting flaws or telling any funny stories. She did not have opinions on very many things - certainly not politics or even pop culture controversies.
And now it seems that so many parenting - excuse me, now they're lifestyle - bloggers have turned into aspiring Pioneer Women. And by aspiring, I mean that they copy her tone and style and habits so they too can write cookbooks and appear on The Food Network.
Or at least write sponsored posts for Ziploc.
Which would be fine, except that it feels like they believe this is the only way to blog, and the only reason to. At least, that's the impression I get from the advice they post for newbie bloggers.
And that advice? Well, I'm so glad it didn't exist when I started blogging. I never, ever would have blogged if I'd had those expectations laid out to me when I was a new, isolated, overwhelmed mom who liked writing. Their advice on not getting too personal, on not swearing and on how to "make your blog brand-friendly" is such a turn off for me. So are many of their blog posts, to be totally honest.
But I read blogs for fun, not for directions on being the perfect homemaker, so what do I know?
Other than I've never enjoyed reading The Pioneer Woman. I did enjoy this woman, however. And this one. And this one.
Huh. It's almost like humor does have value.
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