When my blog turned one a couple of months ago, I took a quick trip down memory lane and reviewed some of my oldest blog posts. Not only was it mortifying (I can’t believe some of the sloppy content that I actually published), but it was also pretty enlightening. It made me realize how much I’ve changed since the start of Currently, Lately, both as a blogger and a person.
Ever since that day, I’ve been trying to keep track of the specific ways in which I’ve changed. I’ve kept a running list in the notes on my phone for a while now, trying to gather enough points to make a proper blog post out of them. Now that I’ve got a few, I thought it would be fun share! These are just a few general observations I’ve noticed in my approach to blogging. If you’ve been blogging for a while, hopefully you can relate.
I’m more excited to blog.
One thing that’s certainly changed about my blogging habits since August of last year is that I’m significantly more enthusiastic when it comes to blogging. I’ve found so many different topics that I enjoy writing about, such as beauty, baking, and blogging, and that has made me feel really inspired. I think once I allotted myself the time to try writing about different topics, I discovered the ones that gave me the most inspiration. As a result, I’ve got a much more enthusiastic approach to writing a blog post.
My posts are a lot longer.
When I first started out as a blogger, I didn’t have even the slightest idea as to how many words a typical blog post should be. If I were to estimate, I’d say that the first few posts I wrote were between 200 and 400 words a piece. And while that or any length is perfectly acceptable, I eventually realized that I wanted to write longer pieces. As the months went on, I began challenging myself to spend a little extra time adding to my blog posts. It became a lot easier for me to get my word count up once I got comfortable with my blogging voice and started writing about topics that I love. Writing a blog post just as I would talk to a friend is the approach that has worked the best for me. Once I felt relaxed writing on my blog, I realized I had a lot more to say. Today, the majority of my posts are closer to 1,000 words, which is a massive step up from before.
I’m more consistent on social media.
In my first few months of blogging, I didn’t understand the importance of maintaining a consistent social media presence. After I registered my domain on WordPress, I literally went straight to Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, registered my username on each of those networks, and then pretty much didn’t touch them. At the time, I didn’t know that staying active on social media would help me meet and interact with other wonderful bloggers, as well as share links to some of my posts. I’m definitely glad to have become more consistent on these social platforms (though I’m still terrible at keeping up with Facebook…).
My photos have improved.
I’ve written so many posts on blog photography in the past that I don’t want to dwell on it too much in this one, so instead I’ll leave you with two of my blog pictures. One of them is from August of 2016, while the other is from September of 2017. In this particular situation, it’s pretty safe to say that a picture is worth a thousand words.
I’m more involved in the community.
Another way I’ve definitely evolved as a blogger is that I’ve become a lot more involved in the blogging community. I really love reading posts and interacting with other bloggers. It definitely has become one of the best parts about my day. The blogging community is so supportive and encouraging and it’s wonderful to both see and be a part of that.
That being said, I wanted to devout a bit of this post to saying thank you to all of you for reading my blog. Blogging has certainly been a worthwhile experience for me. It has taught me so much about writing and myself. I really appreciate anyone who has taken the time to stop by.
How have you changed as a blogger?
Sincerely,
Wow the improvement in your photos has definitely been incredible! It was really interesting to read abot your journey and you have definitely come very far:) I have only been blogging ‘consistently’ for slightly over a month (I published a few posts last year which didn’t really count because of their awful quality and then stopped for months and months lol) but I’ve definitely come closer to finding an individual voice/showing my personality and have become much more engaged with the blogging community! It is always so cool to see how our blogging has evolved personally as well as blogging as a whole:)
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I love this post! I had no idea you’ve only been blogging for such a relatively short period of time, your blog is pro! I’ve been blogging for a few months now, and already feel like I have learned so much. I can’t imagine what a year can teach. I look forward to another year of posts!
-Jessica
http://www.hellojessicajade.com
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I loved this! I‘m stilltrying to improve my photos but I understand completely about the other points, especially the length/blogger tone! I started out with short posts then slowly grew my posts to be too large (over 1000 words for one product review) and tried cutting them back down. If fewer people are reading things because it‘s so long and wordy, and I‘m not getting anything else out of it, does it need to be so long? And I don‘t think I could have blogged for over two years without a community to teach and inspire me!
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I really enjoyed reading your reflections. I just started blog a couple months ago and already understand that I need to utilize social media more. I am hoping to carve out some time soon to sit down, get that setup, and the ball rolling better.
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This is so enlightening, I have only been blogging for 6 months and I can see my blog change so much already! This is so helpful so thank you! x
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Wow that photo with the marble and red lipstick is so beautiful! It was so nice reading about your journey and how much you’ve learned about blogging in a year. I also love that you said you try to make your posts like a conversation among your friends. I think it’s so important because people really enjoy that.
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