This morning I posted this tweet...
"Wrestling with the idea that "whole-of-life" blogging is dead & wondering whether it's time to quit. Anybody had any thoughts on subject?"...and was bowled over with the responses from some dear friends... and I am grateful for their comments.
However, I think I phrased my question incorrectly... because I've been considering quitting whole-of-life blogging... not blogging in particular.
Let me explain.
What you get on here in a very consistently inconsistent manner is me. The ups and downs... the likes and the dislikes... the joy and the pain. You get the whole of me.
You get my photography... you get my love of music... you get my life with Olly and the kids... you get my obsessive geekiness... my ideas and musings... and you get my broken, imperfect faith.
My question is... do you want it all? Do you want the whole of me?
I have noticed my page-views slipping and it got me thinking... maybe there is too much me in this blog? I look to other blogs... the ones I aspire to... and they are less personal and more focussed.
More focussed on their particular subject of choice.
I think my main themes are music... faith... and, recently, me whinging. Is this what you want? These things are seasonal... as my mate Andy put it. Maybe its time to move on?
Do you want a bit of everything... or do you want me to focus more on a particular subject?
I would be grateful if you could let me know.
Tx
5 comments:
This is a very good question, I have been wondering the very same thing. I mean - I "advertise" my blog as being a bit of everything. But is that actually what I should be doing? I write about all sorts of stuff - all sorts of genres - but is it all too much variety? Or is the variety good? If I was to become a more focussed writer, what would I pick? And how would my readers take that? For me, and I suspect you're similar in this, blogging was always a way to just write about anything. Is it different now? Do we need to choose or does it matter that what we have is a personal "whole-life-blog"? No clue!
I had a similar thing with my own blog... although I suck at even keeping my blog anything like up to date.
I do not think you should stop blogging, but as to if you should focus it and away from "whole life blogging", thats your choice in the end.
From my view I am beginning to think that focused blogs do have a better draw to them and are more likely to foster a "community".
My response to your tweet still stands. It's not dead until everyone stops. And what's wrong with seeing all of Thomas?
I'd fire back at you the reference to "the body is made up of many parts."
Sure, post your specialisms in specialist areas e.g. Music, photography etc, but don't separate the parts that you think are more valuable from the whole.
As an example of what I mean:
I've listened to Eric Clapton play in his various bands and solo projects over many years. His guitar playing is beautiful and skilful. But over the last week or so I've been reading his autobiography and understanding a bit more about the man behind the guitar.
Reading his story in his own words has made me re-visit some old tracks and I hear them through "different ears", because now I understand the emotion that is behind the lyrics.
All of Thomas is as compelling and enlightening as all of Clapton.
Keep going...
Thanks for the comments and, more importantly, your ongoing support.
"All of Thomas is as compelling and enlightening as all of Clapton."
Tx
What I like about your blog is that I never know what I'm going to find when I check it. The variety is a reflection of the kind of person you are. Unless you really want to, I see no reason for you to change the way you do things.
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