When I first started blogging in 2008, blogging was a fun, simple way to share thoughts, expertise and randomness on various topics. Over the past few years, that fun has turned into work. A lot of work.
Allow me to share ten ways blogging has changed – and become more work – since I started doing it eight years ago.
10 Ways Blogging Has Changed
THE OF USE OF BLOGS
When weblogs, better known as blogs, started in the late 90s, people used them as online journals to document and share their lives with their families. Today, they are used for everything: websites, newspapers and magazines, portfolios, ecommerce, photo blogs, videoblogs, celebrity gossip and politics.
Once used mostly by individuals for personal use, organizations and professionals in all industries utilize blogs to market and promote their products, services and expertise; to build relationships with customers and clients; and to expand their brands.
DUTIES OF BLOGGERS
Bloggers used to write short, engaging articles that included a picture or video clip to add impact to their messages.
Today we are journalists, editors, photographers, videographers, designers, reporters, and marketing and public relations specialists.
We are also brand ambassadors, authors, speakers, consultants, coaches and every title we acquire based on responsibilities.
While all bloggers don’t do all of the above-mentioned things, we do perform many of them in order to build relationships and communities on and off our sites; to build our brands; and to better serve our readers.
BLOG DESIGNS
In 2008, there was one standard blog design with several variations. You knew were on a blog when you visited a site. Today, you can make your site look, feel and function anyway you want with blog themes, widgets and plugins.
Themes include, but are not limited to: traditional blog designs, newspaper and magazines, video and photo blogs, personal blogs, corporate and freelance sites.
I’m a WordPress Fan. Its plugin repository houses over “47,774 plugins with 1,470,916,414 total downloads”, according to their site. I’m almost certain that there is one plugin in each category that does what you want it to do.
Researching and selecting blog designs, widgets and plugins take time and patience. Remember, a few years ago, our selections were limited. Today, there is something for everybody.
THE SCIENCE OF HEADLINE WRITING
Blog titles let your readers know what your post is about. This once simple process has evolved into a science. Writing headlines can take as much time as producing your blog post.
This is a blog title:
This is a headline:
While the second title is more engaging; I assure you, it took more time and brain power to come up with it. Why does it have to be so complicated???
GROWTH OF MULTIMEDIA
Multimedia were limited to photos, clipart and sometimes video clips eight years ago.
Today, we have infographics, animations, presentations, memes, gifs, streaming video, explainer videos and other stuff being created as I write this.
In addition to planning our blogging strategy, we have plan our posts and determine which forms of multimedia best complement our message.
IMAGES
As I stated earlier, relevant images and video clips were added to blog posts to enhance messages. The process of finding and uploading both was relatively simple.
Today, we are encouraged to create branded images, which entails finding images and adding text and a website address.
VIDEO REIGNS
Eight years ago, video consisted of three types of web-based platforms:
Video sharing: YouTube, Vimeo, Viddler
Live streaming: Ustream, Stickam, Live Stream
Today, real-time mobile video recording has taken over with FB Live, Periscope and YouTube Live.
While you get 80% audience engagement with video, which is great; you definitely have to do more work. Following are a few considerations when adding video to your marketing strategy:
- Brainstorm video content
- Shoot and edit your video
- Create branded thumbnail images
- Promote your video
PODCAST REVOLUTION
Podcasting is all the rage today; blogging was “it” in 2008. Back then, there were a few podcasts on iTunes, as well as BlogTalk Radio. Today, there over 150,000 active podcasts on several podcast hosting services.
Like blogging in 2008, content producers are being encouraged to do it. I personally feel that it’s just another responsibility to manage because you have to:
- Plan the content of your podcast
- Invite guests and schedule interviews
- Record and edit your audio
- Create marketing images
- Promote your podcast
SOCIAL MEDIA & MOBILE EXPLOSION THAT WON’T STOP
In 2008, social media was still budding. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube were growing while MySpace, Bebo and Black Planet were slowly dying. A few years later, Pinterest and Google+ were added to our social media overload. All of these tools were web-based.
Today, they are web-based and mobile, with mobile usage exceeding online activity. Some apps, like Instagram, Snapchat and Periscope, are mobile only.
The Rise in Mobile
You can post updates; upload photos and videos; and perform any other function a social network allows with the touch of a button, literally and figuratively. Additionally, you can publish blog posts from your mobile device with blogging apps.
Allow me to shed a little light on mobile activity based on statistics obtained from Expandedramblings.com. These figures reflect active users on each platform.
- Facebook has 1.18 billion users; 56.5% access it from a mobile device
- YouTube has 1 billion users and 1 billion mobile video views per day
- Instagram has 500 million users; this is mobile only
- Google+ has 300 million users; 20 million access it from a mobile device
- Twitter has 257 million users; 82% of them access it from a mobile device
- Snapchat has 150 million users; this is mobile only
- LinkedIn has 128 million users; 58% of them access it from a mobile device
- Pinterest has 100 million users; 35% of them access it from a mobile device
- Periscope has 2 million users and 100 years’ worth of video views per day
It’s great to have more platforms to reach our target audience; to promote our content for free; and to increase our visibility and engagement. However, here’s an equation to keep in mind:
More Social Networks = More Work
We now have to develop strategies to find our target audience; build and maintain relationships; and share relevant information.
BUILD YOUR EMAIL LIST
When I first started blogging, we were encouraged to have a newsletter signup box on our sites to build an email list.
Today, we have to create eBooks, cheat sheets and other “ethical bribes” to capture email addresses. That’s not the hard part.
Building an email list, like writing headlines, has become a science and a lot of work.
After you get people on your list, you have to continually produce relevant content to keep them! I’ve downloaded 200-page eBooks; a four-week e-course; and tons of video lessons in exchange for my email address. Do you know how much work those bloggers had to put into creating those things?
When I started Marcie Writes, the purpose of my site was to serve as my online portfolio. It was easier to send editors links to writing samples than uploading a bunch of documents. I wasn’t even going to have a blog on the site.
Honestly, building an email list was not on my radar until I published my eBook, 62 Blog Posts to Overcome Blogger’s Block, in 2013, and needed to promote it.
Following are ways building an email list has created more work for me:
- I have to think of, create and produce my “ethical bribe”.
- I have to decide how to add value beyond my weekly blog posts.
- And I have to publish good stuff consistently in order to keep my readers.
I’m sure having that list will pay off soon; in the meantime, the process of building the list and keeping my readers is more than a notion.
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So, those are 10 ways blogging has changed and created more work for bloggers and content producers over the years. I’m sure you’ll learn even more ways as you interact with other bloggers.
Don’t get me wrong: I still enjoy it, which is evident by my weekly blog posts and bi-monthly newsletters. Sometimes, though, that joy is overshadowed by all of the labor involved in creating, publishing and promoting my posts, my site, my newsletter and my brand.
If you read this ENTIRE post and feel me on any level, show your love by signing up to receive my bi-monthly newsletter. You won’t get a 200-word book or four-week e-course, but you’ll receive a checklist to create an amazing professional bio.
How About You?
Have you noticed changes in blogging over the years? If so, what are they?
Please weigh in whether you’re an avid blogger or voracious blog reader.
Image credits: freeimages.com, myndset.com, brandblast.net, pixabay.com
Hi Marcie,
You are absolutely correct, blogging has changed significantly over the past seven to eight years and gets a bit harder to keep up with. I have been trying to figure out some of the reasons for this drastic change but so far I have not come up with an answer. Is there any information you have that could contribute to the reasons for this change also what direction blogging might be heading?
Thanks!
I haven’t done research, but I think the reasons for these changes are rooted in the evolution in technology and the transition to the information economy. I don’t know where blogging is headed; I do know that it’s not going away any time soon.
I’ve certainly noticed how blogging has changed, but I’m not going to say that it’s necessarily become more work than before. What I believe is that more people have gotten into it with the intention of making a living at it, thus it’s become work for them. Not only that, but those who work on trying to write longer content will definitely see it as more work than before, when people could get away with a 300 word post on a daily basis.
What I like to think is blogging has become more dynamic. Back in the day, very few people put images on their blogs and now it’s becoming more of a standard… and I like seeing them (though I’m not crazy about infographics). We can easily embed videos and podcasts to blogs that enhances our presence and is easy enough to create… if bloggers have the guts to do it. lol
The final piece has become having to promote our own articles, and that’s probably us as the writer’s fault because we’re not commenting on blogs as much as we did in the past, whereas commenting has always worked better than doing anything else for pure engagement, even now. I know that I’ll see my articles shared on social media but sometimes I know the person sharing the article didn’t bother to take the time to read it.
Anyway, that’s my take; yeah, I’m wordy! lol
I agree about blogs becoming more dynamic, which is cool because people can certainly express their thoughts and creativity in many formats. But as someone who’d rather write than have to do all this extra stuff to generate an income, it’s work. It is a blessing to have platforms to make it easier to create and promote our work.