MY BLOGGING PET PEEVES
October 03, 2017As much as I adore blogging and the great community, positive attitude and incredible sense of accomplishment that comes with it, it's growing increasingly difficult to pretend that everything is all sunshine and rainbows in the blogging world. Petty attitudes, constant in-fighting and daily drama are on the rise, making it really difficult to find solace in a world that I am still so green to. I always try my best to find the good in any situation and in every person, however, I find myself becoming frustrated about certain things that continue to happen within our little sphere of the Internet, and I think it's time to let those grievances air. This post will be, by no means, a negative criticism of any person who has engaged in any of the situations I'm about to mention. Instead, I hope that this post can be a learning curve for both myself and anyone reading who shares a similar attitude when it comes to these blogging pet peeves, because I know I'm definitely guilty of committing some of the unspoken blogging crimes that I'm about to mention!
SO MUCH SECRECY
I have the utmost respect for all bloggers out there who are making big monies from things like affiliate links, sponsorship and ads, and I will always help a fellow blogger out by clicking links, leaving a comment or just helping them get their views up - you do you girl because it's clearly working for you! But I cannot stand is the level or secrecy that seems to come with it. For example, say someone is rocking a super cute jumper that would go perfectly with a pair of jeans, or a jacket that I have in my wardrobe, I ask them where it's from and I get no response, and I see multiple people asking the same question with the same outcome.
There is nothing wrong with telling someone where you got an item of clothing from, and if someone asks me that question, I will instantly tell them where it was from, how much and when I got it. Clothes are not a competition, and you're not the only person in the world to own that specific jumper, so what is the harm in telling someone where you got it from? And if it was sent to you for free, be honest about it! No one is going to think less of you, and instead I will congratulate you on having a great brand send you some cool stuff.
There are of course certain elements of keeping projects a secret that I totally understand. In a world where there are so many different opportunities out there, and so many different brands to work with, I personally enjoy that feeling of building excitement and suspense about the great content you have coming up. I'm definitely guilty of dropping little hints about upcoming projects before unveiling the full thing, and that's fine. But I'm really not a fan of this belief that everything has be kept hush hush and no-one else is allowed to know about x, y or z. Not every one is out to recycle your ideas, or poach a business opportunity from you, and to a certain extent I feel like there needs to be more transparency within the blogging industry. Tell people what filter you use for your photos, tell them what apps you find useful for blogging, don't be afraid to be honest about ads, affiliates and sponsorship. We're all here to support each other after all.
"CALL OUT CULTURE"
I truly believe in karma, and that you reap what you sow. If you act like a dick, it will come round and bite you in the ass, which is why my stance on "call out culture" can seem a little contradictory.
I'm all for calling out bad behaviour, which includes racist, homo/transphobic, xenophobic comments, bullying and general unprovoked nastiness. If a brand acts unprofessionally towards you, or wants you to go against T&C's when it comes to creating content for them, warn others about them. Those situations should always be flagged up and those responsible should absolutely feel the repercussions. However, I've noticed that bloggers and brands are being "called out" for the pettiest of situations, including personal decisions that have no effect on anyone else other than themselves, and that's something that makes me feel really upset.
There's a lot of seemingly unmotivated bitchiness within the community that stems from accusations, rumours and people going out of their way to cause trouble. They then watch the outcome and then move onto the next target. As much as I try to avoid getting involved with any of that malarkey, sometimes it unavoidably creeps onto my timeline, bringing nothing but negativity. I'm under no allusion that we will all get along and be the best of friends, but "calling out" and randomly attacking someone without reason is petty and downright disgusting.
THE SUPERIORITY COMPLEX
There's nothing more disappointing than trying to engage with someone you admire and take inspiration from only to be knocked back and ignored. It can lead us to question all sorts of things about ourselves, our blogs and sadly, our following - and that's not okay. I understand that if you have a "k" at the end of your follow count or your blog views, you can find it difficult to find the time to reply to everyone, and that's okay; I definitely don't have that problem and I try my best to engage with others as much as possible, which is probably why I find it a little disappointing when I try my best with someone only to be shot down.
On the flip side of that, I see also see a lot of disrespect for "new bloggers" who are doing their best to integrate into a community that supposedly claims to be supportive and encouraging. They may not have their own domain name, or a blog header or a Twitter feed full of witty comments and jokes, but that doesn't make them any less of a blogger. I don't have any of those credentials, but I put my absolute all into my writing, photos and content in the hope that it shines through. We were all new once, therefore we shouldn't be so dismissive of the latest generation of writers, bloggers and vloggers. They are the future.
We may not all agree, but we can work together to make the community a better place. I think it's important to air our annoyances in the hope that we can learn and grow from them. It will never get better unless we do.
What are your biggest blogging pet peeves? Are you guilty of committing any of these blogging "sins"?
I hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading.
Until next time,
Rachel x
19 comments
I think it can deffo be frustrating when you try and contact big bloggers but I also get that they are very busy people.
ReplyDeletehttp://ohduckydarling.com
Yes!! I couldn't agree more!! Xo
ReplyDeletewww.becxblogs.co.uk
I think the secrecy annoys me the most. Like you say, it takes two minutes to reply to someone if they've tweeted you, especially if they've asked a question and personally I just don't see what you get from keeping quiet about where you got your blog props from or whatever it is. It's so much better when people are nice to each other and want to give each other a helping hand
ReplyDeleteAgreed, and I know it's idealistic to expect everyone to get along and be nice, but there's a difference between that and being outright rude! x
DeleteI'm only a few months in and whilst not experienced personally have definitely seen posts about it! Takes 2mins to reply so don't get the secrecy thing either! Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa! I hope you're enjoying blogging so far! x
DeleteTotally agree with all these points. Blogging is such a fun thing to do but there are things that are so disappointing to see and seem so unnecessary, like why won’t you just tell me where your top is from? What’s the big deal. xx
ReplyDeleteSo glad you could relate! x
DeleteWe think we haven't committed any of these blogging crimes. We tend to not interfere in any conflict or twitter fight either. You can never know enough to actually get involved. We had never though about secrecy and not telling someone where they got a jumper from is indeed petty. I also think the blogging world is way to young and changing to fast thus too complex to be able to grasp all of the aspects which is why so many people can get frustrated and confused about behaviors. xx corinne
ReplyDeleteI agree Corinne, every day it evolves a little more and it's so difficult;t to keep up! x
DeleteOh yes I totally agree with all of these points! Leaving a comment and sharing a post does so much for people and those who really don't appreciate really get to me! All the blogging drama can get a bit to much sometimes too
ReplyDeleteEllie
www.headintheclouds.me.uk
It doesn't take a lot to show your support for others and it makes me frustrated that some bloggers would rather be rude than be kind x
DeleteYes!!! i completely agree with everything you said here especially about welcoming new bloggers and calling people out. Great post
ReplyDeleteThank you Sara! x
DeleteI loved this post and agree with all your points! We should make new bloggers feel accepted into the community because as you said, we were all new once Xx
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dellalovesnutella.co.uk/2017/10/autumn-inspired-ootd-and-makeup.html?m=1
Thank you Della! x
DeleteThe secrecy and ignorance is definitely one of the worst things for me! Or when you literally go out of your way to compliment someone/their work and you get point blank ignored... It hits you straight in the heart haha. I just don't get the need for it!
ReplyDeleteAlice Xx
www.blacktulipbeauty.co.uk
Agreed Alice, it makes me feel awful and even if it isn't deliberate it still stings! x
DeleteI agree with all of these points 100%, great post! It’s hard being ‘a new blogger’ but like you said we were all new once, the secrecy one gets me the most.
ReplyDelete