All I wanted was a website of my unfiltered thoughts when I started blogging in the summer of 2008. Back then, blogs were already rising in popularity amongst teenagers who just wanted to write. So when I was finally free from schoolwork for at least three months, I wasted no time in building my Blogspot -- cute blog skins, hours of HTML lessons on Google, drafting my profile, and brainstorming my catchy URL.
My investment in this then-new blog paid off quicker than I could have ever imagined. The summer of 2008 was everything that I hoped for. While everyone else was taking summer dance classes or beach hopping in the slickest islands, I was spending 7-8 hours a day to blog and make new online buddies. Candy Magazine's online forum Teentalk was my alternative to Friendster, having acquainted with teenagers all over the world who shared the same passions for blogging, fashion, and movies. My affiliate list - crickets at the beginning because it was empty - grew by the day with a simple ”Link ex?” message on their tagboards. My mood was never 100% happy without posting about my daily shenanigans or the latest jam I liked at least weekly.
In other words, my blogging hobby opened me to many doors that I never thought would happen. That was my life during the summer of my high school years. Yes, I still updated it every now and then come school season but nothing feels better than the freedom to blog sans getting bombarded by homework worrywarts.
More than ten years to the day I first posted on The Candydoll Files aka superstarcandy / shopaholic_candice / whateverusernameithoughfof and I have yet to compose on the lessons learned over my time in this now-burgeoning virtual niche.
Why haven’t I thought of doing this yet? Oh right, because I was too preoccupied with so many things.
Oh, masters program is over? Time to get the dust off my desk and start writing about this brewing topic...
What have I learned from blogging since 2008?
Some good, some bad. Nothing in between. Now allow me to discuss each lesson in detail just in case you’re wondering:
Your blog is more than just your online diary.
The context of the ”blog” has evolved from your public diary to a platform for your passions. Fashion blogs or day-to-day blogs were all I found (and admired) back in the day. Fast forward to the 2010s and the blogosphere is now more diverse than ever. Artists, backpackers, thought leaders, and lifestyle mavens have built a strong following through their blogs. Opportunities have poured in for several of them thanks to their posts - sponsorships, brand endorsements, and public recognition among prominent examples. Sounds cliched, but it is wonderful how far blogging has gone from its humble beginnings on the Internet.
Friendships know no medium.
The dawn of the Internet changed how relationships are built and maintained over time. As is with real life, blogging introduced me to people who I never expected to connect with. We were bound by our mutual interest in expressing ourselves and all the typical stuff teenagers fawn over. Our friendship transcended beyond our blogs - in fact, some of them ended up being my online buddies on social media. Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, including the digital artifacts in Multiply and Friendster. One of those bloggers even became a college friend (hey Nadine!), meeting her in person when a friend walked up to her on the first day of TREDTRI class six years ago. Our first meeting was everything we expected - glorious and spectacular. I'm glad to have met her!
In retrospect, blogging connected me to hundreds of users from all walks of life. We may live different lives but we become one in the same through this shared passion for this hobby.
Think before you post.
Is there a need to elaborate on this further? I'm certain that every Internet user should be wary of this universal rule by now. Even if you delete an Internet blunder following the backlash, there is no way you can make everyone forget it because screenshots exist.
Don't let any criticism pull you down.
Back when Formspring was all the craze in 2010, I received an anonymous message from a reader criticizing my writing abilities. It read: "Check your grammar. I know you call yourself a writer but you can't even do that? No offense." My initial response was to review my recent blog posts to see if this reader was right. But then I realized that overreacting won't do me any favors and that he/she intended to share insightful feedback for my personal growth. A little later, I responded to the anonymous criticism with thanks. Since then I took this message motivation to improve as a writer.
Maybe the anonymous user could've worded his/her message better in a less offensive way but I get their point. Getting constructive criticism, much less giving it, is not one of our favorite things. However, how can we grow into our best selves when we easily crumble at the sound of feedback? Brains Over Blonde's post on this subject matter put it succinctly. The purpose of giving criticism is to help rather than degrade.
Blogging is harder than you think.
EDIT: Gotta add a lot more thoughts in here after reading a heap of digital marketing topics on Quora.
I kid you not, writing a blog entry takes more than an hour to finish because of the countless edits, language checks, and image hunting to complement my words. Add in the extra hour allotted for sourcing inspiration from fellow bloggers and industry writers. Content takes proper planning, from brainstorming topics down to customizing SEO settings for greater visibility in a noisy digital landscape.
The gist of these statements is that blogging is not just about "type, publish and wait" anymore. Owning a blog is akin to purchasing your own house as it takes a huge responsibility to maintain it in excellent condition. As the owner, you are accountable for keeping your posts timely, engaging, and interesting. Not to mention you are using your blog to express not to impress or demean other people.
Blogging requires a significant chunk of your time organizing your thoughts, reminiscing about your experiences, and constructing a post in a sense that it resonates with readers all over the world.
I could've written a hundred lessons learned from ten years of The Candydoll Files. But at this point, I am still learning many more along the way. Because no matter what happens I will always be thankful for the existence of blogging on this green Earth. Life would've been drastically different had it never emerged - and I do not want to think about that.
