Yesterday, Jenn’s Bookshelves turned six years old! I must say, it’s been a wonderful six years. As I was contemplating how (or if) I was going to celebrate this year, I reflected back on some of the more interesting things I’ve experienced as a blogger. A few years ago, I shared some advice that I’ve learned and discovered over the years, a post called Things I Wish I Knew as a New Blogger.
This post has certainly gone through several revisions. First I focused on the more negative experiences I’ve had as a blogger. Then I tried to soften it up a bit and found myself reminiscing on the fun things I’ve experienced since I started this blog. The end result: I’ve combined the best of both worlds in this Pros & Cons of Blogging post! I tend to ramble so I’m going to do my very best to keep this short! Cons:
- Entitlement. It’s such an ugly word, in my opinion. We, as people, as bloggers, are entitled to nothing. Truly. As I say over and over again, having your name on an area of the interwebz entitles you to nothing. I don’t care if you have 5 or 50 or 500 or 5,000 followers. Making a scene because you didn’t receive a particular ARC or access to a particular author doesn’t make you look important, it makes you look like an idiot. I’ve seen it online and in person and it’s embarrassing and insulting to see bloggers behave this way.
- Hoarding/bragging: I always say you aren’t obligated to review every ARC you receive. True statement. That said, you should probably review at least some of the copies you receive. After any major book conference, dozens of posts or videos will pop up, bragging about the books they snagged. How many of those are actually reviewed? The books are there they can get promo prior to publication. Not to serve as a bragging point. Not sell them on ebay. Or, you know, if you’re not actually a blogger anymore, maybe you should stop asking for review titles entirely?
- Bullying: Bullying is not accepted from children, so why do people find this acceptable as adults!? Don’t gang up on someone because they didn’t like a book you loved. Or conversely, if you didn’t like a book, fine. State your opinion, but not brutally. Book bashing is simply an attention-getter. There are more professional means of displaying your opinion.
And now, the lighter side of blogging, the perks of blogging!
- Friendships-some of the friendships I’ve formed over the past six years are some of the strongest I’ve had my entire life. We all have a connection, a love of books. A need to tell others about them.
- Community– Side-by-side with friendships, the community of book reviewers and bloggers is an amazing one. We’re supportive of one another, providing advice and support when needed.
- Opportunity: the connections formed during this six years of blogging have provided me with endless opportunities, including opportunities to provide books to the less fortunate, introduce children to some really phenomenal books and authors, as well as opportunities to write for various publications.
Notice I didn’t mention access to review copies at all? While this is a benefit of blogging, it is most certainly outweighed by the benefits I have mentioned above.
So there you have it. My pros/cons of blogging, based on my six years of experience. What are yours? Are there benefits I didn’t mention, or pet-peeves I’ve overlooked?
17 Responses to TSS: Anniversary Special: Pros & Cons of Blogging