Blogging is Dying.
There I said it.
I’ve actually had a document on my computer titled: “blogging is dying” for a couple of months now. Past that, I haven’t continued the post. Maybe I was waiting for the best moment to post it, maybe not. Either way, blogging is slowly dying.
I’ve contemplated writing this post for a while now, but I don’t know where to begin. It’s probably a mismatched bunch of words that don’t flow together but when is that anything new?
So here we go:
I started blogging in 2010 when blogging was beginning to grow. Everyone was blogging!
It was the new thing to do instead of writing a Facebook update that was 10 pages long. I think in 2010, I followed close to 20 blogs. I was captivated by their writing, and it ranged from runners, to triathletes, to even a chocolate blog (you know).
I followed people with similar interests. Most people were posting at least a few times a week, if not more. To be honest, I think most blogs posted daily, which I did too!
2012-2014, continued the trend and blogging continued to grow. As the years went by, new social media was created.
There were so many new platforms:
Instagram: To take photos of everything you did!
Twitter: To write short burbs and updates about life!
Facebook pages: When one facebook isn’t enough, get two!
Pinterest and more (to save blogs, recipes, and whatever else you’ll read or follow up on!
I remember kicking my feet at getting twitter…ugh another thing, I couldn’t keep up. I ultimately got most of them, except for Pinterest, because I just pin cat memes.
Then 2013 was a big year for me. I moved four times: New York to Virginia to Texas to New Jersey. I ran my first marathon, and moved in with a boyfriend at the time who put a ring on it (yes Tim). It was the year where I had no idea what I wanted to do. I lived off of savings, made some money blogging, and just job searched like any early 20 year old.
In 2014, life settled down a little bit (not much, but enough). My husband and I got engaged, settled in NJ, and I finally set a half marathon PR. 2014 for blogging was probably my “biggest year”.
What does biggest in blogging even mean?
Most page views? Most engagement? Most money made?
All three!
Then in 2014, a lot of things on the internet changed. Social media channels began to grow, and many runners turned to Instagram to document and give running advice. I tried to go that route with long blog post captions but quickly realized I liked Instagram for taking photos of pretty places. It isn’t my personal preference to write a novel caption about how inspired I was to get out there.
I run and come home. I don’t have an inspiring story about every run, I just get out there and do it. I’m just a woman in the Garden State trying to make it look cool. I don’t like to post half-naked photos and don’t like to give advice about running. I don’t want my account to be running only and don’t want to create a separate Instagram account for my personal life either.
My Instagram is my life whether I have a blog or not. It isn’t limited to running, because my life isn’t limited to running. Maybe I’ll never have a niche, but that is fine. My blog talks more about my training and life, while Instagram is just photos and short captions. A couple of weeks ago, my husband I celebrated our anniversary. Not running, but part of my life.
Anyway, with the growth of Instagram and other social media, came the slow fall of blogging.
It isn’t just blogging that has fallen, and many running publications have ceased too. For instance, Competitor magazine only exists online. Runners World was acquired by Hearst.
This post isn’t too bash anything or anyone. It’s just to briefly explain what I’ve observed in the last several years. It’s not the only view, and for some their blog has gotten bigger, which is great!
In summary, social media such as Instagram has grown. People would prefer free advice versus paying, and to be honest, people don’t want or have the time and interest to read blogs anymore.
So How do You Support Blogs?
The easiest way to support any blogger or let them know you’re reading is occasionally comment (and no I’m not begging for comments). Commenting or sharing posts/articles are two big ways to support bloggers without doing much.
Many people have told me in person, “love your blog” and to be honest I’m shocked they read. Sure, right now I average about 500 page views a day, but I rarely get more than 1-2 comments per post, so I have no clue who reads, if anyone! No one is a mind reader. I don’t expect anyone to read, but it’s always nice to hear from people who are.
I will still blog because I like too. I’ve stopped blogging every day, but I’ll continue to blog. This post is not meant to be negative, or put anyone down. It’s just the trend i’ve noticed throughout several years of blogging (which of course different people notice different things).
Questions for you:
How long have you been blogging? Is blogging dying? Discuss?
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