back to (blogging) basics

Remember me? It's been a while - since Easter in fact! I've been here behind the scenes a lot though - I'd log in, start a post and then snap closed the laptop and go and do something else. There are lots of little child-sized distractions these days. And also... a lot of the time... I just don't want to blog. I've been incredibly uninspired to do so lately. Does anyone read them anymore? I don't, really. I have a very, very small list of favourites whose style I think is similar to my own, bloggers I like, and sites that I really enjoy, but aside from them, I have no real interest in falling down the blog rabbit hole anymore. Or writing my own. I'm working on the latter though because I don't know if I can just throw away seven years of documenting my life and projects. (Although last year's major hacking disaster kind of did it for me!) But how to get back into it? Well, that was the big question and what I've been thinking about these past few months. I think I've worked it out. And it involves a return to the olden days...

Blogging has come a long way. And I'm not sure it is for the best. Once upon a time, it was a relatively smallish online community where great conversation took place, friendships were made and helpful information and sharing was paramount. We turned to blogs (and when I talk about blogs, I am referring to the design/home/DIY/lifestyle arena as that's my interest) because we may have been missing that really awesome friend with the stylish, but liveable, home in our real lives. Or just couldn't talk glue guns or the best black wall paint with our sisters. Sure we could eye off images in magazines, but could we ask advice and or start a conversation about something? Nope. Online? We could. And we did. You know what else we knew we got as a blog reader? Truth. Great (honest) recommendations. REAL LIFE. We saw inspirational AND aspirational homes, projects and lifestyles. More realistic budgets, decision-making, mistakes and processes. Online you'd see shop owners show glimpses of their lives, mothers who pour their hearts into making special events like birthdays or holidays extra, extra special and couples with jobs and families - just like us - who caught the renovating and decorating bug and wanted to share their experiences, tips and transformations with others. THIS is what I got out of the blogging world. Now? Pinterest has killed the conversation - how often do you click the link and visit the blog? Facebook and Twitter have killed each other (I just don't really get them or use them anymore) and Instagram has killed off the realness (how many people's lives are really that picture perfect? None). And advertising? It's killed blogging. Well, it may not have killed it entirely (there are certainly bloggers out there going great guns), but it has kind of ruined it for me.

When I worked in newspapers and magazines, advertising ruled. At one newspaper, a government department threatened to pull advertising if we ran with a negative story about them. So much for freedom of the press; it's still very much on a leash. In magazines, without the advertising dollars, there is no magazine. And without magazines there is a huge gap in the way brands can get their name out there. They rely on each other and go hand in hand. But while I have no problem with the ads themselves, I have a problem with the way in which some (not all) were acquired - with promises for editorial mentions. Some advertisers would only come on board if they had a certain amount of editorial mentions per issue, which might equate to three product placements in a shoot, and two mentions in an article somewhere. Or feature articles concocted around a product placement or brand. The problem is (this is my personal opinion. I've just seen it work from the inside and so now read so much into things): if the brand's PR (or brand's products itself) are good enough, they'll be picked up by the editorial department anyway and used in shoots or mentioned in articles. But that free publicity doesn't pay for the photographer, photo studio, stylists, couriers and everyone else! So they get hounded for $$ from the sales reps, which they might be happy to pay "IF, you can guarantee this, that and the other" in future issues. After a while, this advertising/editorial tail chasing makes you question whether things are used because they're actually really liked or recommended by a stylist/magazine. Or because they HAVE to use it. 

Which is how I kind of feel about some blogs these days... the sponsored posts, the affiliate links, the giveaways... forced posts on unrelated (or trying to make it related) things to incorporate a particular product/brand. It's all a bit much nowadays - bloggers have been bought by everyone! And I can't help but feel suspicious of all those links in posts of products they might like or recommend - are they only recommending this because they are being paid to? Or because it is an affiliate link and they'll make money off their fans' eagerness to replicate? Money is hard to turn down. I get this, I do. I took on a few sponsored posts and collaborations and banner ads. Mostly I think the former two worked ok as they were brands I did actually know and use. But how unfair is it for readers to see me getting free things just because I am writing about it?! Would I have bought it regardless? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I had to kick my own butt when I actually approached a couple of companies for something because I was going to buy the items regardless and thought they might want to contribute in some way by discount or partly gifted etc. I was surprised at myself - who am I!?!?! How rude! That's not me. And that NOT why I started a blog. (FYI, one said yes - and one said no not right now due to budget). I remember reading something a blogger agency wrote that explained why companies should partner with their bloggers: "Readers trust the bloggers for honest opinions and product advice..." But by PAYING those bloggers to write about a product they probably wouldn't write about otherwise, isn't that kind of abusing that trust? I don't know, but I feel it is. I once did a survey and discovered that 10% of readers had bought something I'd written about on the blog. Whether it was something I'd used, discovered or just thought was pretty or cool, that is kind of influential. I'm very wary of abusing that; brands are obviously very happy to use that! And as for the admin side of things - I was hopeless. So many advertisers got months worth of free advertising because I was useless at keeping track of it all or following it up. And mention SEOs, Google-friendly titles (is that the same thing? See - I don't even know that) or pageview stats to me and I will cover my ears and sing "la la la". It's all quite headache inducing.

The other headache-inducing aspect of blogging and social media is the sheep factor. There is so much sameness - the same trends, projects and products pop up everywhere. You might love something and then you see it so many billion times on blogs, Pinterest, Instagram you wish you hadn't bought it/tried it/made it anymore. That copy-cat theme extends to extensions of the blogging world - blogging courses, conferences (conferences?! really?) and workshops have been the buzzwords for the last couple of years. This year's trend? Oh that's easy - pop-up shops! And while I'm ranting ... there is a certain perfection that is almost expected now of bloggers. You can't just blog - you need to take awesome photographs too. And appear to live an incredible, interesting life. Pinterest and Instagram's beautiful images have meant everyone needs to step it up in terms of their content - professional-standard images are quite the norm. Magazine-perfect homes and super-styled "everyday life" is what we see. I'm all for pretty - of course! And I don't deny setting up my own pics occasionally. And I won't stop doing so either. But a little reality should be in the mix too - because people respond to that and relate to it. And having someone say "oh thank GOD I'm not the only one..." and launch into their own story is so much better a comment than "Ah. Mazing".

Anyway, working out what was annoying me and making me so disillusioned helped me make up my mind about what I should and would do with my blog. I considered just accepting I was old school and out of the loop and letting it go - sheesh, I've whined so much about blogging in this post, why would I want to continue, right? But then I thought about what it was that I enjoyed about it before and wondered if I could just go back to that. Up until a couple of weeks ago, I had a list as long as a six-year-old's Christmas list of people I had to get back to regarding affiliate programs and other potential sponsorship partnerships. I considered them all, started to stress at all the growing to-do list, then told them all what I'm telling you now:

I've made the decision to pull back from all advertising/sponsorship/affiliate/monetizing of my blog for the time being and get back to basics. I've realised a lot of my passion towards blogging has vanished due to the admin and extra work that was going into it behind the scenes and I really want to get back to why I liked it in the first place, which was simpler, about my home and life and without gifts or sponsors. I don't necessarily expect to remain this way forever, but I basically want to start at the beginning in a way and see where that leads - I'm sure there will be opportunities further down the track when the time feels right. 

Standard response word for word! I am SURE there is a way to combine a blog with money-making in a way that allows the blogger to remain authentic and not annoy its readers as well. I just don't know what it is for me yet! But I do hope to find it one day, because of course it would be nice to turn something I enjoy(ed) into a profitable career. I think some bloggers do a pretty good job of it too - Dana of House*Tweaking and Emily Henderson have relevant and great sponsorship partnerships most of the time without losing their look, voice or style. Or my readership either (cause that's important!) But until I find a way to do it that I'm comfortable with, there will be no advertising on my blog. I'm going back to the early days - sharing, caring and communicating (if people still comment! I know times have a changed in that regard!). This whole post might not mean much to anyone - and it might turn out to be one big hypocritical wordy mess, but I just felt the need to explain my absence and disinterest.

And you know what? Since I've made this decision, I feel a bit more inspired again. I've been writing down post ideas and I even gave the blog a very simple new look. From now on, I'll make a bit of a return to what my blog was in the first place - my renovation (no, the kitchen IS STILL NOT FINISHED!!!!! I need a tiler cause I don't think I am cut out for all the diagonal cutting around the rangehood), makeovers and projects and a peek into a real Aussie family trying to make a happy home and life. Because that's why I started it. To quote myself, in my very first post on this blog ...

"I want The Happy Home to be about family life: creating stylish and liveable spaces, spending creative time with little ones, prettying up the mundane, laughing through the frustrations and complications, and just enjoying life's little moments. I'm not a stylist, not am I uber-creative. I'm just attempting to use all I've learnt through my work, inspirations I've gathered and ideas I've come up with to turn my home into a happy one. Because, ultimately, that's what every home should be - a place that makes you happy. Not because it's decorated with designer furniture or boasts the latest trend or is hospital-clean or looks like it jumped from the pages of a magazine*. But because it's filled with the things you love and is an extension of all those who live there. This blog is about a real home with a real family on a real budget. It's real living!"

*{note:} There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of these things - they just might be the things that make you happy. But do this because you want to, not because you feel you need to in order to have a stylish home and envious visitors!" 

Are you still reading?! Well done! Sorry for the ranting and raving - needed to get that off my chest. I don't judge (too much!) those who do this thing - people can do as they please on their sites. It just saddens me to see so many great sites either stop existing altogether or turning in a giant advertorial and losing their soul and original essence. I don't want to be one of those...

{Image by Belinda Graham for The Happy Home}