Back in August of 2017 (2 years ago!), I wrote a little post titled My Blogging Bucket List. It was inspired by Drizzle & Hurricane Books and was all about what my goals as a blogger were. It was interesting to re-read that because quite a few things have changed! So, let’s address the 5 “goals” I made for myself 2 years ago and where I stand now.
2017: BE A BLOG PEOPLE RECOGNIZE
I…don’t even know what to say about this one. I absolutely do not care about this 2 years later. I don’t even know my thought process to explain why I used to care because even at that time I didn’t look at my stats. So…why? The new version of this would be that all I want is to be a blog people can come to for fangirling, chatting, & making friends! I don’t give a rat’s patoot whether I’m a “popular” blog or not.
2017: BE AN ADVOCATE FOR INDIE AUTHORS
I still totally agree with this one. Sure, sometimes the writing isn’t perfection but, to me, that’s okay. A person wrote out their ideas, created a story, and published it for everyone to read – that’s more that I could ever do! I definitely want to continue doing this and it still is something I could improve on since I do fail at reviewing books in a timely manner – but at least I’m trying!
2017: BE A REP FOR A BOOKISH MERCH COMPANY
It actually baffles me that all the bookish merch companies I repped for were within 1 year of the original 2017 post and my 2018 hiatus. After I wrote that blog post, I repped for a few companies like Elissa J Designs and Bookish Balms! I loved being a rep and am looking forward to doing it again for anyone willing to have me!
2017: FEEL COMFORTABLE TALKING ABOUT MY BLOG
WOW! How times have changed! I am 100% comfortable talking about my blog now. I entered giveaways and rep searches & if someone asks what I do for fun, I usually tell them – especially because my husband is such a good hype man when it comes to talking about it! I would say what I need to work on now would be to not be ashamed or uncomfortable telling people I read almost exclusively YA books – but I could write an entire blog post about that one.
2017: ATTEND SOME SORT OF MEET UP
I still haven’t done this outside of Yallwest…I would love to meet people in my area that know what bookstagram is or even reads YA books. I always say I want to attend book clubs or something like that so I can meet people into this but then I chicken out (more because of social anxiety than not feeling comfortable talking about my blog/bookstagram). So, I’ll add again: If any of you live in SoCal or travel here for book events, let’s meet up!
SO WHAT ABOUT 2019?
This was kind of a “how I’ve changed as a blogger” type post because some of the above goals are totally off from who I am now, but others still line up with my beliefs. However, I don’t have a list of goals or a bucket list anymore. What I want for my blog is to just simply have fun! I don’t want to worry about posting on a schedule, writing about relevant topics just for views, reading books just because of the hype – just keep it simple and fun!
It was pretty interesting to look back at 2017 Molly but now it’s your turn! How have your goals changed as a blogger? Do you agree or disagree with the points I’ve made? Do you even have goals or do you just wing it?
10 Comments
This is great Molly! I think being a space where everyone can chat and make friends is sooo much better than being a “popular” blog! 🙂 So far, I think you’re on track as I considered you one of the friendliest and fun person to talk with! <3
awwwwwwwwwww thank you so much! That’s so sweet <3
I love reading that you’re comfortable talking about your blog! That’s something I’m still working on, I don’t know why but I feel so awkward bringing it up to acquaintances or people that I don’t know very well. My boyfriend is also such a great hype man and always brings it up lol.
It took a while for me to get there! I’ve had my blog since 2015 and I JUST started feeling comfortable about it. It’s still sometimes embarassing when I find out a friend has actually read it but more because I think my writing is silly, but I don’t mind talking about it now haha. You’ll get there!
Hey, fellow SoCal gal! I love meet-ups! I’ve actually met a few blogger, bookstagrammer, and fellow romance readers already. We haven’t been actively meeting up lately, but a couple of us meet a few times for tea! It’s really great to meet up with readers, especially since I’m the only reader in the family.
I have really changed from last year. I guess this is my year of being in a blogging “slump.”
HELLO! Where abouts SoCal are you from? Yeah, I don’t really know anyone who reads, let alone reads YA or similar, within my “irl” friend group. It’s nice to find people to connect with about books!
Just having fun with your blog is always a big goal, I think! Yes, I want to spread the word about my blog more and have more opportunities with it, but at the same time, it’s about the community for me. If I didn’t have bloggers to talk with, it wouldn’t be fun.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
Exactly! I want to spread the word SO I can meet new people and chat but not to be “recognizable” or whatever my goal was 2 years ago lol
The only reason why I wish my blog were more popular is that I could be able to recommend my beloved under-hyped books to more people (BTW – yay for indie/self pub books! I’m so glad you support them too). Other than that, we have pretty much the same philosophy! Except that I’m a planner (I schedule like crazy), or else I would never get things done…whether on the blog or not. The truth is, I LOVE to schedule. More than to actually follow my own plans LOL. But I try!
Totally unrelated, but I read your “Is baby a boy or girl” post, and I want to say congrats! Is he your first kid?
New follower by email BTW!
Roberta R. @ Offbeat YA
That totally makes sense! It’s fun to be able to recommend books on your blog and KNOW they’re reaching people – especially those underhyped ones! And girrrrrrl, I am also a planner! It’s actually slightly a struggle to just wing it every week hahah but it’s not as stressful for me in terms of my BLOG ONLY. I can’t wing it anywhere else in my life lol
Also, thank you! And yes, he’ll be our first 🙂 And thanks for the follow! <33