March 15, 2013

I'm A _________ Blogger

I remember a while back this little meme was going around where bloggers were professing what type of blogger they were/are. A fashion/style blogger, a DIY blogger, a health/fitness blogger, a wedding blogger, etc. I never "participated" at the time because back then I didn't know what type of blogger I was.  I didn't want to limit myself by categorizing just one area of my blogging life.

I talk about a little bit of everything around here.  Being a mom, food/recipes, weight loss {when there's no baby in my belly}, decorating {or lack there of}, the occasional bitch-fest, celebrity gossip, it's really the definition of hodge podge around here.  But, you know what?  I like it that way.

I like it that I can't fit myself under one label.  At first I thought, "I'm a mom blogger" and then I was like, "well, not really because I don't talk about how to raise your kid or offer the best parenting advice" so I wouldn't say that a "mom blogger" fits me completely.  When I was losing weight I did a few posts here and there about what was working for me but that doesn't mean I'm a health/fitness blogger.  I just redecorated our master bedroom but that surely doesn't qualify me in the same category as Young House Love or Bower Power.  I occasionally {rarely, these days} give my two cents regarding the haps in Tinseltown but I'm no Suri's Burn Book.

I just do me.  

I like to think I'm more than just a _______ blogger.  I like to think I'm the whole package, if you will.

That's the beauty of blogging though.  We are free to be whoever we want to be but there is one thing that is never cool and that's being fake.  No matter what I'm blogging about in the moment I hope that you always know what you "see" is what you get around here.  I pride myself on being honest 100% of the time and I'd hope that if we ever got the chance to meet in person you'd feel like I was the same in the flesh as I am behind the words on the screen.

I am a honest blogger.

This internet life is a tricky one because, as I said above, you get to be whoever you want to be online.  Kind of like that Brad Paisley song, "Online".  I've had the pleasure of getting to know a lot of bloggers "offline" {if you will}.  Ones I talk to on the phone, via email, text or Voxer.  Ones I'd consider my true friends, not just my "online friends".  In the same respect there have been a few bloggers that I loved reading their blog and then when I got to "know" them a little deeper, away from just reading each others blogs, and I was disappointed with what I "saw" and it kind of ruined that/those blog{s} for me.  You live and you learn.

My biggest piece of advice that I could give anyone looking to get their feet wet in this blogging business is to be yourself.  People love real, raw, honest, things they can relate to.  No one wants to read a "perfect" blog about the "perfect" life and "perfect" children because that shit doesn't exist and reading things like that only makes people feel bad about themselves and feel inferior.  That's not to say you have to air your dirty laundry either, just be real.

Sharing our strengths AND weaknesses is what most people {I} like to see.  Made a great recipe?  Share it!  Had a "I hate my kid day"?  Been there, done that, let's be friends.  Found a good sale?  Tell me more!  Need an extra glass of wine tonight?  Cheers!

Now that this post has officially gone in a completely different direction than I initially intended, I'll wrap it up by saying this.  Let's create a new category of blogging, honest bloggers.  How bout it?

Hope you have a great weekend!



16 comments:

  1. I second this!
    I don't think I fall into a particular category but I blog as honestly and as raw as I can. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but it's who I am.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I started blogging in 2005 and back then, blogs were really seen as your personal journal/look into your life. You were just you. No sponsorships. No affiliate links. Just vignettes on daily life. So I think you are spot on.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have to say, that your blog has inspired me to just blog about whatever comes to mind! whether it's being newlywed, what I did this weekend, recipe sharing, etc. I like that so much better than reading blogs JUST about fitness, or JUST about having kids.

    - Val @ KnotTiedDown.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you!! I've been reading your blog for awhile (along iwth others) and I was scared that I didn't fit into a category. It's good to know I too am a hodge podge blogger :)



    thewaynes.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ditto to all of the above. I'm asked what I blog about and feel that "everything" is too vauge and makes me seem like a fraud, but it's true. I talk food, kids, funny, pictures, clothes... Mostly about me. That should be my answer. I'm a ME blogger.

    LB
    www.accordingtol.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Word! I go through phases, but mostly just share whatever is happening in our house. Obviously, everyone has different strengths and hobbies so all blogs tend to have one or two things they center around but I don't think anyone should feel defined by their blog category. I am so happy that someday Wren and my grandkids will have a way to know who I was and a glimpse of how happy I was because she was in our life.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love this post!
    Seriously, I can NEVER figure out what kind of blogger I am. I think it's silly to have to be classified. No I'm not a fashion blogger but I just blog. A bit of everything?!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I completely agree...I hate having to write about, or classify myself as just one thing. In fact I wrote about this exact same thing yesterday. http://www.mommymandymusings.com/2013/03/its-my-life-blog.html

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yep :) That's me, too. And I hope that comes a blazing through on my blog, honestly.

    ReplyDelete
  10. A-to-the-MEN sista!!! Honesty and genuineness are severely lacking in the blog world lately. I miss the days when people didn't care about labels and just wrote whatever came to mind. Those are the best posts anyway :-) I could honestly go on and on about this subject, but instead I will just leave you with a WELL SAID MAMA!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Perfectly said, my honest blogger friend! I love it. I think I'd categorize myself as an honest blogger too. Great post. xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love this & love you, but you already know these things. :) When you're as kickass of a person as Shannon R. Dew you don't have to be fake. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is what I've always appreciated about you!! You're real and authentic!!!!! :)

    ReplyDelete