I love beauty blogging. I do. If I don’t, I wouldn’t have spent the last 4 years on this blog. As a beauty blogger, I invest a lot of time in writing and photography, and money in products to try and for giveaways. If you’re a beauty blogger too (or any sort of blogger; fashion, style, tech, foodie, etc), I’m sure you know what I mean.
Like life, blogging isn’t a bed of roses either.
There are times when blogging frustrates me so much, it’s almost enough to question what I’m doing and if I should just call it quits. Thank heavens I don’t encounter annoying situations much, but when I do, they make me want to tear my hair out. Here are some of the things that bug me when it comes to blogging:
- Receiving blog unsubscription notification emails right after I announce my giveaway winners. I’ve mentioned this before on Twitter, and I’ll say it again. It’s really disheartening when you run giveaways, and right after the giveaway ends, you get a stream of unsubscription email notifications. When you run another giveaway, the chances are the people who unsubscribed resubscribes, giveaway over, unsubscribe again. It’s a vicious cycle and it’s one of my biggest peeve.
- Dealing with people who do not understand what blogging is about and why we do it. “OMG you get free sh*t?! Where do I sign up?” Sigh.
- Working on a really old and slow laptop that cannot handle simultaneously running of a web browser, video application and Photoshop. Sometimes either one or all of them crash and I’d lose the drafts and images I’ve been working on for hours.
- Working with difficult PRs. I’m glad I encountered very few of these, but when it does happen, it can get pretty frustrating.
At the other end of the spectrum, blogging can be really fun and rewarding. With difficult people, I also have the pleasure of getting to know some very lovely people. I’m blessed to have more positives than negatives, so to the 4 points above, I try my best to remember the good bits and tell my frustration to sod off* 🙂
What about you? What frustrates you about blogging? How do you deal with them?
*Or you know, get a new computer 😉
Dealing with negative behaviour, whether it be from readers or between bloggers!
Also as I get older it feels like every hour I put in is a trade off for doing other important things in life.
Akisa: Life should always take precedence to the blog (oops did I just say that? :P). Oh yeah I know what you mean, especially negative behaviour between bloggers too. Why can’t we all get along?
I know what, buy a new lap top for point 3. I did so myself couple of years back. LOL
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Ponikuta: Yeah will be getting one soon. Super geng chau desktop with a massive screen. I DIE.
I don’t blog but I do have a good friend who runs a really popular food blog that also deals with eating disorder issues, and I’ve heard from her that getting negative comments (especially personal attacks) can really get one down. She’s been called racist, delusional, narrow-minded, unprofessional and what have you. I think she has learned to take them in her stride but I do imagine they can be very hurtful and demoralising.
Lynne: Oh dear, that’s awful! I cannot understand why people would do such a thing. Unless the blogger is blatantly pushing the boundaries of ethics or being downright mean, there’s absolutely no need for nastiness from readers. Name-calling is so juvenile. We’re all adults, we can agree to disagree.
I get frustrated sometimes when I’ve been over-doing it and feeling a bit burnt out from work and blog. At the start of the year I decided that I would only blog when I feel like it and blog about what I want to instead of feeling pushed into writing something to please PR’s or readers. At the end of the day my blog is just a hobby and something I do for pleasure and by feeling pressured I won’t get any joy from it anymore so I try to just keep it for me.
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Megs: I didn’t put this in my list, but “pleasing PRs” is one of my frustrations. It has come to a point where I think “if I blog like this, would it offend brand X?” I’m not one who bashes a brand, but I have gotten feedback from the other side that there are certain PRs who do not like negative reviews at all. Anyway, when I start getting thoughts like this, it means that I’m no longer doing it for fun, but for products. And that’s not right by me anymore.
getting insulting comments. when I first got them I got depressed, and after a few months, I just stopped caring. it was getting tiring. eventually it did stop, but it was a valuable lesson for me.
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Karina: I know what you mean. Even when I tell myself “it’s not personal” but it still does hurt even when we laugh it off. It’s a lesson to learn 🙂
I agree with you on the subscription thing. It is totally disgusting. Spam and trolls are another.
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Dane: My sentiments exactly!
my blog isn’t popular to deal with the subscribing / unsubscribing / negative comments / trolls / pr annoyances. which i think is a good thing (but most people seem to have the idea that you have a blog because you want to be popular and want to make money… don’t even get me started on the latter…)
my frustration are usually to do with no or bad photos. i have only weekends to take product photos, provided i have time and provided there are sunlight. i try to take photos of fotds (afterall that’s what my blog is mostly about) but its’ frustrating either i don’t have time to take photos or they turn out so bad, or i found out some makeup mistakes in photos too embarassing to post.
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im lolling after ya comment “… don’t even get me started on the latter…” its so true! lots of people dont get blogging (like my hubby lol) its tiring to explain to ppl that i do it because i love it, and it make me happy, thats all, simple! and i get this really shocked and bizarre look, some roll their eyes grrr hey i dont try to put down their ridiculous hobby
xoxo elle
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Coco: Haha I know what you mean! You *can* make money out of blogging, but you’ve got to have a passion for blogging first before even thinking about the money. If it’s all about the money, then it’s designed to fail.
Ooh I get frustrated with bad photos too! It’s so annoying when I take heaps of pictures when I manage to get the right lighting, thinking all the photos are okay, but when it finally goes into the computer, not a single picture can be used. Grrr!
Oh no, I feel for you for having to receive unsubscription notification emails! Those people are plain rude. Ungrateful people who only come to you when they want something good out of you. Oh wait, but we do have ‘friends’ in real life like that too right? Sigh.
The second point is the wrong reason to get a blog started. These blogs usually don’t last long, I guess coz there’s no soul in it.
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Bun Bun: Bingo love. Nail on the head 🙂
Honestly, I initially subscribed for a give-a-way, but I never unsubbed because I’ve come to really enjoy reading your articles. Even though I didn’t win anything, I feel like I’m better off now by having something original and informative to read while I sip my morning tea 🙂
Caitlin: That’s very lovely to hear, Caitlin, thanks very much 🙂 I welcome all subscribers from giveaways; after all, when other bloggers and readers help me spread the word about my giveaways, that’s how I get some readers too. A small percentage of giveaway subscribers stay back, and I highly appreciate them. And you! 🙂
The subscribe unsubscribe thing is disgusting! I get the same thing on my facebook page. Other business’s want to exchange “likes” on liking ladders and then a few days later “unlike” – I have given up. It is better to involve myself with genuine followers. Are you able to pinpoint culprits? Those types of people have got to feel pretty low with that behalviour and I am sure they will get it back – karma!! I love your blog x
Raylene: Every time I get an unsubscription notice, it shows the email address that unsubscribed. Sometimes I do know exactly who the person was. I always try to give every single unsubscriber the benefit of the doubt when they unsubscribe, e.g perhaps they’ve discovered Google Reader and prefer to read my blog feeds on it instead?
I suppose it’s pretty obvious when these emails come in when I announce the winner a couple of weeks later. But lo and behold, the next time I run a giveaway, they come back 😛
PS: Thanks love. By the way, I LOVE the 1SkinSolution stuff you sent me. I’m going to order the bath crystals once I run out. They’re amazing stuff 🙂
How embarrasing for them lol
I am so pleased you love my products!!! 😀
Looking forward to your review!!! 😀 xo
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Not having a compatible SD card reader at home! Everytime I take photographs, I have to edit it on my work laptop, which means I need to lug it home. We’ve also encountered the subscription matter but not as extensively as yours as our blog is much smaller.
dom recently posted..Review: Lioele Waterdrop BB Cream SPF27 PA++ (50ml)
Dom: Aiyo, get a multi-card reader! Then you don’t have to lug the laptop home 😛
unsubscription mails are always the hugest hit to a blogger!!! and, if you find the staistics dropping or no change in subscriber count. but, then small messages from the reader’s or a little piece of appreciation from the fellow bloggers always perks me up 🙂
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Swati: There’s nothing like words of encouragement from fellow bloggers or our readers to give us that boost of confidence once again. They give me the fuzzy wuzzies 😛
I am not a blogger but I’d like to comment. To tell you honestly, at first I was only reading one blog and I sign up for the others for the giveaway. But, because of the many things I learn from that one beauty blog that I’m reading, I tried to subscribe to other blogs too then started reading posts! I got hooked! The rest they say is history! 🙂 I hope they try reading too! There’s a lot to learn out there, not to mention I love having conversations with the blog owners through the comment box! 🙂 Beauty bloggers are the most down to earth and friendly people I know (even through chat only). 🙂
I agree… and definitely more down to earth and easier to approach than a magazine beauty editor (for a beauty product business owner). i like the fact they are honest and not persuaded by “perks” or PR pressure to write favorative reviews. I totally hear you Issa!! They are refreshing and just plain friendly!! 🙂
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Issa: Aww thanks Issa! I learned heaps from beauty bloggers too. At the very least, we get the latest news first compared to magazines 🙂
Just keep up what you are doing Tine! 🙂 Btw, I already got the package! Love it so much and thanks for your sweet note! 🙂
Thanks for your Bloggie Wednesday posts, you write them so well and have some great tips.
I am much the same as you in terms of what bothers me. Something that also bothers me is that I feel that some bloggers are quite competitive and some bloggers do “brag” a little about events/products. I don’t like this kind of attitude. Blogging for me is a hobby and I want to enjoy it without the competitive edge I sometimes feel is present.
I hope that makes sense!
I must say that the majority of bloggers I know/have met have all been wonderful to interact with. I believe that some friends I have made through blogging will be life long and I am so grateful for that.
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Tara: Thanks love 🙂 Yeah I know what you mean. Many a time I feel that there’s a competitive edge amongst beauty bloggers too, and some can get a bit snarky over another, and I don’t like it either. I think we’ve lost the plot when we start fighting over lipsticks 🙂
Lack of time always infuriates me, I work full time and I’m a trustee for two charities so I’m always busy with other stuff. Still I try to work around it as I love blogging so much!
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Annabella: Wow, that’s a lot! But good on you for being a trustee for charities 🙂
I agree with everyone’s points! Though lately my number one peeve is spam… Sooo disappointing to think you have new Twitter followers or blog comments then see that they are adult dating sites or just random spambot rubbish!
Sarah recently posted..Mmm Strawberries & Champagne – Victoria’s Secret Fragrance Mist
Sarah: Oh how I know what you mean. It’s so annoying to see spambots following you. First you’re happy when you see a new follower, and then you have to block him/her because it’s spam. Plus one, then minus one. Ugh!