Blogging has always been a form of outlet for me ever since I created my first WordPress blog back in 2009, when I had just turned 12. It was specifically to talk about Arctic Antics, an online game website that (a very generous) someone created to offer free Club Penguin Memberships to whoever won the competition every week. It soon became like a small community for us online players, and I decided to create the blog as a platform outside Arctic Antics to connect with other players. The feeling of belonging that the game and blog gave to my 12 year old self was very fulfilling. I kept it up until I was 14-15 years old, and even co-blogged with other fellow online friends for their blogs. Through this hobby, I naturally learned more about the blogging industry, though I never pursued anything more serious (e.g. coding, web design) until now.

This anecdote is one that resonates highly with me today, especially because I have something to look back to after so many years. I can look at all the (silly) posts I made, all the pages and coments and designs that I put up. It’s an actual glimpse into what the online part of my childhood looked like, something that I find extremely valuable today as we often ‘get busy’ with our lives and lose touch of our inner childhood, one of the purest and proudest moments of our lives.

Throughout the years, I have also created other blogs, but they were never as ‘successful’. I created them mainly as online diaries; in other words, I blogged as an outlet for my emotions.

I decided to create this particular blog this year to record my progress with writing and interests. I believe that blogging is one of the best ways to see how you grow: your writing style evolves, your tastes and interests change, and you will inevitably improve with time. WordPress is the best blogging platform I know, as its design allows you to have complete control over your site. Though it’s not as connected as other social media sites in the sense that it’s harder to promote your blog, it’s one that gives me that ‘right’ blogging feeling.

I have also explored other social media sites to explore and compare their usages. One that I have come to love is Tumblr. You can definitely use it as you would use WordPress, as you can upload your own designs and coding (without paying). However, I consider Tumblr a more photography/interactive platform, as not everything you show on your Tumblr blog has been created by you.

I also created an Instagram (for books and stationery pictures, mainly) in tandem with this blog, mainly for complementary purposes. Instagram is strictly for pictures and short videos; WordPress is for blogging mainly. I took on Instagram as my promoting platform, and I’m glad I keep it up. I enjoy taking some time off every 1-2 weeks to take creative pictures for my Instagram, though it will never give me the satisfaction that blogging gives me as Instagram is very aesthetic and superficial-based.

I also use Goodreads, which is absolute marvelous for book-tracking and making friends whom you know have to love books. I use it mainly for myself, but I also sometimes share my reviews on there, which is great. But besides that, I don’t really try very hard to keep up with my ‘presence’ on there.

I have also tried exploring sites like Pinterest and Twitter, though I am not a fan of either. I don’t really use Pinterest other than searching for inspiration, and Twitter is just too 24/7-social-media for me.

Something that makes me feel really uncertain about this whole blogging ‘business’ is where it’s going to go. I do think that WordPress will not go down anytime soon, as it’s been up for such a long time, but I do feel that the audience’s interests is spreading everywhere. Specifically, I’m talking about sites like YouTube. It has become the modern version of having a blog, and though it won’t last forever, it’s a trend that is still soaring today.

Personally, I am not a vlogger nor someone who’s very eager to make videos of herself in any way. My attempts to do that would be horrendous, and I have only ever made one video about my bullet journal as a complementary for my bullet journal setup post. However, because of this trend, I have questioned about my options. If I continue blogging, even if for personal reasons, that means that I’ll continue investing time into it. Time that I won’t always have, unless I can make a profit out of it. Of course, I’m thinking for future purposes, but it’s a thought that I can’t shake off. If I could, I would continue blogging for as long as I can, because I know that – with time – I will be able to create a blog with a more specific and well-defined niche.

If you are reading this, chances are that you have a blog of your own. Please let me know what your thoughts are on how you blog, and what blogging plans you have for the future (e.g. are you thinking about expanding or switching to other social media sites.) Thank you!

Misty Prose