I have hesitated to address this for some time now, but it has increasingly been weighing on my mind and become more and more obvious: I don’t like calling myself a blogger. Why does being defined as such irk me so? It’s not that I’m ashamed that I am a blogger — but rather quite the opposite! I am so proud of the work that I’ve done and success that I’ve achieved that it is frustrating to know that the term that describes what I do doesn’t necessarily express that and appears to take on more of an amateur association.
I think it is mostly related to the misconceptions projected by those who aren’t bloggers or involved in a fashion or a writing-related industry of what I do on a daily basis that causes me to revolt against the term.
I feel that the word “blogger” refers to an earlier period in time when it truly was more of a online personal journal with a simple platform-hosted layout and doesn’t come close to representing the amazing range of creativity, knowledge, and skills that it encompasses today.
Besides all of this, blogging is now a full-time career for many, who make viable incomes and rival the traffic of major magazines’ online entities. I’ve met so many amazingly talented people that have such incredible talent and just happen to channel it through a blog-outlet, that the word just does not do them justice.
Oftentimes I grapple with how to get family members and friends to rethink what it means to be a blogger, since the general consensus seems to be that what I do is “cute” and just take in all the elements at at a surface value, like taking photos of myself, getting freebies, and attending cool events. I sometimes want to scream, “I AM SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT!” Sure there is some fun in the mix, but it is also a TON of work, and what I do when it comes to being a blogger should be taken as seriously as any other career, because guess what? I am serious about it!
I love being a part of the blogging community, as it is a unique group of professionals who tend to be more outgoing, assertive, encouraging and supportive than other fields I have worked in, and I love what I do, but I just can’t help but perceive a novice, and perhaps even negative connotation.
I really just have beef with the word “blogger” itself. I cringe whenever I receive a mass PR email that is addressed to “Dear Blogger,” and I prefer to consider (and call) myself anything but, as I have told people that I’m an “online publisher,” “writer,” “freelancer who also has her own fashion site,” and “journalist working in the digital space,” amongst others. I wish I could create a noun that truly expressed what it means to be a blogger today , but for now, for lack of a better term, and until we as a community come up with one and use it enough to make it commonplace, I certainly am a blogger.
Do you feel that the general perception of the term “blogger” doesn’t properly represent all that you do…as a blogger?
Julia DiNardo writes Fashion Pulse Daily
I have to say it’s kind of a dualism for me. On one side, people who understand (and who have visited my blog) praise me for what I do because they think my work requires a full force of creativity and hard work. But on the other side, people who don’t understand and don’t want to, they think I simply write journals about feelings and stuff like some whimsy teenage girls. Oh and talking about whimsy teenage girls who complain on their blogs, they’re also part of the reason I hesitate stating that I’m a blogger. Plus in my country, bloggers are not highly respected, and nope, not many fun, cute blogger activities and gathering here, either…
Nadya
http://thedillychic.com