Friday, April 27, 2018

Influence or Inspire?

Hi Dear Folk,

Do you like Blogs that Inspire or Influence?

I started Blogging in 2008, and since then we have seen many Blogs come and go.  When I started it was a sharing of ideas, a little snippet into a person's life all over the world and I found that to be stimulating and thought provoking, because these were shared lives, family, home and crafts.  Very down to earth.

Somewhere along the line people saw the potential to make money, as with everything to be as they like to call it an Influencer.  Now some Blogs seem to be able to balance the two seamlessly, but others with all their pop ups become intrusive.

Really what is an influencer?

From the word influence - Medieval Latin influentia emanation of power from the stars, from Latin influere to flow into, from fluere to flow.

Influencer - Individuals who have the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of their (real or perceived) authority, knowledge, position, or relationship.  In consumer spending, members of a peer group or reference group act as influencers.

Influencer marketing is a form of marketing in which focus is placed on influential people rather than the target market as a whole.  It identifies the individuals that have influence over potential buyers and orients marketing activities around these influences.  To affect or change how someone or something develops, behaves, or thinks.

Yvonne on Yvestown Blog wrote about this here

She writes about how she is a blogger who wants to inspire, but somehow got dragged into a lot of roles, one being known as an Influencer and she said she thought that was the way to go, but doesn't want to anymore.  Yvonne has decided to take a different direction in life and open the Yvestown Tea Room and Shop. Always a great idea in my book.

Personally nobody is going to influence me to spend what I don't want to spend, but I really do get fed up of Xing out those darn popups.

How do you feel about this?

Christine

11 comments:

  1. Hi Christine,
    I can relate to what you are saying here. I started blogging about 7 years ago to see if anyone liked my decor and shared similar taste. I have to say I have met so many wonderful bloggers that I can call friends. I have enjoyed sharing my decor crazy to inspire. I am a blogger that does not advertise or try to make money with my blog. I love blogging to share ideas not to make money. With that said I know there are a lot of bloggers that own their domains and pay fees to keep their blogs going. So I can understand the need to try and off set the costs. I have to agree though most bloggers are making money and it is not just for the fees they have to pay to off set costs. That is ok too but with so many pop ups I think they are losing a lot of their loyal blogging friends. I know Blogging can feel like a full time job sometimes so they might as well get paid. I just have been feeling like I do not have a place anymore in the blogging arena. When I started blogging was about sharing and inspiring and not about making money. Now that seem to be the norm so I have been thinking about how I fit in this world anymore. I cannot stand the pop ups either. Advertising on the side of the blog or incorporating it into their blog post is ok by me but I cannot stand the pop ups. There are bloggers I have been with for years and now that they have the pop ups I do not even visit their blogs anymore. I have noticed too that a lot of the advertisers want bloggers to post so many times in a week to make money. That too makes their post less desirable when they are stretching to find things to post about just to make their quota's with the advertisers. SO I guess it has it's pro's and con's. I just feel like blogging is not about what I use to love and why I started. With all things nothing stays the same and things evolve. So I think you will see this be a continue process of advertising. I also think that if the advertisers are not getting an audience from blogs or see that peeps are not buying from bloggers they will stop paying for this and blogging will change again. Happy Friday have a great weekend.
    Kris

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Kris,
    Thank you for your comment I think it is all most valid. Yes some do have domain fees and I see the need to cover those, also there are some blogs that I like that do promote and advertise but in a more grass roots way, not with big name corporations. I like your thought that blogs may yet change again. To continue blogging I think it must be something that moves your soul to want to do. Personally for me it's like an online picture journal, a way of remembering. Also great if you download it and make it into a book.
    Christine

    ReplyDelete
  3. Blogging for me is a journey initialling sharing crafting ideas. This then morphed into a journal and record of our move and exploration of the local area. It is a great platform for advertising for some people but I chose not to, I like to be inspired by blogs and am rarely influenced. Thought provoking post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comment. I love to follow your adventures in your new life.

      Delete
  4. Nobody influences me to spend. I do like to be inspired though. I enjoy blogs as it gives me a insight into other lives and ways of doing things. A certain amount of adverts are ok but if they annoy me I don't read the blog. I can understand why people do it though. Its a nice way to earn a living.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right Jean to turn something one started out just enjoying to a way of earning a living must seem rewarding. Just keep those popups down.

      Delete
  5. I've always thought of blogging as way of keeping a diary (which is usually secret,) but also involves a community. I love how you can share ideas and little things that happen in everyday life with folks from all over the world.
    A thought provoking post, many thanks my friend x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like your comment about a worldwide community, a sharing of life on a small scale but a worldwide community. also the thought that is it an online diary.

      Delete
  6. I don't think I influence or inspire, rather share my life with friends and in turn hope they share theirs with me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do think you inspire Meredith, I really do. Yes, that's how I feel a sharing of ones daily life.

      Delete
  7. Recently a woman whose blog I've read for a long time started - I don't even know what to call it. Something on her sidebar where you could contribute. Not saying you had to but still, it was enough for me to stop reading. It's too bad because she is very interesting, but that little notice would get in the way of my enjoyment. Any advertising on blogs stops me from reading them. I just feel blogging is a personal experience not a money-making one.

    ReplyDelete

01 09 10