Blogging is it worth it -- your experiences

[John2205]

I have a Flickr Account http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnm2205/
I have invested in a web sharing account with Smugmug
I'm also thinking about starting a blog to bring together and share me photo site of interest and my thoughts
Has anyone else done this and how did they get on?

[ktuli]

John,

It all depends on what you want to get out of it, and what your goals are, and how patient you are.

I have my blog (http://www.ktuli.com/photography/) that I've been keeping for about a year and a half now. In that time, I've made about 200 posts but only received about 75 comments. Granted, I specifically do some things that probably reduce the amount of traffic I get - like hosting my blog myself instead of using a service like blogger that might attract more random visitors (so all my traffic is word of mouth I think), or by being on sites like Facebook (I just am no interested in that), etc - but I made those decisions consciously, and that's just who I am and so I have accept that the traffic I get is probably lower because of it. But that said, you do have to be patient... most blogs are not an overnight success, and so (especially early on) you will probably feel like you're writing your blog for no one.

However, despite low traffic, I still enjoy keeping my blog. It gives me a quick way to share specific photos and accompanying stories with friends and family - often remembering an old post that I might not have shared with someone and being able to quickly give them the link. I've also found it has helped my photography. Because I know I have a venue to share my photos (just like here!), I have become more critical of them and thus strive for better photos. I take the time to review and critique my own photos, which helps me to find faults and correct them next time. I review EXIF data of the photos and begin to see patterns there of what lenses I use most, what aperture I used and how it affected the photo, etc, etc, etc. I feel those things come together (albeit very slowly) to help me improve my photography.

In the end though, the biggest part is what you expect to get out of it... If you expect to start the blog and have instant fame, I'd say you might want to rethink it. But if you want to have a venue to share your photos and their stories (even like a journal for yourself to remember details about a shot that you might forget a year or more later), or a way too force yourself to critique your own photos, or even just an easy way to keep your best photos in an easy location to share with others, then I think a blog is definitely worth while.

If you do start one, be sure to share the link with us here.

- Bill

[John2205]

Bill

that is a very thoughtful and considered reply. At 60 years old I am not going to get any great recognition for my photographs but want somewhere that I can collect my stuff together and perhaps muse about some of my pictures or pictures I see.

Thanks so much for your reply. I will consider it more deeply when I have a few more minutes to spare

John

[ktuli]

that is a very thoughtful and considered reply. At 60 years old I am not going to get any great recognition for my photographs but want somewhere that I can collect my stuff together and perhaps muse about some of my pictures or pictures I see.

Given that, I would say, yes... a blog would be useful for you. It can be your own personal photography journal, and since it is in digital format, it is easy to share with others.

- Bill

[Shadowman]

It depends on the topic I would say. A blog about someone's everyday life may not provide much to the general public, but it would definitely be something you would want to reconsider depending on where you go in life. If you plan to become a politician then don't blog about your days bar hopping and mistreating people. And definitely do not criticize your current employer. I would think a blog about the experiences of an amatuer photographer might have some interest to not only a photographer but also a world traveler. The key is know your audience and provide a little something for everyone.