Blogging Truths Be Told: Where My Peeps At?

Let me just start by saying: family . . . friends . . . don’t be offended at what you’re about to read. It’s not meant to make anyone feel bad or to call anyone out. And, I mean that. The words in this blog post are simply provided to my fellow blogging buddies out there who need to know that what they may be going through is being shared with others in the blogosphere. We’re ALL pretty much going through (or have gone through) the topic I’m about to lay out on the table.

So, today’s blogging truth is for informational purposes only. And now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let’s proceed, shall we?

YOU start your blog with the high hopes that it will be read by hundreds and thousands of people as soon as you put the first post out there. And you assume that some of your biggest readership will come from the family and friends closest to you. These are those loved ones who you finally mustered up enough courage to share that you’re all about that blogging life.

And you head down the path of your blogging journey with the understanding that some of your biggest blogging supporters will be those loved ones who will eat up what you set out on your blogging table time after time. Surely, they’ll be some of the loudest cheerleaders for your cause. Hey, it might even be downright embarrassing with all of the attention they’re going to give you. So, you might have to encourage them to dial back the enthusiasm just a smidge, because you’re simply not used to all of that attention and don’t know quite how to internalize it without getting “the bighead”.

You prep yourself for all of the deep conversations you’re going to have with your family and friends about your creative content, and you get ready for the interview-style questions you’re bound to receive about what drew you to the blogging world, what you like most about it, and what your short- and long-term goals are (to name a few). But it’s all good. The questions are welcomed and the subject of blogging is your new jam, so you’re excited for the recognition.

And in a perfect world with what you might think is a no-brainer type of scenario (such as your family and friends being your biggest blogging supporters), you receive all the recognition your little heart desires. But in the real world, you hear crickets.

Well, not even crickets, really. You practically hear nothing at all . . . but silence . . . and maybe your stomach rumbling because it’s that quiet. And, it’s that kind of quiet for loooooooooong stretches of time.

Now, would you say that the air has deflated out of your blogging balloon of high hopes? I know I’m being a little dramatic here with my choice of the written word. But, I’m shootin’ straight; don’t you think?

A lot of thoughts can run through your mind about why those closest to you are not frequenting your blog, or your social media outlets, or your online stores, or your “next best thing” you have lined up. But, such is life. That’s the way it goes for practically everyone who starts out on a new venture. No one’s ever as excited about your “new thing” as you are. It’s just the truth of the matter. And, blogging is not the exception to the rule, or truth.

Just because you’re all-in when it comes to the blogging life, doesn’t mean that everyone else in your circle is going to share the same sentiment. As a matter of fact, family and friends have their own lives to micromanage — they have their own desires, goals, aspirations, and distractions. So, you’re contending with a lot to just get a small fraction of their attention away from everything they have going on in their lives to pay attention to what you have going on in yours.

Get where I’m coming from?

Life is busy. And if your blog’s not dropping timely information that your family and friends are searching for or providing a solution that needs to be met in their lives, then they’ll more than likely be like distant cousins or fair weather friends when it comes to your blogging content.

It makes sense, though. What you’re offering simply isn’t on their radar or of interest to them at the moment. And, your loved ones are reacting just as anyone else would who will gravitate toward those things that draw them in, based on what needs and wants they currently have.

Your family and friends love YOU; they just aren’t loving your content yet. And that saying isn’t meant to be harsh. It’s just a reality check of a fact. And get off your high horse already, because you’re exactly the same way. You know you don’t just jump at the chance to check out every endeavor you hear your family and friends involve themselves with.

Some of your people are out there doing noteworthy things, but you’re not their biggest cheerleader either. WHY? Well, because you have so many things vying for your time and attention, and there’s simply no way to cater to them all. You have to pick and choose. And you’re going to opt for those areas of interest that are relatable and meaningful to you.

So, if you want to attract more of your family’s and friends’ attention to your blogging efforts, then you better make sure what you’re offering is what they’re needing or wanting. And that goes for all of society. Give the people what they want, and they’ll start consuming what you’re dishing out.

And by all means, don’t have an attitude when people aren’t as receptive to your stuff as you’d like them to be. They’re human and so are you. As a matter of fact, you’re pretty much the same way when it comes to what you choose to give your time and attention to. So, keep loving your peeps and don’t take their indifference as a lack of love, respect, or interest in you.

You never know . . . they may come around eventually; and if not, there’s a whole wide world out there that might want or need what you offer. And if you consistently stick with your blogging aspirations long enough, those individuals in that whole wide world out there (your blogging tribe) will find you. They always do.