Yes, the blogging that you know is DEAD!
Here’s why?
If you started blogging with the hope of turning it into a successful business, I’m sorry to say this to you, you’ve been DECEIVED.
Who deceived you? Virtually every blogger out there whom you enjoy reading their posts.
It doesn't matter how good the blogging advice you received, I like what Charles NGO says, "Just remember that you don’t see the full picture; you just see the side people are showing."
Did you know that most of those super pro bloggers aren’t telling you the whole truth?
You visit their blogs, read their posts and when you scroll down, you read a lot of comments. It seems that people love them for who they are, but guess what?
Nobody loves anybody online.
People will only love you not because of who you are, but because of what you do or how you did it.
The calamity of just writing
Most people still believe that blogging is all about ‘writing’ articles and posts regularly.
Far from it. You’ve been given the wrong advice.
In fact, blogging is not writing and will never be. If you wake up tomorrow morning and write a post, did you blog?
No you did not.
You only pieced some texts together with the hope that some people whom we call ‘readers’ will stumble upon and gulp it.
Or perhaps, you talked about yourself and how great you’ve been doing.
You were wrong.
Oh, I feel sad because 80% of bloggers have forgotten the ‘essence of living.’
Helping other people. Improving their lives.
I cry every day when I read blogs and all I feel is desperation from the author.
Everyone wants to make money without providing value.
Is that what blogging is all about?
For the most part, bloggers whom we call successful today didn’t provide value that much. They just happened to be at the right place at the right time.
Right before we all started blogging, some group of people were ahead of us – they captured majority of the audience and flew off.
Of course, there are still a lot of people who will be interested in reading your posts, but what’s the point.
The vanity of blogging
Listen up, most bloggers lament that their blog is not receiving enough traffic or visitors and they kept pushing the walls to see if there is anything to be done.
I see this scenario repeating itself and it’s come to a high point where people do all manner of things to get the traffic coming.
But trust me, even if you get all the traffic in the whole world, what’s the essence?
I say this because I strongly believe that most people do not have anything on ground for the visitors they’re expecting. I do a lot of guest posts and teach the same to quite a handful of people monthly.
But when I ask them the purpose why they so greatly desire to write for other blogs, they simply tell me that traffic is what they need.
Like seriously…?
And I’ll ask again, “so when you get the traffic, what next?”
No purpose, no answers, nothing
Are you a blogger with no purpose, no answers for your readers? I mean, you just provide nothing…?
You may be in that same boat of ‘nothing’ blogging. You just wish that thousands of people will visit your blog and leave a comment.
There is nothing else you wish for. Or is there?
Those comments make your blood go hurt. Sometimes cold if they’re from critics and people who actually meant well for you.
I know that this post is going to raise a lot of eyebrows but I don’t care. As someone who came online to start something worthwhile, it’s my responsibility to see to your happiness and innermost satisfaction. I will not sugar-coat it. Take this:
Blogging is drowning you. Blogging is making you lazy and stupid.
You act like you’re an entrepreneur, but all you ever do on a regular basis is think of a topic and just write. Who are you writing for, you don’t even know. I kept thinking about this and I couldn’t go to bed last night because most people are fed up.
In fact, millions of blogs were launched in 2012, but in 2013 – 2014, the trend has started falling.
People are no longer motivated to start their own blogs, because the stress and disappointment are just too much. And they don’t even understand what to do next by the time their WordPress CMS is installed.
Are you still with me?
I’m not begging you to believe what I’m saying. My observation is that above 80% of self-acclaimed bloggers are blind.
Even the so-called big time bloggers are myopic – they don’t see the challenges that their readers are going through. Sorry newbie…!
I see too many bloggers who don’t even know what they’re doing. They write posts, yes. They leave comments on blogs, yes. They even pitch guest post topics and expect to get featured on CNN, BBC and Gizmodo, yes.
But the reality is that it’s almost impossible.
The only school you didn’t graduate
I haven’t seen any school like blogging. It’s the only school that tends to ground students. Once enrolled, you never graduate because you’ll keep chasing something that in reality doesn’t exist.
Here’s an example:
Bloggers strive to get more readers. Even the A-list bloggers like Darren Rowse, John Chow, Brian Clark, Ann Handley, Pat Flynn and the most renowned Seth Godin aren’t satisfied.
“What’s wrong with all of that?” you asked.
Everything is wrong with it.
The truth of the matter is that when a blogger no matter the status begins to chase after something they feel it’s missing, even the things that s/he has will not be appreciated.
Blog readers inclusive.
I’ve gone to conferences, workshops and webinars and it’s unfortunate how Presenters & SEOs are never satisfied of the audience (readers) they have built over time.
They still want some more.
What a life?
Yes, we all need to get more – that’s how God created man – to always strive for an increase.
But first, take care of the people that you already have. That’s customer service and not the popular rush for fresh customers who may or may not even like your product.
Inspiration is no more – why?
You see, I don’t even feel inspired again to write for this blog. The reason is simple: I’ve not been taking care of my readers. I’ve become occupied/busy with clients’ work, and that has caused me my precious time.
My email list is dormant. I can’t remember the last time I sent email to my subscribers.
Honestly, I didn’t just forget my list. I’m just tired of sending useful post updates to them. I believe they deserve more by being on my list, not just updates.
But I’m not alone.
Several bloggers wish that building an email list shouldn’t be mentioned at all. After collecting leads for few months, they just ditch it. Time wasted.
How is your email list, ‘just forget it?’
A friend of mine (let’s call him Paul) just quit his online business and sold his blog at Flippa for $4,800. Now, he didn’t monetize that blog that much, so it’s basically a professional-looking blog.
Blogging is dead. Real business continues to thrive. Success is relative.
Rich bloggers continues to make more money. Beginners keep complaining.
Who do we blame?
Real business provides solutions to problems. Have you ever considered why the founder of WordPress didn’t charge money to millions of people who use their content management system?
I perceive that one of the reasons is because Matt Mullenweg understands that a lot of people will back out, and their once profitable business will collapse.
But by making it free, whether you quit or stay put, they benefit from other income sources, while still waxing stronger by the day.
Because the more people they’ve using their software for free, the more strength they garner in the financial market and the world in general.
Money is not the bill & coin you see.
The real money is the number of people that you’re able to impact.
Tony Robbins has touched and improved over 4 million people all over the world through words. Words have power, and as bloggers, we need to come to that point where we say only the right words that improves lives.
$10 or $10,000 it doesn’t count
In reality, whether you make $10 or $10,000 last month, it doesn’t matter. What matters is what you actually did to make that money. I’m not talking about the product reviews and consulting, I mean an answer your proffered.
As you already know, people are never contented with money. No matter how much you make today, you’ll continue to seek for more and that’s the reason for the deception, the tricks and the manipulations that are paramount in the blogging world.
Blogging is dead!
Imagine how a blogger who claims to be making more money than the U.S. President continually sends promotional emails to my inbox, asking me to buy the latest software or course that would change my life.
That’s why they keep saying that the money is in the list. But is that true?
Unfortunately, most email subscribers are too vulnerable. They’ll continue to buy the latest product hoping for a turnaround in their blogs.
But it may never happen. Or would it?
Life is precious. Time is short. How long do you even have to live on this earth before you’re dust?
Why would bloggers brag and flaunt their achievements, when thousands of their readers aren’t making a tiny fraction of their monthly income. Sometimes, they give me a reason to doubt their sincerity and love for mankind.
Ask yourself this question. If I continually email my subscribers, asking them to buy this ‘one’ product because it’s great, did that product actually changed my life? Was it the same product that helped me achieve my goals?
Now don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with recommending a great product to your list, but it’s got to be worth it – useful, valuable and the purpose shouldn’t be for your personal gains, but for the good of others.
Giving is the only answer
Like I said earlier, blogging just for the sake of bearing that title is dead. You can’t succeed just because you’re called a blogger. Funny enough, this thing we call ‘success’ is relative.
So if you’re a blogger and all you do is promise your readers that they’ll be successful by reading your post, you’re acting very foolishly.
Because what I call success might be ‘average’ for the next person. If I made $10,000 and I’m ecstatic about the success, did you know that most online marketers earn above $150,000/month?
Now tell me the relationship between $10k and $150k?
The only way out for bloggers is to continually give. Find a way to give to people.
Give anything that’s worthwhile. Give your time, your knowledge, your experiments, your failure, your inventions, your creativity, your network, your happiness, your enjoyment and give your money.
Yes, give money away.
Because like I said, you’ll never be satisfied with the money you make, whether big or small. So give a part of it to someone whose life means a lot to you and the money will (I don’t know how) multiply back to you.
I’m not a religious person, but I know that the people we call heroes have made a significant impact in our lives through their consistent message and actions. Think about Jesus Christ, Nelson Mandela, Steve Jobs, Napoleon Hill and the likes.
Why are they still remembered in the earth?
They started giving. They gave some more. Then they gave it all.
Giving can impact others, blogging can’t.
Blogging is a quirky term. Giving is simple, but the impact will always remain. These days, when I work with clients: small, mid-size and multinational companies, I usually give my all.
Not because of the money they’re paying me, but because of the core values I hold dear – love, passion and cheerfulness.
I don’t work hard because I was paid well. Because I can never be well paid.
As a freelance blogger, I may charge $100/hour and say to myself: wow, I made it. But listen up, it’s never enough for me and I know it’s not for you. So what do I’ve to gain since money can never solve bloggers’ quest for total freedom?
I will give. I’ll not relent.
Before you go to bed…
Think of what your readers are struggling with. Oh, I’m sure that most of them are still worried that their blogs isn’t generating enough organic traffic.
A select group of them thinks that by making more money, that all their worries would be gone.
Some others are aspiring to become the next Social media influencer like Guy Kawasaki.
They’re thinking big, but they’ve no plan to work it out. They dream, but no worksheet to follow.
What are you going to do to help them (readers)?
As for you my dear blogger, stop the ranting. Blogging can be deceptive and the community of bloggers seems to be kind. They’ll befriend you, visit your blog and leave comments. Some of them will allow you to guest blog for their audience.
You may think that you’re getting popular. At least, bloggers mention you on their posts.
At the end of the day, what’s the point of building a network of bloggers, when you can’t even solve a simple problem?
Is life worth living without you? If you’re not solving any definite problem, then it means that you’re a nuisance in this world. Period!
You had better leave (readers) alone, instead of making their lives more miserable.
Solve a simple silly problem
Quit. Yes quit if you can’t solve a simple problem for your readers. Don’t write the next blog post unless you can make someone’s life/business better off than you met it.
Blogging is dead. But spending quality time with your readers and putting a useful content together to help them is still alive.
Again, targeting a particular keyword with the hope of ranking in Google top 10 is dead.
However, producing content that people will benefit from, link to and share on social media networks will get you ranked pretty fast. It’s still alive and kicking.
Do you agree with me that blogging is dead? Give your reasons and if you enjoyed the post, share it. Stay alive. The world needs you.