It all began in 2011, this journey of mine in blogging.
Before that, I would start a blog and then abandon it after a couple of posts. It was a friend who convinced me back in 2011 that I should really pursue blogging and that also means I need to get and pay my own domain name for it.
That’s what I did. And the rest is my own blogging/influencer history. This blog is the 3rd one I started and still maintain until today. It has been a journey of learning, growing. And I have had my share of mistakes and challenges.
Let me share how that journey has been, what I have learned and how I have grown in the process as a blogger/influencer and as a person.
New Freedom and Privilege of Writing. There are so many new things that I haven’t known or tried before until I started blogging. For one, there is this great freedom and joy to write something and then just have it published and available not just for your friends and family but for the world — the online world!
I have been writing for more than 10 years in print media before I began blogging and the process for your article to appear on print definitely takes more time than having it published on your own site. What a privilege! What freedom! And this whole new world of freedom and privilege also led me to make sure that I know what I was writing about, that I do not get swayed to say or promote things that may be detrimental to my readers. With this greater freedom indeed comes greater responsibility as well.
A Different Way of Doing Things. For me personally before, I used to write letters to companies or government agencies to express my compliment or disappointment over their brands, products or services. But now thanks to blogging and my own active social media accounts, I can actually write a review for them. This works wonders. It keeps companies/agencies on their toes, reminding them of the expectations of the people they serve or provide services for.
It also helps others who may be reluctant to also share their comment or compliment. They can just post/re-post what has been written on a blog post or social media account. At the very least, they can just give a thumbs up on the post. And yes, if if I want more than my usual circle of family, friends and subscribers/followers to know what I am writing about, I can even create a hash tag to maximize my reach. Because there is a different way of complimenting and promoting services, products or brands, this also levels the field for smaller even newer, emerging companies and brands.
Friends and Connections Beyond Borders. For several years now, my list of friends and connections beyond those I personally met face-to-face have grown! Some of these friendships have even grown closer through the years even if they were only “birthed” virtually. Meet-ups have been planned but as we know, the pandemic which began last year has made these meet-ups impossible for now. I have been ushered as well into a whole new world of collaborations and projects all because of these new friendships and connections made possible through blogging and maintaining my social media accounts.
Being an online citizen has helped me to find people who share similar interests, be it in the fields of technology, travel, pets, fitness and faith (which has been an important key for me to stay hopeful as we face the challenges brought about by COVID-19). I must also add here how helpful fellow bloggers and influencers have been in my journey of learning and growing in keeping my space in the online world. I have often reached out for help and have almost always been responded to by the worldwide blogging community.
In the end, I would say that as long as one is willing to learn, make mistakes and ask humbly for help when needed, one can continue growing in this blogging and influencer journey. At least, this has been my story.
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