Tuesday, June 12, 2012

vlog :: The Rules of Blogging

Hi there!

As usual I'm really excited to have another Chantilly/Elycia vlog to share today. I'm even more excited that I will be seeing this girl as well as the mini version of this girl in person tomorrow! Seriously can't wait.

Back to the video...In case you didn't know, Chantilly and I wrote the book on blog rules and if you don't follow the rules we mention in this video we will arrest you. Now, make sure you watch the video or at least read what I wrote under the video so you don't think I'm a total lunatic.
The thing I love most about blogging is that every person's blog is their own and we are all free to post whatever tickles our fancy. The only rule I follow is that there are no rules. When it comes to blogging, the thing I tell myself the most is that 100% of people will not like 100% of what I'm doing 100% of the time so I might as well just do what makes me happy. Some people will like what you're doing and some won't so at least make sure that you are one of the people who like it. Ok, so maybe that should be rule #2. So to recap the real blogging rules according to me:

Rule #1: There are no rules.
Rule #2: Enjoy yourself.

♥elycia

P.S. If you notice that this video is a little choppy it is because we just had so much to say and only 10 minutes to say it (thanks YouTube). I wanted to fit in as much talking as possible so don't mind it if things seem a little disjointed!

35 comments:

  1. I tried to watch the video, but it says it's private :( Am I doing something wrong??

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    1. Nope! I'm just a dummy and forget to make the video public! It should be fine now :) thanks for letting me know!

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  2. Love this video! Whenever I see a vlog by you and Chantilly pop up in my reader in the mornings, my morning starts off right! haha! And I love this tongue in cheek video. :) It's just blogging! I hate it when people get too worked up about it, it's supposed to be fun, right?! Thanks for sharing girls. :)

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    1. Oh hooray, I'm so glad we started your morning off right!

      Yeah, let's all destress about blogging and just enjoy ourselves!

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  3. Ooh I love your Vlogs! It's so great to see you guys 'in person'! :) Jen x

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  4. you guys are so cute :) how about the rule about having weekly features? i feel like those are starting to get slow me down. no rules is the way to go :)

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    1. Yes! Good one! Weekly features can get stressful if you aren't feeling it that week. Ya for no rules!

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  5. I have to say I love you guys so much. You both have such great blogs and I'm so glad you do these blogs. I'm really inspired by the fact that you are both just you on your blogs. It's so frustrating that people this that there is some kind of rolls to blogging. Blogging is all about a persons life and their aren't really any rules about that so its the same deal with blogging.

    Another rule that I think a lot of people try to follow, at least I know I did, is that you have to blog ALL THE TIME. That's just crazy. Everyone has different time restrictions and devotions to their blog. I can't blog every single day, although I wish I could, it's just not my reality. It took a while for me to realize that. Even though a blogger will probably have more readers because they blog on a regular basis it doesn't mean everyone has too.

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    1. Thank you!! I think people's attitudes towards blogging sometimes get very serious which can lead to a lot of stress. That being said, I do take my blog seriously but my main focus is to keep it fun for myself.
      I agree that there is pressure to post often but we just need to remind ourselves that having a lot of readers is not what makes a blog awesome. I think the most awesome blogs are written by people who love what they are writing about whether they post everyday or once a month!

      Thank you for the great comment :)

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  6. I just love that you girls give us bloggers so many helpful tips. Thank you so much for doing that!!

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  7. Great tips--and lovely blanket! I think learning to use your own voice is the trickiest thing--in real life you'll often change how you act according to who you're with (i.e. not swearing around your parents, not talking excessively about your cat when you're at the pub), and on the internet you can't really assess your audience in the same way. as a newbie blogger I'm still trying to work out how to get around that! x

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    1. Wow, you just said exactly what I feel! When I meet new people I am very careful about what I say until I feel I have a good idea of what that person will and will not find offensive/be interested in. I never want to make someone feel uncomfortable. With blogging, most times you don't know who is reading what you are writing so you it does take a while to find the online voice that you are comfortable with. Great comment, thank you!

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  8. I left a fairly lengthy-ish comment on Chantilly's blog, but I just wanted to say thanks.

    Everyone in the blogosphere has been giving me confidence to continue with my blog and not do the norm, even if I feel pressured to do so.

    You are totally fantastic and keep rockin' out. ;D

    I would also appreciate any feedback on my blog since I'm new-ish to the blogging world. dawnofthedandelions.blogspot.com

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    1. Welcome to the blogging world! I popped by your blog :) Never give in to pressure to just blog 'the norm'!

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  9. What is this glorious piece of furniture upon which you sit?!??

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    1. That is Chantilly's couch and believe me, if I could figure out a way to steal it I would have done so already.

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  10. Funny, I apply none of these rules to my blog, I thought I had no rules, but when you said that when somebody thinks your criticism on their blog is unwanted, they can always delete it, and I was like "WHAT!?". ^^

    I thought that was the number one most important rule not to do. Freedom of speech, people, isn't it the only true thing actually worth dying for? (That, and chocolate cake. And.. you know.)

    Anyway, thanks for the insightful vlog, you gave me something to think about!

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    1. I don't think deleting comments is a big deal. I have received some really rude comments that are not the least bit constructive. If I think they are funny I leave them but if I think they could offend someone else or start a big comment war I will absolutely delete them. There is definitely a difference between someone disagreeing in a constructive way and someone who is just out to get a reaction.

      As much as I believe in freedom of speech I also believe that a person's blog is their own space and also that you are responsible for what is on your blog, even in the comment section. The person exercised their right to free speech when they wrote the comment but I think that the blogger also has the right to decide whether or not they want to leave it up or even post it.

      Wow, I'm posting a really long response! But yeah, like I said, I think everyone decides for themselves what they feel comfortable with and deleting comments may be a mega no-no for some people. I think we all just need to be respectful of other people's decisions even if they are different from our own.

      Thank you so much for your comment! I love hearing people's thoughts on 'rules'.

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    2. I never thought you'd receive rude comments! I can totally understand why you would want to delete a comment that is not constructive at all.
      I think it might be something I think about because to be honest, I'm not very good at being criticized, constructive or no. i'm just not.. I don't know, confident enough maybe. Or cool enough. ;D
      So it's something I'm really working at, letting people have their opinion and voicing it, even if I really don't like hearing it at all.

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  11. I totally agree with everything you lady's said,
    and do believe that bloggers need to loosen up and just be themselves not try to make it look like they are living a perfect life (you know many do try). But one rule that I think should be applied by every blogger is to not pop onto as many random blogs as possible just to get as many followers they can, you know the I'll follow you if you follow me type of comments. I know those will never stop, but it just bugs me so damn much!

    On a lighter note.. you girls are to cute!

    xo
    Alex
    http://louise-amabilis.blogspot.com/

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  12. LOVE the spelling 'mistacke' :)

    This is my favourite of your collaborative vlogs so far, mainly for the synchronised hair fixing of course.

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  13. I'm commenting here today because I always comment on Chantilly's blog! Love this feature!! You girls are so inspiring. Keep 'em coming.

    Kacie

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  14. This is such a great video! Thank you for taking the time to post a video about this topic. This was all sooooo refreshing to hear!

    It was also perfect timing for me, because I just took a few months off from blogging because I was pressuring myself too much about how "good" my posts were. As a new-ish blogger, it can be so easy to fall into the traps of these rules and get discouraged.

    This video helped me remember why I started blogging in the first place (to express myself and my creativity). I will be taking all this to heart in the future.

    Hope you are having a super great day!

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  15. Fantastic video girls!
    It's so easy to get trapped into these phantom rules we make for ourselves and our blogs. I agree, post what you're passionate about, and all will be well! :)

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  16. Lovely vlog! I have been thinking a lot lately about the religion part. Here in Sweden it's more uncommen to have a religion and as an atheist I haven't really had to think so much of what I wrote on my swedish blog. I have been open about my lack of religion as it's who I am. But now I have started to blog in english I suddenly found myself thinking that I couldn't write about those things anymore. After a few weeks though I felt more and more that I was lying to myself if I was to put a lid on that part of who I am. I almost never mention religion but I feel strong now that when I wan't to I could and that's all up to me. Thank you for this sweet vlog!

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  17. Firstly without sounding too much like an arse-kisser, you girls are awesome, I love both of your blogs! This vlog was very helpful as a newish blogger myself, I did feel like there was do's and don'ts in the blogging world and for yourself to get noticed out there you had to blog often, have weekly/daily themes etc.

    Another thing was that you had to be a confident writer, someone who is sure about themselves and who was comfortable to spew out words, unfortunately I am definitely not one of those people. Writing a post sometimes for me is hard, I find a lot of the time words do not flow out of my head and have to be in the "right frame of mind" to write, which sometimes can take days. But I think partly it has to do with is that I over think about how entertaining my blog content is to others and that the words or pictures have to reflect that.

    I'll be honest, as someone who is also very shy and modest at the best of times, I do feel a tiny bit intimidated by awesome blogs such as yours and Chantilly's and that mine feels a little substandard but at the same time your blogs are very inspiring and I aspire to have a blog like yours one day! I love reading/following other blogs, they make me smile and even as I live on the opposite side of the world, I can feel a connection because they share the same quirks, loves and dislikes, something I can relate to! Thank you both for making the vlog, its made me feel better about blogging! :)
    Heidi http://twigcraft.blogspot.com.au/

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  18. I really enjoyed this video. You're totally right, there are no rules, and the whole point of having a blog is to tailor it to your own personality.

    I've had times when I've felt pressured to do certain types of posts, like D.I.Y's, which I'm just not good at or am interested in. I did one ages ago, but I hated it so I deleted it. Now I just write posts that excite me.

    I think the one about offending people is a really good point. I was pretty free and easy with what I'd write on my blog in the past. About six months ago, I wrote a post about an incident involving someone I know, which I thought was really funny. However, that person didn't agree, and was really upset with the comments I'd made. I felt awful, and deleted the post. Since then, I've been a bit "once bitten, twice shy" about what I write. I think I censor myself a bit too much and I need to relax a little. There are also certain topics that I'd like to write about on my blog, but which I've felt are a bit 'taboo'. This vlog has given me the push to start writing posts on these messier topics and putting them out there. Thankyou!

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  19. What a great post and really helpful!

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  20. My 'rule' is to do with photography on blogs. Is it me or does everyone take amazing photos on their DSLR, it kinda makes you feel like taking your photos on your phone, (my only working camera, my other one is a very old and faulty point and shoot) is just not going to cut it.
    I also think that bloggers come acoss as having loads of money and they're always doing stuff, going on trips, going out to lunch etc. I am perpetually broke and can never afford to do anything cos I can't even afford the bus fare. Would love to see a post from you guys with ideas for outings when you're broke (other than going for a walk) I need inspiration!
    Love your Vlogs always!

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  21. Thanks for the post ladies! I've just started blogging (well it's been almost a year but it doesn't feel that long really) and this is really helpful to hear about the dos and don'ts. Still feels a bit scary hitting the 'publish' button but it's good to hear that there are no rules and you can just do what you feel comfortable with. Thanks again for sharing!

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  22. I don't even blog (yet?), but I love to watch these videos. So much fun!

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  23. You guys are so cute!! :) Love this, as I do all of your videos...he he.

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