I’m a gal with a lot of interests. Since I’ve started this blog (less than a week ago) I’ve written about topics varying from marketing/loyalty programs to my guilty pleasure reality TV addiction. And I’ve got to admit, I’m sort of worried that no one will want to follow me because they can’t necessarily count on me for consistency, at least not in terms of the kind of content I’m producing.
Of course this makes me really curious: is there only room in the world to build a following if your posts are always targeted? For my sake, I sure hope not.
This sudden fear also stems from a recent desire to really take advantage of everything that Twitter has to offer. Unlike other social networking sites, I feel like Twitter’s primary affordance is that it gives you the opportunity to connect with people across the globe who share your quirky niche interests, but who you don’t necessarily know in real life. As cool as that is, and as much as that’s what draws me to the site, I’m sure 15 year old pop punk teeny boppers won’t always share the same interests as fancy shamncy marketing specialists who decided to follow my twitter.
The things is, as much as I really would like to build a network of individuals I can connect with about each of of my passions, I don’t want to have to split myself into multiple personas. I don’t to want to have to run multiple blogs or multiple twitter accounts to feel as though I’m allowed to interact with a particular group of people. What I do want is to be respected no matter who I’m interacting with.
I feel like most people must struggle with this if they share my goal of developing some sort of following. We, as people, are multi-layered individuals. We have a variety of passions, interests, and things we care about. So why are we (the collective we, all people), as followers, only interested in following people who talk exclusively about whatever topic stems our interest. Why aren’t we more interested in getting to know people on a deeper level?
A quick example: when I first started using Tumblr I maxed out when I hit about 100 followers on my blog, but when I decided to create a niche blog with content that was exclusively water color and art themed my number followers sky-rocketed to 3,200. If I still used that account I’m sure that number would be higher, but it’s exhausting to only embrace one side of yourself; it forces you to ignore all the other little things that makes you who you are.
Granted, since I’ve started writing here people have been following me, so maybe it is possible to live in that best of all worlds. Though, I have a sneaking suspicion a few of them are just looking for the follow back, but hey that’s cool. I can respect that, and provided your posts are in English (or maaaaybe French if you catch me on a good day) I’ll happily follow you back, read, and potentially comment on your innermost thoughts and opinions.
I guess only time will tell if interactivity will grow on this blog or on my twitter.
Anyway, let me know what you think about posting (or tweeting) about a variety of topics versus only about one subject. What about following someone who does this?
(To any current or new followers reading this: I really appreciate you and would love to connect and get to know you better. Feel free to connect with me on Twitter – @jujubeesx, and let’s chat!)
Always,
Julia
P.S. I’m sorry this post didn’t have any cute memes – I really couldn’t think of any that would mesh with this post!)
For Always, Forever 
First off, I think it’s absolutely great that you’re blogging! But the question I have to ask you is this: what are your motivations to blogging? Do you want to make money off this blog? Or do you simply want to have your voice be heard (and maybe have money as a [potential] secondary motivation)? What your aim is should determine whether you should stick to a varied-topic or single-topic blog.
The example you bring up with your watercolor Tumblr account (which I do remember very well!) is pretty telling of the effects of single-topic blogs. A great article that talks about this
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*sorry, the comment system cut me off before I could finish… ahem*
A great article that talks about this (http://www.shoutmeloud.com/single-topic-vs-multi-topic-blog.html) essentially says that you will need to stick to a single topic if you want your blog to be the “go-to” of that particular topic, so to speak.
But you know, if you’re trying to get out there as an online personality through blogging, being as varied-topic as you want should not hurt you. It’s all about how you interact and engage your readers so that they come to learn about who you are. I wouldn’t expect a massive following, but I expect that your following (in a varied-topic blog that represents you the best) would be much more loyal. Don’t forget that building a loyal reader base is just as important as the number of followers/readers/subscribers you have!
I hope that helps quell some of your thoughts on this and that you will continue blogging as you wish (whether it’s as a single topic or varied-topic blog). After all, you could be the next disruptor in the blog “market”!
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I post about all sorts as well. I certainly haven’t stuck to a topic. I like to talk about current things in the world, as well as just in my small life. Despite having very few followers after having my account for a long time now, I don’t mind too much. I use it as a release for my thoughts, and just hope that maybe someone reads it along the way, although I would love a few followers that were actually interested readers that were reliable to visit my posts. But I think if you really want follower growth, you probably do have to specialise a bit. Not down to the tee, but to an area maybe. But rather than doing that just yet, I’d say go back to your tumblr, and post your articles there, as well as your twitter, which I’m sure you already do!:)
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Blogger-world problems. Ultimate struggle 🙂
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haha Julia, I think the important thing is to blog about what you love and then slowly people will follow. I’ve had my blog for 2 years now and I still don’t think people enjoy it to much :p It’s 2 parts MimI’s stream of consciousness and 1 part recipes and maybe 1/2 part restaurant reviews and such and even then I can’t seem to be consistent with a posting schedule :p I told Pat I would post every sunday and then I skipped three. But the point is, blogging is something I do for myself and if people like what I blog then hey, that’s cool 🙂
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Julia, like you, my posts are random as well. I felt like I was adding a new category all the time. I don’t think it is as much about the randomness as it is about the quality of the content. As soon as I finish this, I’ll click follow. Stop by and visit my site as well when you have the time! 🙂
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