As I stand here watching my friend cook her pasta from [Life2], I think about what I have to blog about next. Earlier today I followed at least 100 more people on Flickr, and faved a lot of photos that I liked. I do this every so often, but lately I feel that if I don’t do this, then it will have an adverse effect on promoting my blog. As anyone with a blog knows, being active on Flickr has become vital to getting desired blogger spots in Second Life stores and events. What does it mean to be active?
Hair: ~Tableau Vivant~ Shiny hair – Naturals II
Skin: Glam Affair – Cleo – Jamaica
Dress: DRIFT Sexy Lil Dress -Oriental Set w/HUD
Pose: Manifeste
Kitchen: LAQ Decor
Location: Giano Estates
Once, being active simply meant if you had a Flickr account. Lately, it means having at least 500 views and the number of faves to go along with them. A good ratio to aim for is to have at least 1 fave for every 10 views. As for 500 views, I personally feel like this is a lot to obtain for someone who is not used to hardcore promotion on Flickr, or doesn’t have many active Flickr users following them. Morgie has written a terrific guideline to help all of us who are struggling to get the push that we need to qualify for the latest requirement for SL bloggers.
Why do I say latest requirement? As I pointed out in Sophee’s post on the relevance of SL blogs with the emphasis on Flickr as of late, everyone is always looking for ways to promote their items or their events.
I think the emphasis on Flickr photos will favor those who tend to be better at photo composition and post-processing than those who are not. In addition, I think those who set aside time to place their photos in many groups and follow many active people (in the hopes that they will return the favor) will also be favored. For people who use Flickr to simply host their photos, it may be harder to get the views. This may cause stress to bloggers because they will ask themselves any of these questions:
1. If I don’t make artsy photos, does that make me a bad blogger?
2. If people don’t view/fave my photos, does that make me less of a blogger?
3. Am I only as good as my views or faves in the eyes of designers/event coordinators?
4. In order to be a good blogger, do I also have to be a good photographer?
Do you see how these questions (and their answers) focus on only one aspect of what goes into a blog?
What I think bloggers need to understand is this: Your blog is not only your personal space, but it’s also your personal brand. The people who are asking all of these requirements don’t necessarily care about your brand – it’s about what you can do for them to help get their message out there. You have to position yourself so when the next big trend to promoting for an event/store comes around, that it won’t be such a drastic change for you.
With regard with Flickr, every blogger should already be on Flickr, posting pics, following people, and have a list of favorite photos. I will even go as far as saying that your blog should have a link to your Flickr somehow. So now, with the latest trend focusing on Flickr, it is just a matter of building on what you have already started.
Still can’t meet those requirements?
What’s the worst thing that will happen if you don’t get accepted to a bloggers’ group? That you won’t be able to blog their items? Sure you can. It may mean that you will have to pay for it if you are styling an outfit, but most want to see how you use their products before applying to their group.
As bloggers, we will always look for ways to promote our blog. This may or may not be influenced by current trends in promotion. But always remember why you started blogging in the first place, and try not to let some people’s preferences for promotion dictate your entire blogging experience.
Moni's World 