rants & ramblings: on blogging perks & what else's~

I'll just be shaking the dust for a bit around here. I'm not sure what would be the reaction of people who will read this post but i feel like this is something that has been considered as a taboo, so i would just like to make a post on it. This will be a long & boring rambling so feel free to skip if you don't want to read any dramatics.

A dear friend recently asked me if i get to attend product launches & event invites from different brands. I said "yes, i do receive invites". She then said, "do you attend every invites?"

A reader once asked me if i get to receive free products from different companies because im a blogger. I said "yes, i do receive products". He then asked, "is that why you mostly do positive reviews?"

A reader emailed me if companies sponsor me when i host some of my giveaways. I said "yes, they do sponsor some of it". She then asked me, "do they pay you when they ask you to do that?"

I answered "yes" to everything just because they are all true. Yes, there are perks in beauty blogging BUT, & that is one big but, you have to bear in mind that you have to be responsible with whatever you post on the internet.

Being a beauty blogger, is not just simply having an online diary where you can write everything no matter how bad it is & not expect it to get out. If your main goal is to just keep tabs on every product that you use without backfiring then just keep it private where no one can read it except you. Once you open your blog to the public, you have to also bear in mind that people will read it & there's no telling how they will react to what you stated.

Some people will say that i am a successful blogger. I am surprised that people will actually think that i am successful. I guess if i try to look at it in a bigger perspective, not the usual "post-then-comment" routine, then i will say that i have come a long way. I don't measure it by the number of followers on my GFC (google friend connect), or number of comments on my  post, or maybe the ranking of my page. I based it on the response of my readers.

I really really take pride in each of my posts, especially for product reviews. I make sure that i have tried & tested the products that i review. I feel somewhat responsible for everything that i write & i can't just say that one thing is crappy unless i have personally tried it & it just ended up making me bald or warty.

I have to admit that at first, i just write what i feel like writing, not even caring what people who are reading it will feel. My usual "this is my page, if you don't like what you read then just get the heck out!" attitude has long since disappear when i started receiving comments of how helpful they find my blog.

I seriously got a bit scared & hesitant because it means that somehow people consider my ramblings as something useful. The "what if i messed up & it backfired?" thinking has got me really pondering on every word that i write. It made me feel very responsible about the posts that i made so from then on i made a promise to not post something that i can't support with hard facts & proofs. But i really do love what i do, i just became a bit mature.

If i will try to base it on this logic, i guess i could say that i am successful. I have realized that you have to be responsible with whatever you do & "graduating" from an irresponsible blogger to a responsible blogger is a success in my book.

I consider myself successful too because i receive lots of encouraging comments. Keeping a blog is not easy. It's time consuming, costs a lot of money, have to put in a lot of effort & be passionate about it. I treasure every comments that i get, they are like my fuel. I have thought countless of times about quitting but as long as there is a single person who thinks that my blog is something worth reading, then i will go on.

But if you will be basing it on numbers & statistics, im not a "successful blogger". I'm way way out of being successful. But i am already very happy with the current status of my blog. I started my blog as just a blog... my very own space in the cyber world where i could blab about stuff. That's it, short & simple.

Now, going back to the question that my friend had asked me... "do you attend every invites?"
The answer is "No, i don't". Surprise?
Nah, this is not really surprising. My close friends knew that im not the type of person who goes out a lot. In fact, im an introvert, what can i say? I prefer burying my nose in a book rather than go clubbing with friends. I prefer watching dramas than go on night-outs. I'm really boring like that, so it's no surprise why i don't attend invites as much as i can.

But that doesn't say that i snub invitations that i receive. I'm really happy every time i receive one. It makes me feel special! It makes me think that i am special enough to be thought of someone who is worthy to attend something like that. I do try to attend invites but unfortunately, i have different activities as well that i can't set aside just because of it like work, personal & social activities as well.

Actually, when i started blogging i was just really set on making an online journal. That's it! I didn't really expect that someone would actually read the blurbs that i have here, how much more to be given an invite to product launches?!

On to the next reader question... "is that why you mostly do positive reviews?"
The answer is "I prefer to post positive reviews because it makes it easier for me to really remember what products work best & why it is worth blogging about." That's it!

For purely selfish reason, i prefer to really blog about things that could benefit my readers. Something that will make them think "ah! this product is worth checking out.", not something that will make them think "ah! this product is crappy, what a waste of money.". Although i know that i can't help that i have an uber sensitive body which makes my standard a lot more strict than other people. It doesn't mean that if i make a "neutral" post that it is not good.

In fact, one of my 'neutral' post is the highest viewed page on my blog, the "kojie-san soap". I posted it because it is something that i think readers could benefit from even if it didn't work for me. I give out the pros & cons of each product so that you can decide for yourself. I am just one user, you just can't take my word.

I guess this is why i didn't really put any disclaimer on every post because i am different. What works for me, might not work for you & vice versa. Of course, i welcome suggestions! I love it when people suggest that i try something new. I'm quite adventurous, as im sure most of you already know.

So, going back, i really try to do positive reviews & mostly i lean on pointing out the positives because i want people to know the details about the product & not just what i think.

Then last but not the least... "do they pay you when they ask you to do that?"
The answer is "I sure wish! haha! But i don't receive any monetary consideration."
I said that beauty blogging is expensive because you will be tempted (believe me, the temptation is really great! so bad you can taste it!) to buy things just because you want to blog it.

I think this is something that every bloggers feel. So don't be surprised when you read haul posts here & there. It's not about bragging, it's about having something that you can blog about in the future. I said before that my haul posts had saved me countless of times about product expiration.

Do i earn from blogging?
Yes, from advertisements but it's really small.

Unless, you help me out & click every advertisements that you see on my blog..hehe. I try to keep the advertisements of my blog at minimum, something that will not bother my readers because i am a reader too. I hate it when i go to a blog & see tons of advertisements. It annoys the heck out of me that i mostly end up closing it. I understand why bloggers do it but i can't help being annoyed.

If you will ask me how much, i'll give you an estimation... for the whole 3 years of blogging, i have earned just a little more than Php 4,000 (less than $100). I know that if i really wanted to i can monetize my blog but i feel that if i do that the credibility that i built will just not be the same.

I can simply say that my blog will stay like how it was but since i myself have this idea that once a blog changed from a "personal" to "commercial" looking, the content is just not the same. So since i am my first reader, why would i do something that i won't even do. Makes sense,ne?

Going a little out of the way... one thing that i would like to add is about 'hate' comments.
I would be a hypocrite if i will say that i am not bothered by it.
Of course, i am! I human after all.

But at the end of the day, you'll just realize that one bad comment could not destroy the hundreds of great comments that you have received. You should not look at the dot in the middle of the paper. You ought to get a pencil, then start tracing an image on that dot & transform it into something beautiful.

Constructive criticism is something that will make your blog a lot better! As what my favorite saying goes "what doesn't kill you will just make you stronger". It is indeed true!

So, for those who keeps on asking me some tips on how to blog. You won't need any.
I think that you should just do what you feel like doing but just make sure that you exercise tact & be responsible with what you post. That's it! There's no right or wrong blog. It's all just in the person's perspective.

Just a little note for YOU, my dear reader.
Thank YOU for supporting my blog. My blog will cease to exist without YOU.
YOUR endless support is the thing that keeps my blog going.
I hope that YOU will continue supporting my blog & i promise to give my best & write out posts that YOU will find helpful & informative at the same time.

Sorry for this long & boring ramblings but i figured that it's best to just get this out & done with. I would love to know what you think about beauty blogging... whether as a reader or as a blogger.
^_^

Hope you are all having a great evening/day!
Have a happy week!

Jaa ne~!
^_~