Monday, November 14, 2011

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~!
^_~

37 comments:

Krissy said...

Glad to see you with a new post again :) Let me be one of those who think your reviews are great because you always give honest and unbiased opinions.

I also started my blog as a personal online diary, but then I started meeting awesome people who became real-life friends. Not long after, I started getting invites to bloggers' events and product launches. I work from 6AM - 3PM only and I'm free the rest of the day so I am almost always available. My favorite types of events are intimate events and those that make me learn something new.

I've gotten a few side comments from people I know personally about getting free stuff, as well as remarks that they'd start blogging too just so they can also get freebies, but I always answer them that it's just one perk of blogging and it shouldn't be the be-all and end-all. Otherwise it'd be just like a job wherein you'd expect compensation for something you've done.

Sorry for my long comment XD Hope everything's going great with you!

Mała said...

Nice blog ! Waiting for another post !! <3
http://myministyle.blogspot.com/

aiMee Bunbun said...

dont worry im also an introvert lollzz hehe

Thiamere Brea said...

Thanks,sweetie!
*hugs*

awww....i think it's sad when the main reason you only blog is just to get freebies,right?
i mean how sad that it is that you will do something so laborious just to get something in return. I think it's better to do something you really like doing not because you want to get something in return,ne?

Exactly! Intimate events are the best!
You get to meet people that mostly shares the same interest that you have. I'm glad that i also get to meet a lot of people by blogging & that is something that i am really thankful for.

Nah,i love long comments!
^_~

Thiamere Brea said...

thanks,sweetie!
^_^

Thiamere Brea said...

haha!winner! bagay tayo!

Gale said...

Hi! I so agree with everything you've stated. I also get those comments and I also am debating whether to accept advertisements or not on my blog. I'm also worried it might affect my reader's thoughts about the credibility of my posts.. I once had a fave blog to read but once she started having a lot of advertisements up, I rarely visited that blog again...

GREAT post Thia! ^_^

Nikki said...

No one can accept to go ALL events unless they have all the time in the world or blogging is their ONLY job.

Hats off to you for writing a post about this. Thank goodness no one asked me much about these stuff or NO ONE DARED. Same as you, Integrity is still number ONE...Go to events you think you have interest in or just say NO if you think readers won't get anything from the post...

Somebody once asked me why the PRO list is longer than CON most of the time, SIMPLE ANSWER: "Why would I purchase something that I researched about to have MORE CONS than PROS?" it's a huge waste of money!

Eventhough we do receive products for review, the effort, the constant testing, exposing our skin to different ingredients is enough of a payment...blogging should be and will always be a PASSION, never a money making machine..if we earn a bit, that's good enough (pat on the back) but at the end of the day, people/readers can see if you are saying all the positive stuff just because you are paid!

Keep on doing what you do and I hope to meet you one day! diyos ko ang tagal na nating nag cocomment on each other's blog! :)

MereMakeupManiac said...

i started blogging mainly to share with whoever reads my blog products that works (or not) for me, beauty-wise that is. i've once put in small ads on my blog but i hated how it made my blog looked like - commercialized - so i removed all of them. i want to maintain it as a real person's thoughts and experiences on what i've tried with myself. on the other hand, i think it's also good to post entries that tackle about products to avoid since my main objective is to inspire and warn readers of what could be potentially HG material to a disastrous product. i admit blogging is time consuming and can get really expensive, but doing this unleashes my creative side. i'll be a hypocrite if i say that if the time comes that i will receive a product for review, i will turn my back on it. however, i will adhere to my objective - look at the product for what it's worth and give my opinion based on my experience, be it negative or positive.

i admire your courage to post this entry, you are an admirable blogger!

Isabel said...

Hahaha!!! So true.. I get so so so tempted sometimes to buy something just because I wanna share my thoughts about it but gotta stop myself since I am not working yet..

herroyalbleakness said...

Aw, Jem, i loved how positive you are about nega comments on the blog. :) We really can't please em all, can we?

I've been thinking about most of the points you've raised in this post. Seems like we're in the same position :) I hope we could meet up soon! Blogger friends are by far the best perks I've had since I started blogging.

Glenn Encinares said...

Nice post dear :)
For me I blog not to Impress but to INSPIRE :)
Like you I escape some blog in my Dashboard, I think much of them was done for advertisement, write up or press release purpose (though I knew some of t

April Hollie said...

whew! ang taas...hehe anyway, hats off to you for letting it out! I agree with most of the things you mentioned. I can say you really are an accomplished blogger. Just brush off the nega comments you received, and keep doing what you're doing.

Maggie said...

Natouch talaga ako sa post na to. I really admire you and your blog. In fact, you're the reason why I started blogging. I think I mentioned that to you before. :) When I started blogging, I wasn't aware that you can get freebies or be invited in company events or product launch. Sa totoo lang hindi pa ako nakakareceive ng freebies..(aside from giveaways) or directly contacted by a company to review their products. Sino ba naman ayaw ng ganon diba? But I believe that bloggers should not make that as their primary goal. I love reading blogs not just because of the products/events/hauls and the like but also because I love reading other people's experiences. I get to know the author and at the same time, I learn something from her. And that's something I want to do in my blog as well. I hope you continue to inspire us through your blog, Thiamere. I want to meet you in person in the future. You're such a lovely girl. Hindi ka lang blogger para sakin. You shared a lot from your life experience; you're like a sister to me. ^___^

April Villatura Lava said...

Kudos Thia! Love it!

April Villatura Lava said...

Kudos Thia! Love it!

Thiamere Brea said...

thanks,sweetie!
^_^

i thought that it's just me who feels that way about monetizing blogs.

Same here, i don't visit that blog na din that had pop-ups & ad pages kasi it's so annoying
>_<

Thiamere Brea said...

exactly!
it's really sad whenever i would see someone who would just start a blog just because of freebies
:(

beauty bloggers are not just simple bloggers but product testers din.. i remember a student once even asked me when i told him that sometimes company would send some products to be featured & he said "ah, so you are like a tester & promoter in one"... aray!
haha!

i would also love to meet you,sis nikki!
I'm sure one day magkikita din tayo
^_^

Thiamere Brea said...

Thanks,hun!
I decided din kasi to make a point na about this issue once & for all & i remember reading about your hate comment post & that just got me thinking that we really can't please anybody so why even bother,ne?

I just sure hope that readers would think like that.
Sadly, haters are everywhere
:(

Thiamere Brea said...

You're one of the best perks that i have also "received"!
How can i ever forget the charade episode that we had?!

hahaha!
hanggang ngayon hindi ako maka get over with how lame i am at charades!
hahaha!

Thiamere Brea said...

Thanks, darling!
Haters i think really are 'lovers' somehow e.
I mean, why bother stalking your page if they hate you diba?
Will you waste time making those nonsense if you don't like it?
I think deep down inside they just love me!
hahaha!

Thiamere Brea said...

awwww....
nalunod ako sa papuri,sweetie!
thank you so much!
you're so sweet!
*thoughts of hate comments completely vanished*

i'm sure you'll be able to also do those
i'm really happy for you when you actually made a post on your fb that your page was featured. it made me really proud like an ate...haha!

Thanks,hun!
i don't really have a younger sister but if ever i could have one & it's possible to pick, i will definitely pick you!

I'm sure we will be able to meet sometime!
^_~

Thiamere Brea said...

thanks,hun
^_^

thank you too for the blog support!

Thiamere Brea said...

great words,sweetie!
i like that!
very well said!
^_^

i admit that i do post about press release but i have to say that sometimes i feel guilty about it that's why i make sure that i inform it on the title that it's a press release so people would know what to expect so i won't mislead them. press release is just for publicity but reviews are my real opinion & experience.

im glad nga that people find some post helpful
^_^

Thiamere Brea said...

OMG!
once you start working & you have your own money the temptation will triple!
hahaha!

kikaysikat said...

I can relate to that. There are also days that it's so hard for me to write because for example they sent me something, and it's just so bad... I have to create a post that critiques the product but does not bash it as to respect the company.

Sometimes just dont write at all.

The past few days I just got so tired la. The reason why I posted that blogging is not a source of income, it's our hobby.

(although there are some bloggers that this is their source of living already, lucky them)

Jehan said...

i enjoyed reading your 'ramblings" and i had the same thoughts when i started blogging about skin care products. i actually started my blog to make a review on movies and series i've watched but it eventually became my online diary. i started to write for myself but suddenly, i found myself writing for other people as well. i love reading beauty blogs because i'm a late bloomer with makeups and so i get to learn the what nots.. i also still have a lot to write about but i just can t find the time.. with a very active baby and very busy husband, i can't really sit much that long in front of the pc.. hehe...

btw, sa dami ng ni-follow kong beauty bloggers, 2 na lang kayo na regular naga-update (from pinas ah) and i'm so thankful for that...

Maggie said...

Wahh... Ako I don't have a sister talaga. Puro brothers. -_- Thank you, Thiamere! Ignore those haters... Haters gonna hate... Lovers gonna love. :P

Marge said...

wow you hit the nail on the head baby girl!
*flexes fingers before i type*
I was also sent questions by someone who's making blogging her thesis subject. and the set of questions made me think. and they brought me back why i started blogging to begin with.
albeit, there are 'professional' bloggers who get invites to nearly every event fathomable and while his posts are quite, hmmm shall we say needs proofing like the sahara needs water, he still gets the hits and the invites. had there been a cloning machine, i'm pretty sure he'd use it a great deal to be able to cover every event he gets an invite to. that is just not me, i won't pretend i didn't sometimes wish that i would always be on the invite list, but alas that just isn't me.
now back to our 'humble' hobby and events. personally, i appreciate it when tony moly invite me to their events. it makes my 'relationship' with them a bit more personal. i also get stuff from etude house, back in the day when they were starting out in Manila. but as you may have read, i don't always give either of them thumbs up. with the disclaimer that just because it didn't work for me, it wouldn't work for every other human on the planet. and true enough one of my most read posts, too, like you, is my not so great review on the face shop's hydrosplash bb.
i prefer these lesser known companies that try really hard to make a niche in the market. it makes for better competition in my opinion. clearly, they know they are underdogs make their customer care MUCH MUCH better. what i've come to dislike is one grandma in the industry using bloggers to reinvent themselves. (and actually, i heard that this particular company approached an ad/image agency and wanted a consult on how to update their image and sling it forward from the 70's to this 2nd decade in this new millennium). said grandma in the industry took the blogger route, at least here in the philippines. there's actually nothing wrong with that, but these grandma companies should also improve their customer care.
ALTHOUGH, it doesn't mean i'm in love or in bed with every Korean cosmetic company that come to manila either.
what it boils down to is, we are all human, we have our preferences and we know to add the disclaimer that our reviews are not paid for and we will add a note if the products were sent for review and that the review will be on how the products affected our faces/hair/body and that just because it didn't work for us(me/you) doesn't mean it wouldn't work for the rest of the population and vice versa. if companies wish to invite bloggers like us to their events that's nice, but personally i will only attend if it won't me break a sweat (or my wallet) to get to their venue. we have our day jobs after all. what annoys me, too, is this blog-ad company that keeps emailing me invites at the last minute, like a day before??? haler ano ko walang buhay? a week in advance invite is so far not in the vocab of this person emailing me. pffft, after my ingitera mode phase in my blog i now go back to my own thing, marching to the beat of my own drum. helping other people and getting positive feedback that my reviews help is a bonus ;-)
but blogging is my stress relief, mostly ^_^

Clair said...

Hi there~! ♥I actually started reading your blog because I saw your comments on Marge/kikaytrekkie's blog. :) Found your blog to be quite informative because I am just new to learning how to fix myself and taking care of my skin especially.

I love your posts because you're a real person who shows us your real life concerns and the practices and products that helped you deal with them. I dunno why you'd get hate comments ^^;;; It's weird. I mean, what's there to hate? O_O

I can also relate with wanting to buy more products to blog about. But omg. it's so expensive ^^;;; And there are products na wala pang one week may pimples na ako or something so that's one product that I can't use agad. (I give them to my sister and she sometimes tells me na wala namang adverse effects sa kanya so I get really envious!) Pero yun pa nga lang gastos na ~_~ Hay. What more for the other products na tempting subukan? Lol.

Thank you for your honesty in this blog post. :) I may not comment a lot but I am really happy to read your blog and Facebook updates. It shows me that normal girls like me can learn to be pretty regardless of skin condition, etc. as long as they try their best in keeping a good regimen and more importantly, ok ang ugali at pakikisama sa ibang tao.

PS: I still swear that you're one of the bloggers that amaze me especially because of your nail posts! ♥

Marge said...

di ko rin gets ang hater comments na iyan. i mean what's the point? kung ayaw eh di ayaw. wala namang hate posts per se, maybe it can be viewed as a product that didn't work out for me post hehehe kung hate gaya nung ammonia smelling eh hair dye eh well hahaha eh ang baho nga naman para sa kanya diba LOL ;-)

Clair said...

Yeah, wala nga akong nakitang hate posts si Thiamere eh ^^; Eh kung di naman talaga gumana yung product, ganun talaga. Alangang ipilit niya ang product na di naman gumagana. Lol. Baka masira lang ang beauty! Saka di naman mataray magsulat si Thiamere. :)

And yeah, matapang naman talaga ang amoy ng ammonia. Kahit sinong nag-chem nung high school/college alam yan haha. Pero for someone with a sensitive sense of smell, ammonia will probably smell at least 10x worse.

Thiamere Brea said...

*clap clap clap*
tumpak! pasok sa banga!
hay naku...i try not to attend invites as much as possible. if i do, i choose the ones from the not-so-big brands specially dun sa starting pa lang with the same reason as you.

well, i have to admit din naman na before naiinggit ako pag nakakabasa ng mga blog events but then later on i realize na since i'm a person who don't attend invites din naman kahit na imbitahin ako hindi ko pupuntahan...what's the point? haha!

basta ang commitment ko ay sa readers...
invited or not, big brands or not, pare parehas lang yan...haha!
magkakatalo na lang pag nilgay na sa mukha
hehe

Thiamere Brea said...

i love you both!
*hugs*
i don't a lot of hater comments naman...konti lang..haha!

as i always say there was a time when i receive a comment saying na ang laki daw ng muka ko, wag ko daw ipost ang muka ko sa blog ko...
ang ginawa ko lalo ko pinost ang muka ko at pinalaki ko pa lalo sa susunod na post!

then sabi ng isa dami ko daw ellipses sa post. nag aral daw ba ko ng grammar. e di lalo ko dinamihan sa susunod na post ko..haha!

i just learned to live with it na lang. lam ko naman na i can't please everybody e.

but since a lot of my readers like me naman (or posts lang..haha!) there's no reason na magalit pa..iisa lang sya compare sa hundreds (yabang!).anu ba naman ang laban ng isa sa madami,diba? hehe

i appreciate you both standing up for me!
mwah!

Marge said...

Dear Disqus,

The email sent to hathor2@hathor2.tk with subject
"[onbeautystuff] Re: ~on beauty stuff and what else's....~: rants &" will be delivered as soon as possible.

Your email address is automatically added to the
recipients 'whitelist'. This means for further
emails to hathor2@hathor2.tk, you will not receive a delivery notification again.

TK MAILIAS
*************************************************
Looking for a way to Protect Your Identity and
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Clair said...

Lol. Ganun talaga eh no? Hiyangan talaga sa products. I think kaya gusto ko yung nagbabasa ng blogs kasi may way naman para matanong yung details nung experience/s ninyo.

Sana maging ok na yung computer mo! Para naman maka-Youtube uli. Go, Marge! :D Aja!

Clair said...

Nakakatawa naman yung comment na malaki raw mukha mo. Eh ano ba kung malaki yung mukha mo? XD Kung close up shot para mapakita yung effect nung product, bakit ba siya aangal? Shempre minsan mukhang malaki ang mukha pag close up eh XD Chos! Hahaha.XDDD Pero aminado akong malaki rin ang mukha ko. Ganun talaga. Life. You know hahaha. XDDD

Actually,grammar can be improved over time naman. Minsan kanya-kanyang quirks and moods lang talaga pag nagsusulat. Pag ayaw mo naman yung writing style ng isang tao simple lang: don't read her blog! Hahaha. Di ba? Simple. ;) I just wonder kung binabasa pa nung commenter na yun yung blog mo ^^;;; Or kung serious naman siyang concerned sa style mo, maraming ways para sabihin ito. :)

Pero right now, just glad you wrote this post. :) So proud of you!

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