Journeys and jottings – My monthly editorial on the blog
Greetings ! This post is not about a destination or tips or travel tales or lists. It is a about a little perspective on a couple of things – one, on the blog itself, two, on blogging. I have been toying with the idea of an editorial of sorts every month, which gives you a bit of a sneak preview on the content coming up , but I also want to have some conversations with you , my reader on travel in general or my travels in particular or just a little thing that I want to share – could be an idea, a thought, an impression ..
One of my readers asked me on facebook today – is blogging a “fair” profession ? Now, I was a little confused. So, I asked him what he meant. He asked me how does one become a top blogger – is it by merit or just luck ? Is it hard work or contacts in the industry ? Now, that got me thinking. In my opinion, any profession for that matter is a bit of both. But then, for most of us, blogging is still an emerging profession. Most people think that bloggers are hobbyists and they get a lot of freebies. The point is every freebie has to be earned. And to earn that, you need credibility and a lot of hard work is required to get that credibility. Yes, it is an industry where standards and ethics are being defined as we speak and what works for one blogger to make it big may not necessarily work for another. So, most of us do what we think works for us and for our audiences and in the meanwhile , we try to keep our juices flowing while working hard at what we do – travelling or cooking or reviewing and networking as well, at the same time.
And that brings me back to my blog. In the last ten years my blog has published 850 posts but I have been trying to keep the content fresh by adding a few new themes and properties. Story telling has always been my forte and I have tried to include some tips and lists as well for easy reading. But I would like to launch a couple of new properties from this month onwards.
Bangalore this month – Once a month, I will be featuring the city that I live in – could be a story, a travel experience, a piece of history, food or people. It is so easy to forget the city you live in, when you travel and hence I realized I would love to explore in my own backyard as well.
Destination of the month – Once a week the blog will feature a destination of my choice – with posts , pictures, videos with a blast on social media . It was Turkey last month …where do you think we will be headed this month ?
A monthly special on tips – I have been sharing a few tips with you on a lot of subjects – travel writing, professional blogging, budget travel and I thought I could try and make this a monthly feature. I am no expert but am happy to share what works for me and you can pick and choose from there.
Besides this, Madras Day is around the corner, so I will be celebrating the city I grew up in – Chennnai aka Madras . And more lists, road trips and journeys …so pack your bags and travel with me this August to places far and near
Blogging is one of the most toughest profession specially if one is thinking of earning via blog writing. It is a hobby basically. Only very few succeed to earn via blog. Am I correct?
Blogging started as a hobby but today it is an emerging profession and some are doing very well. It is about first believing that you are a professional and not a hobbyist ..everyone can make it big in my opinion
Very nice ideas Lakshmi. Looking forward to the new columns 🙂 P.S. The question your reader asked you also got me thinking. When I was starting up, I believed that there is one or a bunch of formulas that work in blogging industry. As I got to know more people, it became very evident that this is a place to innovate every day. Each one of us is innovating and finding our feet in a pool of new opportunities. It’s scary, but once you get used to this life isn’t it so exciting?
I dont think its scary at all Gaurav..Yes, it is exciting and the opportunities are just opening up..just that we have to keep supporting each other and keep it going
Thats a nice way to organize the ever expanding content on your blog. Will look forward to your series.
Thanks Anu. I hope to find interesting topics to keep it going.
You will…
Thank you
Hi Lakshmi,
Notices that you’ve misspelt ‘queue’ on twitter.Thought it be a good idea to notify the inadvertent error.The word which you have used ‘queque’ means muffin in Portuguese.
Great ideas. Have been blogging myself – as a self improvement project. But how do you manage to write so much. It needs so much effort. Look forward to your posts.