10 reasons not to be an A-list blogger

Posted by Ben on August 03, 2009 | Permalink | Hits: 648 
Tags: a-list bloggers, fame and fortune, personality, exposure

< Authority blogging: 10 questions with Chris Garrett | Blogging Personalities |

This week I'll be publishing three new posts instead of just one. If all goes well, I'll try and keep publishing three posts per week from now on. This week, Friday's post is a guest post, and I'll be including a quick request for future submissions in the intro of that post. It's going to be a great week - subscribe so you don't miss out.

So - onto today's post. I'm not an A-list blogger, so I'm not speaking from experience, but I've seen a few things that suggest being an A-list blogger might not be all it's cracked up to be. Let me explain why.

1. An honest endorsement will look like a paid plug.

Ever wanted to tell the world about this great new site you've been using? As a new blogger, you're just like everyone else, so it's easier for you to get your views heard. But it's hard to see a glowing review on a high-traffic blog without wondering if the author's getting paid for it.

2. Make a mistake, and everyone will know.

We all make mistakes. The problem is, running a big blog means that a lot more people will know if you make a mistake. It really depends on what you say, and you should take the time to read and re-read your posts before publishing them... but that buffer just isn't there for a site like Twitter.

3. Your comments will go crazy.

People trying to get the first comment. People dropping their links. People saying "Nice post!" Even genuine comments will soar. That's a lot of comments to read and reply to.

I don't reply to every comment individually as my name would be all over the comments section, but if I was an A-list blogger, I'd struggle to stay on top of the comments I did want to reply to.

Not to mention the thousands of spam comments you'd get. Try finding false positives (legitimate comments that shouldn't have gone into the spam queue) in that lot.

4. Your server costs will be higher.

Some big blogs don't have their own domain name, but I think most do. I also think that most blogs who do have their own domain name will be on shared hosting - this means that your site is on the same server as loads of other sites. Most big blogs don't have that option. You'll have to pay for a dedicated server. That's not a cheap option. However, you could always split the cost with some other bloggers.

5. Some people will attack you just for being well-known.

There will always be people who you don't get on with. But being well-known is probably going to attract more negative comments than if you were not an A-list blogger. It goes with the territory - some people just can't be happy for you, or they can't fathom why you're an A-list blogger and they're not. And so the attacks start. Hope you're thick-skinned...

6. It will take over your life.

Not everyone is looking to make it big. Not everyone wants to make money from their blog, or knows how to. Most of us have jobs, families and friends. So if your blog suddenly starts getting a lot of attention, you may find it takes over your life - and you may not be ready for that. However, it only takes over your life as much as you let it.

7. Endless link exchange requests.

I get a few of these, but I get a lot more "SEO specialists" trying to sell their services so I can get on the 1st page of Google. Pay attention - I'm already there! If you're an A-list blogger, rest assured you're going to get a lot of these requests. I can't imagine how many requests would come in daily if my subscribers were in the thousands rather than the hundreds...

8. Any changes to your blog will be criticised by a lot of people.

Generally speaking, people don't like change. After a certain period of time, a blog can really benefit from a facelift and a bit of a tidy-up. But no matter how good a new design is, you're bound to receive comments from people who preferred the way it was before. Sure, more people could potentially love your new look, but you can't please everyone - and design is incredibly subjective.

Being an A-list blogger would put you in the spotlight for pretty much any change you decide to make - would you want every change to be put under such intense scrutiny?

9. You may feel pressured to stay at the top.

I'm not sure exactly how or why a big blog gets to the top when there are loads of blogs that don't, despite being very good and regularly updated. There's probably a certain degree of luck. So it follows that if your blog were to become big but it didn't stay at the top, that's partly down to luck, too.

However, not everyone will see it that way. As a result, you may feel like you have to work extra hard to stay at the top, harder than you had to work to keep your existing readers happy. Blogging isn't easy, but it could get a lot harder once you start getting somewhere. And if you don't stay at the top, even if it's totally out of your control, your blog may be seen as a failure.

10. You may become complacent.

Every time we blog, we need to put in the effort to write a post that's worth reading. Otherwise, why write at all? Unfortunately, hitting the "big time" seems to push some people into a place where they get a bit too comfortable, and their content really suffers. Don't let it happen to your blog. Remember why you started blogging.

What do you think? As I said, I'm not an A-list blogger, so there's every chance I don't have a clue what I'm talking about. Which points have you observed on A-list blogs? Are there any I've missed, or any you disagree with? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Image credit

Want to read more posts like this? Subscribe!

Comments on 10 reasons not to be an A-list blogger

6

Ben | August 18, 2009 | 207 comments

Strength and Fitness - welcome. I don't know how beneficial it would be as I'm not on the list :)

Carla - I'm not sure how having a store prevents you from making it big?

Thanks for the comments guys :)