I feel like this is a bit of a taboo subject but as we love to state: this is my blog and I write about what I feel passionately for.
What makes you a 'big blogger'? Numbers?
I completely understand that it is difficult to respond to every comment or reply to every tweet. Hell, I sometimes find it difficult with my lovely little following to get back to people straight away so I can imagine that bloggers with thousands of followers find it tricky. But do you know what I do find odd - that you can write to a 'big blogger' with a simple tweet and never receive a response, yet at exactly the same time they can be tweeting fellow big bloggers or bloggers they deem 'bigger' than themselves with clear access to your query, or the time to reply to others. And yes, I completely appreciate that if you receive a thousand tweets saying 'I WANT TO BE YOU' that it's probably not practical to reply to each one, but with a genuine question it really grates on me. And what's the response to this? 'I love all of my followers, but sometimes I miss tweets and don't have time to read and reply to absolutely everything' - but you manage to catch the names that are important - non?
Can we just determine where this status even comes from? What ever happened to equals and sharing the love?
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Personally I feel like there are groups and cliques and if you're not apart of it then you're made to feel inadequate or not worthy of acknowledgement - it reminds me of the playground at school. Perhaps it's not the bloggers directly who are creating this void, but somewhere someone or something is segregating what should be a fun, caring community.
I am also not tarring each blogger with the same brush. There are heaps of big status bloggers that don't do any of the above or give the impression of superiority.
All I really want to get across is that I wish there weren't statuses, I wish that each and every blogger treated others as they would wish to be treated and I wish that brands and PR companies alike would help share the love a little more. At the end of the day, when you click on to 5 big paid bloggers sites and all of them are talking about the same product it starts to feel a little unbelievable - if everything was evened out a little more perhaps the void would decrease slightly? I am not at all slating gifted products or paid posts, I have and will continue to participate in both, but it's how you present yourself that counts.
I also understand that numbers means business, it's completely fair that if you work hard at your blog and readers follow along that companies will look to you before bloggers with less readers (that's just life) - however you are still a regular person, why is there this odd air of greatness that goes hand in hand with a large 'following'?
I am so proud of my blog and personally feel so overwhelmed and grateful by how much it has changed and grown over the past year - there is nothing wrong with being proud!!
On a similar note, I went to the Company Style Blogger Awards recently and it was the most refreshing lovely experience. Every single blogger that I spoke to felt like a long lost friend and pretty much every single one I'd spoken to before on social platforms. There wasn't any intimidation or 'cliques, it was just us, celebrating blogging. Funnily enough I don't think there were any bloggers there that had tens of thousands of followers. Perhaps this is the start of good things to come in the blogging community - everyone as an equal.
I hope that this isn't received negatively and that people can see where I am coming from. Blogging is meant to be fun, whether it's a hobby or your full time job it shouldn't matter, we are all one and the same and should support each other.
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I totally agree, its an air of snobbery that some bloggers have not at least try to reply to some bloggers that are "under" them, and some only reply when its clear ass kissing to get a reply.
ReplyKewTeePye
Bloglovin
Love the little virtual hug at the end! You worded this so well and I don't think there's a single point that can be disagreed with. I use the term 'big bloggers' myself sometimes but by this i simply mean the more established and well known ones that perhaps blog for a living or are always at the top of bloglovin's 'popular posts' page. They just have more readers than most and that's a fact. But you're exactly right about the air of superiority that seems to exist and how they need not bother replying to tweets etc containing genuine questions - grates on me too! :| xxx
ReplyCouldnt agree more!! It drives me mad when I see it! I was literally thinking the same thing this morning, how it seems you have to fit in with a "click" to be a successful blogger!! I love how open you are about things and how you reply to as many people as you can on twitter and to me that makes you the "bigger blogger" so to speak. Personality shines through a computer aswell! Ugly personality to me means ugly blog :(
ReplyLove your blog and read ever single post (try to) you are my inperation and you have done amazingly over the year :)
Much love Dee
www.deesbeautifullife.blogspot.co.uk
I agree hun, there most definitely are cliques and groupies out there, but then there are in every aspect of life. As for being a 'big blogger' hmmm I don't tend to look at fellow bloggers in that light, I am sure everyone works hard for recognition, reads, likes and loves and some are better than others at doing that, some have been around a lot longer than I have and for me, they are all learning curves, I think everyone whose blog I read has something I can learn from.
Replyxx
Wow, I am 11 followers away from 400 on my blog - http://beautyqueenuk.blogspot.co.uk/ #chuffed
Love this, such a beautifully written post and couldnt agree more. Hi5 for having the guts to say it xxx
ReplyI love this and completely agree. One of the things I love about your blog is that you find the time to reply to the comments you receive and I never feel as though you are some superior being, just an old friend xxx
ReplyI totally agree. There's a couple of bloggers that I follow that literally have thousands of followers and don't talk to you unless you have the same. Looking back at their past posts when they first started they replied to everyone and didn't leave out 'little' bloggers. Now they barely even post anything and yet they get hundreds on comments when they do....it really annoys me, especially when there's bloggers posting everyday and they don't get near as much as that.
ReplyIt's pathetic.
Sorry for my little rant, but this was a post I would have ended up posting anyway, so you beat me to it! Hehe!
Thanks for writing though, shows I'm not the only one who feels like that.
Laura x
http://pale-girl-reviews.blogspot.com
I agree with both of you. I hate being negative about this kind of thing because I am a little blogger and have struggled to gain a following, and even though I don't get the chance to post every day I always but 1000% into my posts which get barely noticed, when there are other bloggers who write a couple of shitty paragraphs and get 100 comments, and that they are receiving PR samples for it as well! Had to rant too lol.
I'm a new follower because of this post, it's refreshing to see a post as relate-able as this
Rebecca x
nouvellebeau.blogspot.co.uk
Great post! I sometimes tweet 'big bloggers' when i know they are tweeting to other people but just dont respond because im a 'no-one' in the blogging world! i was surprised when you responded when i said i loved your blog, but you did and that makes me like it/you even more because i feel like you are personable! Personality is vital to a blog :) xx
ReplyAmazing post, and I totally agree with you. I don't even expect responses anymore from "big bloggers." I was pretty surprised and happy to be getting responses from you, because to me, YOU'RE a pretty big blogger, and I adore you for not forgetting everyone else! :)
ReplyUnfortunately that behavior among "big bloggers" is not surprising. It's a pure shame too. When people make it big, they either stay humble (very rare) or they get a big head. I wrote a post similar to this back in October, but I mostly talked about how I hate how a lot of the popular bloggers blog about the same things over and over again, and do similar things to each other. That really ticks me off too. Well anyway I like your blog, you're down to earth so please stay that way!
ReplyI think you worded this very well! I've also gotten a rather chilly air from some of the "big" bloggers and it made me feel a bit reluctant to try to interact with them. And now that I'm getting my footing a bit in the blogging world I try very hard to encourage any smaller bloggers I run into who are just starting out! Sharing the love is important! P.S. I love the little hug GIF at the end!
ReplyI think it's always going to be like this and the gap will only get bigger and bigger as more people follow those top 10 blogs and ignore about the rest of us.
ReplyThe rich get richer & the poor get poorer and all that ;)
Why would YSL send their new range to me with 'only' 1000 followers instead of so-and-so with 9000?! Nothing will change no matter how much we beg subtly for PR's to notice us ;)
It sucks but whatcha gonna do?!
xo
This is a great post, says what a lot of us think to be honest! If two people tweet the same question, one has 100 followers and one has 10,000, you can pretty much predict who they're going to reply to xx
Replywww.LaurasHaven.com
This is so true, I honestly can say I asked a question to a local 'big blogger' and she didn't even acknowledge it. I think this 'fame' goes to their heads. It's all to do with the personality. If the blogger genuinely wants to acknowledge someone it only takes a few seconds via social media and they will. They don't realise that it is their following that makes them. It's like this in all fashion areas really!
Replylittleleeli.blogspot.co.uk
It is a real shame. The reason we do this is for the love of it and it's hurtful to see that those on top have almost forgotten those early days when you anticipated every comment, every tweet and every follow. x
ReplyAdrienne | Late Night Nonsense
When I saw the title of post in my inbox, I clicked on it straight away and just had to read it! I agree with everything that you said. For me personally, I feel this issue effects every blogger that either starting out or have been blogging for a while but no one wants to really open up because they feel that it may come across as negative and may cause some trouble but I don't think this is true. This is what is happening right now in the blogging world and its effecting a lot of bloggers.The blogging world is like high school where you have cheerleaders, jocks, geeks and etc and it shouldn't be like this. It should be a community where we help each other grow together. I understand that bloggers with thousands of followers may not be able to answer every single reader, it's understandable but what is not acceptable is when you see them send a tweet about something and then you reply the tweet straight away and completely ignore you but they reply to someone else who is just like them. It's not cool at all. This my opinion, I may be wrong but maybe they don't want to reach out to those who have a smaller following because they feel that they may end up being used to get a head in the blogging world rather than building a relationship. There are so many bloggers that aspire to be like the big bloggers and when you see them acting this way it makes you feel like wow they're not as genuine as they seem and that's a real shame. At the end of the day, we all started from the bottom and feel some forget that once they've reached success. There are so many bloggers that have so many wonderful blogs but get overlooked and it's not fair. Something needs to be done. Sorry for the longest comment in history but this just got me going! popoesfashion.com xx
ReplyI love this post, so much. I've noticed this more and more lately. I get that they are inundated with tweets and comments but sometimes it's nice for them just to show a little more thanks, especially when the quality of their posts is only going downhill. I recently responded to a question asked by a blogger who lately - I feel - has been acting a little too big for their boots and she completely ignored it and complained that no one had answered her when I know I gave her exactly the answer she wanted. I suppose this happens in all walks of life, it's just more apparent in some x
ReplyCharlotte / coloursandcarousels
This post is just INCREDIBLE Megan! I love it! Everything you've written is so so true, and I love your little virtual hug too! Thanks for writing and sharing this, it needed to be said, and you've said and worded it so so well! xxx
Replyholljc.blogspot.co.uk
I love this post! I feel the same way. As a new blogger, I find that some of the "bigger" bloggers don't try to reply at all. I know you have a large following, but I'd still appreciate some acknowledgement. I definitely don't like the snobbery that comes with the large following
Replyhttp://lexiluthor.blogspot.com/
I love this post.. You worded this so well and I feel exactly the same way. The snobbery some of the 'big bloggers' present is just ridiculous!
Replyxx
//mettebrandtdanielsen.blogspot.com
This was a really interesting post Meg. I've being recently seeing this kind of thing pop up on twitter, I've never got involved but of course I have my own opinions as does everyone else. I'm sure it is hard to reply back to so many tweets or comments but I must admit it's not that nice to feel ignored :/
ReplyAmy xx
A Little Boat Sailing
This NEEDED to be said, I agree with everything, YOU GO LOGGY! <33
ReplyI agree with everything you said!!! Though I only fear it's going to get worse, it's just like school, the popular just get more popular and the rest of us stay invisible and overlooked. :(
Replyhttp://wwwclairabelle.blogspot.co.uk/
Totally agree with this posting. Many a time I have ventured a look at the big bloggers and have found the majority to just be acting as PR for products and it results in a lack of relatable contnt.( Of course though, there are some big bloggers who I feel engage with their readers very well.)
ReplyThis post has now encouraged me to find the 'smaller' blogs to read. Thank you.
Claire x
Http://Daydreamsinthegarden.blogspot.co.UK
I had never really thought about this. I don't tend to interact with the 'big bloggers' that much as I tend to really enjoy reading the smaller more personal blogs and have my own little niche of bloggers which I tend to network with. I really love the social aspect of blogging but there are so many blogs now, it is impossible to keep up with everyone. When I first starting blogging many years ago some of the bigger bloggers did used to comment but I guess once it becomes a full time job they don't have time. Perhaps they just interact with people they know personally from events etc.
ReplyThis is so true! When I ask a question on a blog and they keep posting new stuff but just don't answer questions from followers, I just won't go back to that blog. I want to feel 'connected' with the blogger in a way. It's also the little things that make readers happy, like your virtual hug!
Replyx Isabelle
Isabelle Taking Chances
This post is so true! I recently tweeted a 'big blogger' (not going to mention any times) asking a question and I was very disappointed that they didn't get back to me. I understand that they have a lot of followers and can't reply to EVERY tweet, but an answer to my question would have been nice. Especially when they advertise their twitter and say 'tweet me, I'd love to chat'. It really annoys me and your post reflected my feelings exactly! Well said xx
ReplyI agree, I definitely feel there are cliques, and yes it reminds me of the school playground too!
ReplyDaniella x
http://daniella-r.blogspot.co.uk
Great post, just what I needed to hear. It's sad to see they don't have time for people who actually take time to read their blog and leave a nice message. Looks like they don't understand meaning of word nice and appreciative. I mean this is not happening with all 'big bloggers' and it's understandable that sometimes they really don't have the time to answer all the questions and messages but it's good to see they know readers are huge part of their success :)x
Replygreat post! you're so lovely xo
Replyvictoriasanusi.blogspot.com
And this is why I love you and your blog. In my world, you are a big blogger and I love that you reply to messages on Twitter. I have sent messages to a few 'big bloggers' on Twitter, with genuine, quite serious, questions (I'm too old for fangirling I think) but I never get a response. I don't bother anymore. I understand that some bloggers simply cannot respond to everyone, but I'm not talking the massive bloggers here, I'm talking the ones with a few thousand followers. These I find can be the most selective about who they choose to speak to.
ReplyJen | sunny sweet pea xx
Yes! I completely agree. To me, it seems that the bigger and more popular their blog the less they respond to their readers. I know that it's tough when you have a lot of fan girls who proclaim how they love you and such but when genuine questions are asked its a shame that they aren't replied to. I know I'm new to the actual blogging part (I've been a blog reader for ages) but I love interacting with the few readers I do have. There does seem to be bit of a high school mentality of the "cool kids".
ReplyDebi
http://dibdabdebs.blogspot.co.uk
Love this entirely. Isn't blogging about connecting with your readers & other bloggers? We're all gushing over the same things why not build each other up & take the time to answer tweets or comments? I know that when a blogger continues to ignore their followers it becomes a bit of a turn off.
ReplyXO, Catt
Very wonderful post, I couldn't not follow after reading this. So well written, without any angst, just something we all notice written out beautifully! Much love!
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Well written post on a very 'delicate' subject.
ReplyI completely agree and understand where you're coming from and have had similar experience of 'big bloggers'. Funny how most can express there thanks and gratefulness to their readers and followers when they win an award etc.
I think sometimes the point of why you started a blog in the first place can get over shadowed by freebies etc. You should blog because you love it and appreciate every single person that decides to grace your page of notes with their presence.
There are plenty of blogs out there whose authors don't get the recognition they deserve.
So, I say, keep tweeting the love and finding 'unknown' blogs, attending local meets and greets and enjoy meeting 'real' people. :)
Caroline.x
notesfromcaroline.com
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I LOVE THIS POST. Megan, I have had these exact thoughts in my head for months and months and just haven't been able to figure out how to put them into a blog post but you said everything I have been thinking. It feels like when I genuinely try to talk to & have good conversations with "bigger bloggers" that it just gets ignored while all the big time blogger friend groups have long conversations with each other all the time. You see it on twitter a lot! Now, don't get me wrong, I also am friends with bigger bloggers who have been kind and talked to me but still at the end of the day, it feels like we are trying to compete to be friends with & talk to other bloggers. It is what you said: "Personally I feel like there are groups and cliques and if you're not apart of it then you're made to feel inadequate or not worthy of acknowledgement - it reminds me of the playground at school." You took the words right out of my mouth. Thank you for writing this post. I couldn't agree more!
ReplyHello! I've just nominated your blog a for a Sunshine Award! The award is for people who creatively inspire and brighten others day with their blog. To accept it and pass-it on to others click on the link for the (fun) rules. http://littleleeli.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/sunshine-award.html
Replytotally agree with this! I feel like so many bloggers will just retweet people all over them or their 'group' but won't respond to so many of their smaller followers, even bloggers that don't have the thousands and thousands of followers! followers are what helped your blog become what it is so to ignore them seems so so rude x
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What a great post! I totally agree with you. I really love some 'big bloggers', but feel so disheartened when they only seem to interact with others like them. I'm not some crazy fan girl, I'm someone with the same interests as them and genuine questions.....
ReplyWell done for the post, you said what I'm sure many other bloggers are thinking/feeling.
This is so true. It's bad that some feel it's actually a privilege to get a reply from their favourite blog - I'd love to have that much support and love and would surely take the time to reply to all questions and queries, especially if blogging and youtubing was my full time job like it is for some of the bigger bloggers, many infact.
Replybeautybyreilly.blogspot.co.uk