“The minute I start
to try and mimic someone else, is the minute I suck.
You will always get
the best response when you’re being yourself.”
{Mariel, or so she says blog}
About two years ago I discovered blogging. When I mean
discovered, I don’t mean that I didn’t have a blog. I had one for a while but I
was never really connected to it. I am talking about community. I don’t even
know how it happened, really. It seemed a wonderful community of amazing
bloggers found their way into my heart and now I have many
relationships/friendships with people all over the country. I was pretty much
hooked. The challenge came when I realized my little space on the internet was,
well, behind. I had neglected my blog so much, that I felt I had to “catch up”
to where other bloggers were. Yup, I had gotten bit by the “catch up bug.” What
is “the catch up bug?”
If the thought “Man, their blog is so advanced and
awesome, I really have to get on the ball and get moving” ever has come to
mind, then we are on the same page here. “The catch up bug” is when you are
cruising through the blogosphere and stumble upon a blog or some blogs that you
start to admire. Then all of a sudden, wham! You get bit! You start to compare
your blog with theirs. And that is when you start to feel woozy, confused and
dizzy. Did you ever feel like that? Maybe you are going through this right now!
When we admire other blogs, it can either make or break
us. Admiration is not the problem; the problem lies when we move from
admiration to comparison. Feel me? It’s when you go from “I love their blog,
the graphics are great and the posts are full of valuable resources” to “Wow,
my blog does NOT measure up to their blog at all! I really have to change
something, make a new header, create bigger buttons, blah, blah, blah…” You
then feel as though your blog is less valuable.
There is a saying that is fitting here:
"Don't compare your beginning to someone's middle."
There is a saying that is fitting here:
"Don't compare your beginning to someone's middle."
What I want to tell you is that even though other blogs
seem like they have all the bells and whistles {I really dislike using this
phrase but it’s the only one that fit what I’m trying to say}, you have to
take care of your blog in the state it is currently is in. It’s taken quite a
bit of time for those bigger blogs to get to where they are. Focus on the stage
your blog is right now, having goals but not neglecting the present. I am preaching
to the choir here, that is why I’m writing this…because I’ve been there! Like
yesterday haha
It is okay to have goals and things you want to try that
other blogs are doing, whether it’s graphics or post ideas, but the challenge
then is to make sure you are still genuine.
You
see, there are many advantages and disadvantages to being bitten by the “catch
up bug”:
ADVANTAGES
-
You get ideas & references to something different you want
to try
-
It gets you out of your comfort zone
-
Your mind starts thinking in different ways, exploring new
options
-
Helps to motivate you into “do it mode” and away from “what if
mode”
DISADVANTAGES
-
You start to feel inadequate
-
You lose the essence of who you are by trying too many things
-
You don’t take time to think things through and instead act
without a purpose
-
Your readers may start to get turned off
The fact is, there will always be a blog bigger, better
and greater. Sorry it’s true! {except for this blog, it’s pretty much the best
overall, in the entire universe.} Turn it around though; some people may just
be starting out and looking up to your blog. They may start to compare their
blog with yours.
I’ll leave you with this advice if the “catch up bug”
ever bites you. Before you take any action, wait a few days. Think about what
you want to do, why, how it will benefit or not benefit your blog. Make a plan
on how you can make it your own. After all, there another bug that is much
worse than the “catch up bug” and that is the “copy cat bug”!
