Blogging is lovely, blogging is fun... oh, who are we kidding?! It's hard work!
And it certainly comes with it's downfalls.
Nobody ever talks about the negatives bloggers struggle with though, do they?
They're all jumping up and down saying, "you should blog! you should blog!" all hippy skippy like it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. (Who even came up with that saying, anyway??)
Given my eight years experience at blogging - yes, I'm celebrating my "Blogiversary" this month - I thought a little reality check would be fun. So here goes...
8 Things I Hate About Blogging
In alphabetical order even, because I'm feeling OCD like that today!
1. Blogger's Block
Yup. In fact, this post almost got edited into "7 things I hate about blogging" because I sat here and couldn't come up with an 8th point to save my life! But given it's my 8-Year Blogiversary this month, I just had to make it eight... lol.
Ahh, the pressure we put on ourselves!
Fortunately there are all sorts of tips and tricks and mind warps and tools and resources we can put to use. There are even guest bloggers that will write for us for free! But, um, see #3...
2. Comment Control
Once your blog gets a solid readership, and starts bringing in some nice search engine traffic (yay joy!), your new job title becomes: Chief Comment Moderator. You have to moderate new commenters, fish legit commenters out of the spam filter, and answer comments on your posts. Like all day every day.
Thank goodness for outsourcing. Well, except for replying to comments on your blog, which you really (really) should do. Eek. I have some catching up to do!
3. Guest Requests
Guest bloggers are awesome. Like I said in #1, they want to do your blogging for you, for free! It's not the guest blogging requests that I dislike, it's the sheer number of them. Then they want ME to pick the topic (Hello, I'm the one with Blogger's Block!) and of course reply with my requirements. Which they apparently DID NOT read on the page where they clearly filled out my contact form.
Then there's the crap posts, or those that STILL can't follow the simple requirements. So you spend all this time reading crap posts or trying to reformat crap posts, and then you have to send yet another email (have I mentioned Email gives me hives??) declining or asking for revisions. Good grief!
4. Posts that go Poof!
Ever spent hours writing the most awesome blog post on the planet, only to have it completely disappear into thin air on you? Yeah. Enough said, right?
There's a little thing called CTRL-C, or Command C for you Mac Snobs* out there, that copies text to your clipboard - it's wise to do this before hitting save or publish. Of course, the ONE time that you don't...
* Don't be offended. I just typed this on a Macbook.
5. Stupid Spammers
Following up on #2, do people really not have anything better to do than to spam your blog with Viagra links? Hmm. I bet if they used their own product, they'd be too busy to spam-blast my blog all the time. yes, she said that!
6. Tribal Warfare
I haven't ever had this happen to me personally, but I've been having nightmares about it since the term Tribe hit the scene. I'm serious. I have crazy night terrors about my readers taking up spears and coming after me, lol.
7. Trolls & Trouble-Starters
My tribe *shudder* may not have come after me (yet), but I've been on the bad end of a few trouble-makers over the years. I'm not going to name any names (ooh, but I should!!) though I can assure you it was no fun at all.
Some folks get mighty brave on the other side of their screen.
Really. Leave me alone. Go play with the spammers, K? They got good stuff.
8. Updates (Again? Seriously? *sigh*)
Update WordPress, update this plugin, update that software, update those other plugins, Ack! - update WordPress again. I swear it never ends. I get this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I see an update notice or warning. Because you just know it's going to break your whole blog. Whether it does or not is not the issue, it's the anxiety attack as you hover over that dreaded Update Me Now! button...
Of course, if it was up to me we'd all still be on Windows 3.1, running a Packard Bell DX-50 with a 9600 baud modem. So I guess you can count Updates a good thing. Heh. Just not the panic attack over what's really going to happen when you click it.
There. That wasn't so bad, was it? Sure, blogging is awesome, and there are tons of perks, but sometimes you just gotta GET REAL and discuss the things that drive you nutso! Leave a comment below - I can't wait to hear one of your top frustrations!
My 8 Year Blogiversary (I so love that word, lol)
Here are the blogging & content writing resources I promised in the video:
Blogging is lovely, blogging is fun... oh, who are we kidding?! It's hard work! 
- I thought a little reality check would be fun. So here goes...
Well, except for replying to comments on your blog, which you really (really) should do. Eek. I have some catching up to do!
yes, she said that!
hit the scene. I'm serious. I have crazy night terrors about my readers taking up spears and coming after me, lol.
