We are all bloggers, sometimes by commission and other times by omission; sometimes by choice and other times by chance; sometimes out of passion and other times out of need. No matter the main motivation, we are all bloggers!
The life of a blogger is a unique one. You live to please others, and you basically write to make a living. Combined with the experiences attached to what I will call "normal blogging," the life of a Hive blogger is a pro-unique one.
What makes a person more than just a person and crowns them with the title "blogger"?
This description by Betterteam sums it all:
Bloggers write, edit, post, and promote the content on their web pages or websites. They generate and pitch ideas, compose and edit posts, market posts to readers, and conduct research.
Betterteam
While the above is true, blogging has evolved into something more than just writing and making posts. As a blogger, you are sometimes a combination, in part or in whole, of the following: a writer, a graphic designer, a web-designer, a videographer, a video editor, an editor, a manager, and much more.
I have had my fair share of blogging, and here is my account.
My Wealth of Experience
Blogging presents you with mixed feelings. Sometimes, you question the career path you chose, asking: Is this worthwhile?Should I go on? What is my future on this path?
This is usually an experience resulting from the lack of immediate reward. But as time goes on, most people give up, while few stay on.
To be honest, blogging is hard. You have got to share your thoughts and emotions as well as experiences and knowledge in a very attractive way, trying to gain the attention of total strangers, attention that is already being competed for among thousands (sometimes) millions of bloggers already. In a less structured environment like the Hive Learners community here on the Hive blockchain, which ensures that bloggers are always engaged, blogging can mean hours of brainstorming, writing, and discarding, and trashing a post within a few seconds of hitting the publish button.
As I have said earlier, blogging can present you with mixed emotions. So, it is like a coin, there are always two sides. But for me, the opposite side of blogging is not "easy", it is, "rewarding". Working hard as a blogger pays off over time and eventually makes the task of blogging seem easy.
There is ease with reward
zestimony
The ease does not just come from the rewards, it also comes from a wealth of experience. Surely, doing the same thing over and over again definitely makes such a task a bit easier than when you started.
At this point in time, I am currently building and going through the difficulties so that I can get to the rewarding part.
How I blog
The Devices
[My Blogging Devices - The Tool Box]
I personally own a Samsung Galaxy S9 and a HP ProBook Laptop. Both devices come in handy at different stages of my blogging.
My laptop is my laptop is the go to. This is due to some reasons,
- First, I prefer the full-sized size and tactile keyboard the physical laptop keyboard presents. It is good for my workflow.
- I have armed my Chrome browser on desktop with useful chrome extensions that help in looking out for grammatical errors. So, I edit as I write. Among my favourites for grammar insurance are Grammerly and Quillbot.
- The large screen is nothing compared to my 5.8 inch display on my smartphone.
My phone is also a beloved worker. Here are some reasons:
- 96% of my engagements (comments, reblogs, and votes) are done from my smartphone.
- Discord app on my smartphone is as good a more fun to use compared to the one on my PC.
- My smartphone is portable and with my keyboard app (GBoard), I can attain almost the same typing as I would on my laptop. Also, thanks to the Ecency and Leofinance mobile apps, blogging from my phone feels much like traditional social media, nothing too out of the norm.
Writing Style
[Laptop Keyboard]
I will call myself a spontaneous writer, I only start writing after sitting with my laptop in front of me. As I begin, I never stop till I am done. This saves me time, because I have two jobs to attend to daily, but it obviously comes with some drawbacks.
While I try as much as I can to organize my thoughts in my head before getting on the keyboard, we can all attest to the beauty of writing. It just connects our hands to our brain in a way that working straight from a keyboard cannot achieve.
However, I don't always have a pen (I am honest). I don't know, but my relationship pens has been a complicated one, not even lasting a whole day most of the time, and we are worlds apart. But still, I will always prefer to type directly.
My Verdict So Far
Blogging on the Hive blockchain has so far been a myriad of learning opportunities for me. Having thought I knew so much, coming over has instilled in me the need to unlearn and learn new things and new practices.
Also, the time management practice instilled by the Hive blockchain cannot be matched with the experience from "normal blogging".
Even though it seems hard sometimes, I have come to understand how things work over here and have had no choice but to learn some virtues, including but not limited to patience and humility.
Final Words
Being a blogger is living a life in texts, you write, you read, and you write again.
Zestimony
Thanks for stopping by!
[Unless otherwise indicated, all photos has been taken by the author]