Five Years Of Blogging: A Blogger Q&A

I can't believe it's been five years since I started blogging! It's flown by so quickly and I never thought I'd still be a blogger five years down the line! I'm so grateful to have this blog and to share my content with you all. I wanted to do something a little different for my fifth bloggerversary - I wanted to give my readers and followers the chance to ask me some blogging-related questions.

So I put out a tweet on Twitter and asked my followers to send me their questions and the response I had was insane! Thank you to those that took the time to send me questions, I really do appreciate it! 

If you are reading this post and don't see your question on here, it may be because somebody else asked me the same or similar question. 

Without further ado, let's crack on with the questions!

1) What's the hardest thing about running a blog personally? - Alexis (Cafe Beauty)

For me personally, it's checking the SEO on posts. I'm still learning about SEO even after five years, so it's a learning curve for me every day. I also sometimes struggle with photography as I'm not the most creative person in that respect. I know that there are stock photos I can use, but I do prefer using my own photos!

2) What is your biggest blogging pet peeve? - Claire (Claire Mac)

Oh, I have quite a few! People who say very little in their comments eg. "Thanks for sharing". I do like reading and replying to wordy comments! Another pet peeve of mine kind of relates to blogging but is more in relation to Twitter is when people misuse the #bloggerswanted hashtag! It really does my nut in! It's there for brands to seek out other blogger's, not for blog promotion!

3) Do you re-read old blog posts? - Claire (Claire Mac) 

I kind of need to update them, but it's got to the point where it would be a mammoth task so I cautiously avoiding it for now! Re-reading them would be good to see how far I've come, but I think I'll hang off doing that for the moment!

4) How has blogging changed for you over the course of 5 years? - Bee (Mind.Beauty.Simplicity)

Since I started blogging five years ago, so much has changed. Blogging will always evolve over time. It does feel like that some bloggers have put more focus into Instagram than their blog, which is quite sad to see. I love writing and I hope blogging changes in that bloggers will focus on their blog's more than their Insta's. Also, blog PR hauls have become a thing of the past on YouTube!

In terms of my blogging journey (sorry for the J word), I'd like to think that my writing and content has gotten better and improved somewhat. I'm a lot savvier with my blog now and will now only go for quality or quantity. 

5) What are you most proud of writing? - Jenny (Jenny In Neverland)

Oh goodness me, there are two posts that I can think that really stand out for me. Both are quite recent ones in fact! One was a letter to CF which I wrote during CF week in 2020. The response I got from that was quite surreal. I think it gave my readers/followers an insight into what having CF has been like for me and how it's impacted my life. I loved writing that post (or letter) as it came straight from the heart. Writing from the heart always turn out to be the best kind of post.

Another post which I'm glad I published was about why it's ok to not want children. This was one post that was sat in my drafts for a while, but listening to Victoria from InTheFrow talk about it so openly inspired me to hit publish. I loved that a few people who commented could relate and were glad that it was being talked about so openly. 

6) Where would you like to be with your blog in five years time? - Jenny (Jenny In Neverland)

I'd love to still be writing in five years time. I would love to be able to take this blog to be a full-time job for me. I hope I can achieve that, but we'll have to wait and see!

7) What advice would you give to new bloggers? - Karalee (Tales Of Belle)

Always be yourself, write the content that you feel passionate about and never compare yourself to other bloggers, especially in your first year of blogging.

8) What's the most rewarding thing for you when it comes to blogging? - Ruth (Ruthie Loves Glamour)

When I get amazing feedback on any of my posts. It's such an amazing feeling when I know that people are reading my posts and are relating to what I'm saying. Also, the blogging community is an incredible community to be a part of. Having the support from like-minded bloggers is amazing and I feel proud to be a part of such a wonderful community. 

9) Do you think having a disability has negatively impacted your blog in any way? - Ruth (Ruthie Loves Glamour) 

If anything, it's helped me positively! When I felt I needed a kind of creative outlet to help with my mental health and not think about CF, blogging was the perfect option for me and I wouldn't change a thing. 

10) What inspired you to start blogging? - Hannah J (Han Plans)

Somebody who I know who has CF like I do and was a blogger and I loved that she wrote about her life with CF and how she lives with it. It inspired me to start my own blog and she's the reason why I started blogging and still do today! 

11) What led you to not quit blogging? As compared to those who think of giving it up? - Isa A (Lifestyle Prism)

Purely because I love it so much and it's the creative outlet that I really need in my life. I know that some do quit or take extended breaks from it and that's completely understandable. Blogging isn't going to be for everybody. At the end of the day, blogging is like having a second job and it can take up a lot of your free time. However, for me, I love blogging and having that little side hustle to focus on when I'm not at work. 

12) Do you think blogging is dead as of 2021/2022? - Isa A (Lifestyle Prism) 

Ooh, this is a toughie. I don't think so no. I can understand why some would think this though. Like I said in an earlier question, a lot of bloggers tend to put all of their efforts into Instagram nowadays. This may be why some would think that blogging is becoming a declining hobby/industry. One thing I can say is that when a brand reaches out to me, it's usually because they want me to write a post for my blog, not post a photo on Insta. So I can look at that as thinking that blogging is very much alive and still thriving. Instagram won't be around forever, but mine and your blogs will be. 

13) How do you think your content has evolved and what direction would you like to take it in in the future? - Sophie (Glow Steady) 

I think it's evolved in a way that I write content that I'm passionate about. One rule I stick by is that "Would I read about this topic myself in a magazine or another blog? If so, write about it". I think I would like to be able to write more travel content now that lockdowns are seemingly behind us! As I said in a previous question, I would love to turn my blog into a full-time job, but it's just not possible as of yet!

14) Do you think that accessibility is not only important but necessary? - Khushi (Blind Girl Musings)

I need to confess, I haven't thought about accessibility when it comes to my blog very much since I started, so I really do apologise for that. Now I take accessibility seriously with my blog, but I'm still learning, so give me time to get it right! It's not only important, but it's also necessary and we as bloggers should be as inclusive as possible. 

15) What's your unexpected success? - Hannah J (Han Plans)

My unexpected success? Still managing a blog 5 years after I started! 

I hope you enjoyed reading my answers and thank you again to everyone who asked me the questions! I'd like to say a massive thank you and spread the love to those who have supported me during the last five years of blogging. From all the kind comments to the RT's and mentions, it is all noticed and so appreciated! Here's to another year of blogging!