Why I Blog...

I asked a question about one of the blog networking/advertising sites on my Facebook page and when I commented back about the monthly revenue I am currently getting, it made me think about why I'm here.  What are my goals?  Who am I doing this for?  And, you know, there aren't easy answers to those questions.  Why do we choose to do any of the things we do in life?

Okay, I'll admit it.  When I first started food blogging, visions of being the next Pioneer Woman or Chef Tess were dancing around in my head. These were two bloggers that I followed pretty religiously and I loved them.  I wanted to be them.  But, somewhere along the line, I realized I'm not them and that's okay!  I'm me.  And whether that me is a blogger or not, I still enjoy sharing what I do every day with anyone who'll listen.

So, if I'm not the "next big thing" why spend hours documenting our meals, creating recipes, trying new things?  Easy.  Because I love it.  I love the photo shoots with our food.  I love looking back at my early pictures with fondness in the same way I look at my new pictures with pride and I hope that a year from now, I'll be doing the same thing with a whole new set of pictures.  It's a growth process that has given me a whole new arena to play in.  I mean, I love being a child care provider and there is a certain amount of creativity and play that goes into that career choice but the writer in me sometimes just needs to write.  I've done child care articles, written a curriculum but it's so familiar to me that it's too close for comfort at times.  Food blogging is not.  It's always new, always different because I'm always pushing myself to find that new thing for our family.  Changing up the old recipes and finding new ones is like a treasure hunt.

As far as goals go, I don't know if I have a lot of them for my little blog here.  I mean, my personal 2012 goal is to have 1000 likes or subscribers but that's just me.  Wouldn't that be cool?  Just to see a 4 digit number.  But if I don't make it, that's okay too.  I'd rather have a couple hundred subscribers who know me and love the recipes than 1000 who just passed through and never stop back at all.  A few months ago, I was contemplating a giveaway and I emailed another blogger who I adore...Anne at From My Sweet Heart asking for help on setting it up.  Her response?  Why do you want to do one?  And she went on to explain that the likes you get from making a giveaway "like-based" for lack of a better term only drives traffic in the short term.  It's better to slowly grow and build a base of fans who really appreciate what you do.  Okay, I am paraphrasing because there was much more to her email than that, but that's the general meaning behind it.  And she was right.  That was what I wanted.  So, not giveaways yet.  Maybe someday if some generous company wants to help out but if not, that's not why I'm here.  I'm here to share, to write and to enjoy the back and forth among bloggers and readers.

So, now that I've gone through and explained why I blog and what I do, I do think that I should mention that Foodbuzz, while not a big moneymaker as I probably thought it would be for me when I started a year and a half ago, has been a great partner for my site.  I hosted my first 24X24 dinner party with them in May and I was amazed at how helpful and quick they were to respond with payment, to questions, etc.   Sure, I make anywhere from .83 to 1.87 a month on click throughs and that isn't a lot of money but it pays for my hosting and it lets me keep blogging.  Isn't that what it's about?  Well, it is for me anyway.

I hope that you like the blog, that you enjoy coming here and reading my little observations and my crazy little recipes.  And now that the hubby and I both have gone vegetarian, there's a whole new journey afoot.  So, I hope that you keep reading and I'll keep writing...

Enjoy!

Sheri

Oh, and if you are interested in trying to make a living at your blog...there is a good post on Christian Personal Finance about it.  It's ALOT of work and requires dedication and persistence but it can be done.  And while you're there, just spend some time reading.  A lot of great info on that site!!  It's one of my favorite non-food blogs!