Today I had a brief conversation with Kim Werker on Twitter about crochet blogging and twittering. It was actually the longest 'conversation' I had ever had on Twitter before. After our discussion, Kim wrote a blog post regarding Crochet Blogging. I was going to directly write to her, but instead, I decided to BLOG about it. Somehow, I think Kim would be happy about that. :)
Just like several other crochet industry professionals have stated, blogging about our crochet design work can be difficult. It is hard to mix business with the pleasure of blogging mostly because there are so many things we just can't discuss!
On the other hand, as I told Kim today, when I do blog, I usually always try to keep my posts and my twittering crochet related. Kim makes a valid point when she suggests that it is hard to remain engaging when you continually just speak about one topic. So I am definitely guilty of this. Why have I chosen in the past to just post about crochet? First of all, I guess I am basically a private person and until now, never thought that anyone would be interested in anything related to my life but crochet. Do I want to have an interesting crochet blog that people can relate to and will want to return to? Definitely! Do I want to sometimes voice my opinion on industry matters? Yes, certainly! Can I think of some topics right offhand that I would have loved to have blogged about in response to some crochet or knitting controversy? Absolutely. Boy do I have an opinion! But being a professional in the industry and having an opinion doesn't always seem to mix. So I usually just decide to keep quiet. It seems better that way.
I think I learned today, though, that it doesn't have to be so cut and dried, as they say. It doesn't have to be 'all or nothing' when it comes to blogging, just like in real life. Maybe I can begin to blog about crochet, crochet design, the process and how it relates to my real life without 'putting it all out there' and giving away all the secrets.
So what is the answer?
From now on, I think I will try and take my cues from Kim's Top 10 Ways To Be More Interesting. If you read her post, at the bottom she outlines how she feels you can be a better blogger.
Oh and by the way, if you really want to see how it's done, click on over to Doris Chan's Everyday Crochet. She has a wonderful way of telling a great crochet story. I think she must be the epitome of what Kim would consider an incredibly interesting crochet blog.
