What Kind of Blogs Do You Enjoy?

29 April 2009
I love to read blogs. They can be informative, funny, a glimpse into some one's life, or the chronicle of some one's family, or even a place just to rant. I sit down each morning, coffee in hand and read through all my favorite blogs. The problem is that I like a lot of blogs. I can plan to spend 30 minutes reading and end up taking much longer. I must learn better self control! Anyway, I love blogs, have made wonderful friends through them, and think they are the greatest thing since sliced bread. They are my outlet to the outside world, something I desperately need as an SAHM.

While blog hopping, I am noticing more and more blogs that are strictly review/giveaway blogs. I do not like them. Sure, I do my fair share of reviews and giveaways here, but there is more to my blog than that. I work hard to keep blogging, even if what I write about is silly, it comes from the heart. And that's what I want when I read blogs, more than just product plugs and giveaways. I love giveaways and such, but give me some "meat and potatoes" in your blog as well. I just do not understand the concept of a blog that is 100% product reviews and giveaways. Now I do value the opinion of other moms when it comes to products and such, but surely you have more to talk about than the pitch of the day.

As I've said, I do my fair share of reviews and giveaways. I also do paid posts to help support our family. I try to blog often and about different things so that maybe my paid posts and product reviews will not detract from the overall theme of my blog. I make an effort not to be solely a review or giveaway blog. I do not want it to become my only content. I like to think my blog is interesting without the giveaways, reviews, etc.

So, do y'all enjoy blogs that are 100% reviews and giveaways? Or do you prefer a mix of those and unrelated content as well. I myself love to win a prize, value other moms' opinions, but also enjoy watching my blog pals' families grow, learning how to make kugel, and all the other wonderful things I've discovered thanks to mom bloggers. I can't wait to hear how y'all weigh in on this one.

6 comments:

DawnS said...

I also get tired of the 100% review blogs and care much more about a review or giveaway if I feel like I "know" them a little bit. I also have lots of blogs to read and find myself just zipping through the reviews and sometimes the giveaways to get to the "real" blogging posts. Having said that though - I have won a few giveaways and that was lots of fun :)

Unknown said...

I agree with everything you stated in your post. I like to read blogs that have a variety of content as this way whatever I'm feeling that day I know I can read something similar to my mood. I have reviews and giveaways on my blog as well, but I feel witting about other topics keeps readers interested in what you post and not what you want to review or giveaway.

But I do know where you are coming from.

Ty

Crazee Juls said...

i love reading about people's daily goings on... It's like being a nosey neighbor--only you're invited in. I love people-and seeing how they cope with every day life. I don't mind a review or giveaway, just not ALL the time!

Anonymous said...

I am in 100% agreement. I love blogs where the author really makes me think about things in a new way, or has something to teach me. Intelligently written, introspective, honest, and imaginative blogs are those to which I gravitate. I've never been into the strictly giveaway blogs myself; also,some blogs seem geared towards making money, getting followers strictly for the benefit of gaining more PR opportunities. That's fine--I don't think poorly of those bloggers at all and I think it's great that they have a wonderful way to make money--but I'm not going to follow those sites as much. It's just not for me.

I don't have a huge following for my blog and probably never will...my blog is more essay-based rather than pics of my family and giveaways, and not everyone is interested in that or will agree with my outlook or mission. But that's okay with me. I'm not blogging expecting to make money out of it. Really, I'm just looking to interact with others who may share my ideas and have great ideas of their own. I think of blogging not just of having my own blog, but reading others and learning from them and enjoying them. It really is a relationship among writers and readers, a relationship of mutual support and friendship. It's pretty neat that we can do this electronically, isn't it?

Sorry for the rambling and babbling!

stampmonkey said...

I couldn't agree with you more -- both with the amount of time I intend to spend on the computer each day, and also with respect to what type of blog content I enjoy.

Time is precious so I really get frustrated when I don't use it wisely. I enjoy blogs that offer tidbits that I can walk away with that inspire me and will either enhance my life and/or the life of my family. I realize that's a pretty open-ended statement, and I think, even if shared by others, that sentiment is interpreted to mean different things to different people. That said, my personal preference are blogs that offer recipes, stamping ideas (I love to make cards), and musings that will encourage my spiritual growth and inspire me to be more like the woman God desires of me. I do love to read while spending time on the stair stepper, so I find your book reviews especially helpful.

Many thanks for sharing all you do. ;)

Annie said...

I agree with you. I have read blogs for years and gotten a lot of recipes and inspiration from them. I just recently decided to blog, mostly for my family, but I have found that I love it!