• About
  • Sponsor / PR
  • Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Houston Mommy and Lifestyle Blogger | Moms Without Answers

We don't have all the answers, but we have all the fun

  • Mom
    • Parenting
    • Mom Life
    • Faith
    • Fashion/Beauty
    • Health
    • Blogging
  • Kiddos
    • Kids Activities
    • Kid Fashion
    • Family Fun
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Appetizers & Sides
    • Sweet Treats
  • Projects
    • DIY & Crafts
    • Home Decor
    • Cleaning & Organization
  • Celebrate
    • Holidays
    • Parties
    • Gifts
  • Shop My FAVES

Thoughts On Going Viral

April 22, 2015 By Michelle 6 Comments

Oh man. I don’t even know where to begin.

GoingViral

My thoughts on going viral……

It is a sensitive subject, I know.

Sensitive in that I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings or take away anyones excitement over a great accomplishment. Because I do recognize it as an accomplishment. It is so stinking cool. Having a post shared on sites like the Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, Pop Sugar and all the other amazing platforms out there. It is an honor, and I am not here to knock that.

My question, and I suppose really my concern, is when did the writing stop being part of the equation?

Back in February at Thrive, Megan Silianoff who I LOVE was on a panel with some other fabulous ladies who like Meg and Sarah. They were talking about working with brands and monetizing your blog. All of them had awesome things to say, but so much of what Megan said really hit home for me. Her advice for all the bloggers in the room was to stop focusing on the money and the brands and to focus on writing good content. Build an audience she said and don’t try and jump ahead and put your focus on the money. (Totally summing her up here, because if you know her you know she is a total bad *ss and said it way cooler than I just did).

Listen, I will be the first to admit….I am guilty of it all too. The money. The recognition. The “what’s in it for me” mentality. Just writing for all the wrong reasons. I will beat myself up over coming up with a post that is pinterest worthy instead of writing what’s on my heart. The graphic has to be just right. It has to be equal parts funny and equal parts heart warming. I constantly question myself. And don’t even get me started once that publish button has been pressed and it is there for the world to see. Will people read it? How many likes does it have? How many comments? Is anyone sharing?

It can really get out of hand.

And it got me thinking….

Since when did we start writing things for the hopes of “going viral” instead of writing because we had a story to tell?

I was speaking with my friend Ashley about this very topic and she shared a quote with me from a book she is reading called Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott. In the book, the author says ” So many people want to be published and make money. Don’t get me wrong, it’s neat to be published but the real beauty is in the making of the book….it’s in the writing”.

I want to get back to the writing. And the writing for me.

Back in the old days of blogging, you know the ones where you hiked bare foot in the snow….oh wait different old days. Seriously though, back in the days before Pinterest you blogged about your life. Your heart. What made you tick. There weren’t 800 posts with the what 5 things you can’t say to your neighbors best friends dog walker. Sure posts like that are great for stats, we have written several, but let’s be honest none of them have our heart and passion behind them.

I can’t speak for everyone else. Only myself. And like I said I am not here to take away anyone’s accomplishments. We have submitted our stuff to those sites. We have been shared. It is cool. It really is, but in the end we have to make our writing about more than a like and a share. If we are genuine and authentic and write what’s already on our hearts then we will create the kind of content we can be proud of.

I am not here to tell anyone how to blog. I just hope to maybe make you stop and ask who am I writing this for? Hopefully your answer is for yourself.

Keep writing ladies.

0 Shares

Filed Under: Blogging

« DIY Pineapple Stamp T-shirt
Day To Night Fashion : A Guest Post With Elly Brown »

Comments

  1. Kristy says

    April 22, 2015 at 10:19 am

    YES!!!!!! I have been feeling this same way lately. Bravo, mama! 🙂 I’ve been hesitant to share my everyday thoughts, because I think, “Oh, no. What if I become a diary blogger? This isn’t very shareable.” But it’s MY blog. Mine. My everyday life is part of ME. Thanks for the reminder. The other morning I woke up with a lot on my heart and just started writing, like on an actual notepad with a pen. It was so refreshing. I’m sure those words will turn into blog posts soon. But this week, just love my top 5 whatnots, mmmkay? Because those are already planned out. Love you, Michelle! And I love your heart!

    Reply
  2. Meg O. says

    April 22, 2015 at 11:43 am

    Friend, you know I agree 1000000%. Writing to go viral is writing for the wrong reasons. I think it’s okay to have the mentality of writing in order to share with others, but it becomes a slippery slope when you are constantly after it. When I sit down and write, I don’t even “SEO OPTIMIZE!!!!” it. My goal this year is to be personal (I know I’ve said this a ton and you’ve heard me say this) and if someone relates to it, I’m great. I want to write pieces from the heart. I want to be CRAZY SILLY. I want to be makeup obsessed.

    Reply
  3. Tawnya says

    April 22, 2015 at 12:59 pm

    I LOVE this post and have been feeling the exact same way lately. I’m overwhelmed with pinterest, Facebook, instagram…. all the bleeping social media channels that go along with blogging, it’s bogging me down. All I want to do is write, to share my heart and make something that my daughter will love to look back on and read one day… something that shows more facets of my personality and my thoughts than just being a mom 🙂

    I’ve taken a huge step back from social media in the past few weeks, from sheer exhaustion and feeling like I can NEVER keep up… have my page views suffered? Yes they have but I honestly don’t care… if spending all freaking day on social media is what it takes to keep my page views up… I’m out. There’s just so much more to life 🙂

    Reply
  4. Teressa Mackey says

    April 22, 2015 at 2:11 pm

    This… There weren’t 800 posts with the what 5 things you can’t say to your neighbors best friends dog walker.

    haha! It’s such a hard line.

    creating content.
    creating content that people will actually click on.
    finding the time to create content when it doesn’t have $$ as a motivating factor.

    Thanks for calling it out sister.

    Reply
  5. Elly Brown says

    April 22, 2015 at 3:26 pm

    HELLO! I struggle with this a lot. Having the need to display perfection. Needed to hear this! Thank you!

    Reply
  6. Jaclyn says

    May 21, 2015 at 10:47 am

    I needed this today! I was literally sitting here thinking, “What value can I give my readers? What can I help them with? Are my posts helping them make positive changes or reach their goals in any way?” …and, naturally, I came to one of my favorite blogs to get my brain power going. 😉

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi, friends! I’m Channing. I am mom to 3 amazing girls and wife to my fire fighting hubby, Eric. I loving sharing all things mom life related – recipes, DIY’s, real mom talk, crafts and more! 

Insta-Moms: @momswoa

Instagram post 17951785348338518 Happy 4th from these little cuties. It looks A LOT different this year but we are still having fun.
.
.
.
#happy4thofjuly #happyfourth #fourthofjuly #redwhiteandblue #momblog #houstonmomblogger #momofgirls
Instagram post 17856710153004179 #blackouttuesday
Instagram post 17864637601827512 This is what happens on day number 3,568,743 of quarantine: ice cream sundaes for DINNER. We have been spending endless time together and decided it was time to start a new family tradition, so we picked up the new DIY Sundae Kit from @baskinrobbins! The kit comes with 2 pre-packed quarts of ice cream, 3 toppings, an entire can of whipped cream and cherries! Ice
cream for dinner will now be a weekly staple. The kids are definitely not complaining! It’s a fun day with a Sundae! 
Comment below and tell me your favorite Baskin Robbins flavor!

#QuarantineCreations #IceCreamforDinner #FamilyTraditions #ad
Instagram post 17855065096958471 Some of my #DisneyMagicMoments have been with some special moms in my life! So, I’m playing along and sharing some of these moments with you.

I have spent time with old friends and new and the magic is always there. 
If you scroll back far enough, you will see my first Disney experience and the moment I fell in love with Disney with my own mom! 
I would love for you to play along and share your favorite Disney moments with the moms in your life! Don’t forget to use hashtag #disneymagicmoments! I tag @pixiemousemichelle, @fivefortheroadblog and @mrsblinks! 
Happy Mother’s Day! 😘😘
Instagram post 17873430769680209 Happy Cinco de Mayo! 🌮 What is your favorite Mexican dish?

I could eat Mexican for every meal of everyday! If your looking for the perfect recipes to make for dinner, I’ve got you covered. 
Head on over the the blog for all of my favorite dishes! These enchiladas NEVER disappoint! I promise you will LOVE all of these recipes! 🎉
Instagram post 17885629336528535 May the 4th be with you! We cannot wait for the day that we get to be back at Star Wars Galaxies Edge. Batuu, we miss you! #maytheforcebewithyou #may4thbewithyou #disneycreators #batuu #bluemilk #wemissdisney
Instagram post 17850899390014309 Disney is challenging us to share our first pictures with characters! I had to join in the fun and it was the best trip down memory lane. Disney has been threaded throughout my entire life. I pulled a few of my most favorite memories over the years. From partying in the streets during the most epic dance party and meeting our most favorite princesses to me being a kid at Disney myself. Oh, I also had to add a picture of Cinderella’s Castle. She really is the most beautiful cast member of them all! 
@waltdisneyworld we miss you more and more each day. You’ve brought us joy beyond words and we cannot wait for the day when we get to walk down Main Street USA again! 
Ok, now it’s your turn. Find your old photos of your favorite Disney characters and share the magic. Also, don’t forget to tag me. I want to see all your memories too! 
@pixiemousemichelle @ericaligenza and @prettyprovidenceblog it’s time to share yours!#disneymagicmoments #myfirstdisneycharacter #disneycreators #disneyfamily #disneykuds #disneyworld
Instagram post 17904777073435611 EASY EASTER SUGAR COOKIE BARS! [AD] With Easter looking a little different this year, I teamed up with my friends at @hersheys to create a fun Easter treat using items you probably have in your pantry!
These Easter Sugar Cookie Bars are so easy to make. Store bought sugar cookie mix and cute colorful icing is the perfect foundation for @cadburyusa eggs and @reeses eggs. 
Looking for more treat ideas? Check out the fun recipes at https://Hershey’s.com/kitchen/en_us/home.html

Comment below and tell me your favorite Easter recipes! #cadburyusa #reeses #eastertreats #springdessert
Instagram post 18019712191263346 I’m joining my friend @andhattiemakesthree for #happymondaymemory to share some joy and fun around here!
.
.
.
Let’s take it back to the #happiestplaceonearth and our time in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge! Y’all, I don’t even have words for how amazing it is. And #riseoftheresistance is everything! Check out our video to see for yourself. We miss you @waltdisneyworld and can’t wait to make more memories soon!
.
.
.
Now it’s your turn! Share your favorite memory and let’s spread some joy! #evereveambassador #disneycreators #starwars #disneyhollywoodstudios #stayhome
Follow on Instagram
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

There may be an issue with the Instagram access token that you are using. Your server might also be unable to connect to Instagram at this time.

As Seen On:

Keep in Touch

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • Copycat Disney Churro Ice Cream Sandwich
  • Teacher Approved Educational Resources for Kids
  • 20 Fun Things To Do At Home with Kids

Blog Archive

Copyright © 2023 · Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Necessary Always Enabled