Blogging is NOT dead! Thankfully

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On 8 December 2010, a group of Cape Town Bloggers gathered together at The Field Office to listen to Vicki Sleet of I want that, a popular and successful local blog share her top ten points on blogging.

Evident from the mutual head nodding, sighing, giggling and general audience participation, not only did the bloggers communicate their agreement with Vicki’s outlook, but a general statement that blogging, despite recent sentiment, is not dead. Not in Cape Town anyway.

Vicki in action


And it better not be, I thought anxiously- as usual, last on the tech wagon, I’ve only just hitched on.
I attended the talk to acquire insight from a seasoned perspective and perhaps meet some fellow bloggers.
It’s been 3 months in my case, and even in this short space of time, I could identify with much of what Vicki shared. This has been my experience so far:

  • Starting out is rather lonely- husband and maybe a parent will read your post. Don’t expect a busy sibling to share your excitement over the ‘perfect’ crumb for chicken
  • There is a temptation to blog about what the “cool kids” do. Find your own voice. Even if no one is listening, chances are you’ll be much happier with the self you take to bed if you stick to what interests you
  • A wise lass once said the only thing of importance in blogging, is the happiness a blog brings the blogger. It’s not easy when you stare at google analytics, as Vicki said, and the only people who’ve visited your blog that day are…refer to bullet at the start. I have no idea if I can expand my ‘readership” taking into account that food blogging is vastly saturated, there are those who can churn out masterpieces, every time and I’m pretty certain I will run out of recipes I currently prepare at home for our day to day pleasure (read: survival). But for some reason, unbeknown to me I feel that I must keep the blog going.
  • A blog acquires a life (even if just in your own mind)
  • Said blog, becomes a “monster”, according to Vicki. In other words, it must be fed. And regularly. I have been a bad mother, I reckon. Must feed. More often. (The memory on my camera needs to be cleared, anyway)
  • There is a community of bloggers out there- as evidenced by those that attended. Reach out to them. Well, I’m not sure if this is what Vicki said exactly, I just have it in my mind, that since we’re all aboard this here wagon, and the ride is bound to be rough and rickety, we might as well huddle together.
  • Vicki did quote Barney (yes, *that* one) and said: sharing is caring. I’ve found this to be true, especially of the food and football blogging community on Twitter.

Now one of the arguments (not in Vicki’s talk, but amongst the blogging community) is that Twitter, with it’s 140 micro blogging capacity will be the end of conventional blogging. The precis version. Let’s see what transpires.

The talk, organised by Cal of Fable Fairy, ended on a high with some extremely covetable prizes raffled- NoMu hampers, jewellery, a dress, a sideboard to name a few. I actually won something- a historical sketch book! But the story does get slightly more exciting. At the end of the evening, I decided to shove the shyness deep into my back pocket and chat to a few bloggers, including the sassy and very pretty Robbyn of Bobbylicious. She had won the Soccer Chic book, and we exchanged prizes! (You know I do the food and the football posts.)
Speak about a warm, sharing and caring community. Vicki would be pleased I reckon!

So wowed by Bobby’s kindness, I can barley keep me peepers open!

audience captivated by Vicki

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