To blog or not to blog (or rather when)

Herodotus

Wonderful thread here. I agree with most as well. Blogging about tarot is a great way to explore the nuances of the cards and compare different perspectives. A great way to keep a tarot journal!
I also have a blog and I read Marseille and playing cards, I have been blogging for a year and a half or so and I have grown so much in comparison to where I started.
Also Sentinel's(Herodotus) blog is wondeful and informative.

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Thank you! I looked up your profile here to see what your blog is, and was surprised to find that you are the blogger formerly known as Undines. Nice to run into you here :) I enjoy your blog, as well, and I've especially enjoyed the development over time of your ideas and methods. I remember when I first followed you, there wasn't a TdM in sight!

In regards to reviews, I sort of do them on my site. Rather than refer to them as "reviews", though, I usually call them "write-ups", because I don't necessarily always give the sorts of information many folks look for in reviews. They are only there as opinion pieces, as well as to give some context of the cards that I use as the basis for the rest of my blog.

I don't like to make the assumption that my ideas matter in the grand scheme, but on the other hand, if I'm going to keep a Tarot journal, why not allow for some feedback and refine my writing skills at the same time? I certainly don't write my best when I don't think someone might be peeking. And I figure there's plenty of junk on the web, so all things considered, I'm not clogging it up with the most useless information out there.
 

Cocobird55

To be honest, I wouldn't be interested in reading blog reviews from someone who got "free" review copies.


I have - or had - a blog which I keep meaning to go back to and pick up again and yet it never quite happens. But I still think (despite time passing and so many other commitments) I'll go back to it. I don't think of it as entirely dead, more like a slumbering entity that I can resuscitate at any given time. But it's very much connected - in most cases - to the tarot phase you are in. I'm sure I'll go back to it one day and, like Nemia, enjoy it again.

I really enjoyed doing mine when I was in that phase - for me, putting words to a deck I loved was a way of articulating to myself, trying to pinpoint what I most loved about it.

I hope you do go back to blogging. Your blog was my favorite, and I miss it.
 

Herodotus

I hope you do go back to blogging. Your blog was my favorite, and I miss it.

This isn't the first time I've seen this sentiment. Any chance a curious guy could find this blog?
 

Herodotus

This isn't the first time I've seen this sentiment. Any chance a curious guy could find this blog?

Actually, I think I've found it. Is it a wordpress site?
 

CrystalSeas

While I don't have high expectations a secondary motivation is the possibility of receiving decks for review for said blog.

You may find that your blog needs to meet certain thresholds before deck makers will even consider giving free stuff to you. Like a certain number of people following your social media accounts (twitter, facebook, etc as well as your blog). You'll need a strong brand before you'll look like a useful marketing partner for someone. A blog isn't a brand.

Lots of people want free stuff. I get asked for free photos all the time, with the promise that it will be "good publicity" for me.

Sorry, 'good publicity' won't even buy a cup of coffee, much less pay the utility bills. And the people who promise 'publicity' often have far less marketing reach than I already have for myself. I only need to give free stuff to people who can reach a much larger audience than I already have.

Which is not to say that I don't allow charities that I align with to use my photos. But just being a 'charity' isn't sufficient. Nor is it sufficient that being able to use my photos for free would help you achieve your (non-profit) goals. Again, I have bills to pay, and when I give away free stuff, it dilutes the market and the price that other people are willing to cough up to help me make a living.
 

baconwaffles

Thank you! I looked up your profile here to see what your blog is, and was surprised to find that you are the blogger formerly known as Undines. Nice to run into you here :) I enjoy your blog, as well, and I've especially enjoyed the development over time of your ideas and methods. I remember when I first followed you, there wasn't a TdM in sight!

In regards to reviews, I sort of do them on my site. Rather than refer to them as "reviews", though, I usually call them "write-ups", because I don't necessarily always give the sorts of information many folks look for in reviews. They are only there as opinion pieces, as well as to give some context of the cards that I use as the basis for the rest of my blog.

I don't like to make the assumption that my ideas matter in the grand scheme, but on the other hand, if I'm going to keep a Tarot journal, why not allow for some feedback and refine my writing skills at the same time? I certainly don't write my best when I don't think someone might be peeking. And I figure there's plenty of junk on the web, so all things considered, I'm not clogging it up with the most useless information out there.
I know, I love to look back and track the evolution of my reading approach. That's why I value blogging. I knew I wasn't going to be dedicated to journaling everyday about the cards on a physical notebook, with blogging I get to explore my ideas, approaches, and the cards on a platform that is also accesible for others to participate. I enjoy it very much.
I also love following your writings, I find them detailed and insightful. In my opinion it's good to have a community, no matter how small, of those that share their Tarot adventures.

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Le Fanu

I hope you do go back to blogging. Your blog was my favorite, and I miss it.
thank you cocobird, so nice of you to say that! Thinking about it now and reading these comments, I find it oddly appealing again. Who knows, maybe that's the first flickering feeling of diving back in again? I associate the diminishing of blogging with an increased workload (at work), a beautiful dog that needs walking and the pressure to compete with social media - having to have a Le Fanu Facebook and Twitter account and trying to keep up. I think the best thing is just to switch off from that side of thing as I have no interest in being out there on social media, cultivating the whole online personality thing. Even if you don't use Facebook etc, the right people find you.
 

Herodotus

thank you cocobird, so nice of you to say that! Thinking about it now and reading these comments, I find it oddly appealing again. Who knows, maybe that's the first flickering feeling of diving back in again? I associate the diminishing of blogging with an increased workload (at work), a beautiful dog that needs walking and the pressure to compete with social media - having to have a Le Fanu Facebook and Twitter account and trying to keep up. I think the best thing is just to switch off from that side of thing as I have no interest in being out there on social media, cultivating the whole online personality thing. Even if you don't use Facebook etc, the right people find you.

My blog's a standalone entity. No facebook plugs or twitter personality or anything like that. And I've followed yours, so if you do start up again, I'll know.

Sometimes I go for weeks without writing. Sometimes I post a couple times a day. It all depends on how I feel, but I understand feeling overwhelmed with real life sometimes.