1 month ago on the 10th March 2017, my blog turned 7 years old. I can’t believe it’s 7. Back when I started it in 2010 in my bedroom at around 2am, I never expected it to turn into what it is now – my business. If someone had said to me 7, or even 5 years ago, that I would be self employed and running my own business, I would have laughed. I’ve always had a drive and a passion to succeed and do things, but when I got ill with M.E. when I was 14, a lot of that was incredibly difficult so I thought building my own dreams was impossible. I was completely wrong though because thanks to the internet, anything is possible.
I read a quote somewhere online and it was ‘Build your own dreams or someone else will hire you to build theirs’ and that’s something that has stuck with me for some time. I’ve been building my own dreams, learning what I can and can’t take on, understanding the world of blogging even more from experience and my need for knowledge, constantly working online and on social media 24/7 etc and even though I do get tired, angry, frustrated, stressed out… it’s all worth it. The weather plays a huge part in that and sometimes it makes me lose my spark and interest in blogging, but after 7 years, I am making some much needed changes here and I need your help.
I’m not feeling completely fulfilled by blogging anymore. I’m a very deep person that’s often in thought, learning things, feeding off of knowledge and theories, picking up on emotions etc and just simple fashion blogging is no longer enough for me. There’s so much more to me and I’m finding it quite shallow. Not in the sense that it’s not worth anything, but in the sense that it’s not letting me be completely true to myself. My schedule is often filled with collaborations and work opportunities which I love and adore, but because I only put out an article twice a week, there’s not enough room for me to grow and share my thoughts with you on a more personal level or just post about anything I want to. The content is all scheduled a month in advance (except the text on outfit posts, I write that the day before) so it loses a bit of the realness and spontaneity for me.
So the changes that I want to make are 3-5 posts a week, not sticking to a specific day or time frame as I will post when I feel I need to, and I’m going to be incorporating many more styles as well. More personal posts, my thoughts, my advice on subjects as well as generalised trends and fashion articles. I’m quite excited by this as I love writing, so by upping my posting schedule, I can incorporate both my normal posts and more. I’ve also changed my layout a little bit so that it’s easier to find my newer posts each week in one place without scrolling too far, you just look for the dated thumbnails.
I was planning on doing a Q&A video for my 7th blog birthday, but I think I will leave that one for a separate post when I have more time to film it. For now, I feel like I’m changing again and I need to accommodate how I’m feeling. Raindrops of Sapphire is going to be more like my little hub now, which dives into my personality a lot more. It would be a huge help to me if you could fill out my survey in the link just below so you can give me advice and your own thoughts on what I can do to improve Raindrops of Sapphire. It’s only short and it helps me understand the posts you enjoy and what you don’t. I really need your responses. Thank you so much! Lorna xx.
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Author
Thank you!
I think you should consider posting to Medium as well. You can copy blog posts directly there. Unlike a personal blog, it has a platform that brings your writing to the attention of a somewhat random audience, including people who wouldn’t look at what appears to a fashion-dedicated site. You’re able to make contact with more potential followers. We know what that also means: Trolls. You have to weigh the costs/benefits.
You’re one of the first people I followed on Google+ and what first attracted my attention was your original user name, ‘Lorna Raindrops’. You seemed to be a pleasant, cheerful and wholesome character and I don’t think my assessment was wrong. I’m always impressed by how you’ve coped with the health obstacles you’ve encountered. Many people would have become embittered and moribund in the same circumstances and I couldn’t blame them.
Author
Thank you so much! That’s really kind of you and I appreciate the assumption you made of me. Kind words like that really do mean a lot to me and having a loyal readership, like yourself, always makes it worthwhile.
I haven’t heard of Medium before, but I would be concerned with the copying and pasting my blog posts exactly the same to another place as it goes against Google’s rules for duplicate content, and I’d probably not want to market myself to trolls either, I’ve had my fair share of them in the past and they’re just a drain lol. I will look into it though, did you have the link?
There’s a Medium app. which I use on my phone. The browser link is here:
https://about.medium.com/
Here is a link to my Language & Writing Collection on Google+, which contains some posts I shared from Medium:
https://plus.google.com/collection/g0nASB
The two most recent ones are by Shaunta Grimes. She is a professional writer who has some interesting things to say about writing and finding an audience.
Medium is a platform to which many publications share content. As with G+, you may tailor your feed to your own taste.
I only mentioned the troll factor because I was under the impression that your blogs didn’t attract many. There are millions of subscribers to Medium and there’s the usual proportion of mischief-makers and sincere cranks among them. There is a very large majority of decent and intelligent contributors so you shouldn’t let the dreg element put you off.
I only use the free portion of the site. If you want to become a paying member for 5 US dollars a month, you receive curated content and become eligible to be paid for your own contributions. Exactly how that will work is being developed. I’m not able to write the volume of material that you produce so it’s not worth my while.
As for a conflict with your current publisher’s terms, I don’t know.
I was surprised that you hadn’t heard of Medium. Internet news sites often link to it and articles published there occasionally make a big splash.
Here’s the Wikipedia article about the site:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium_(website)
Author
Oh I have, definitely! I’ve been in the blogging industry and online forum industry since 2005 actually, so I’ve encountered a tonne of abuse and some of it was very nasty, but I do my best now to rise above that and keep away from negativity. I have no time for those jealous, unhappy people trying to put others down. It’s sad.
I’m going to look into that and see what it’s about. I don’t have a publisher as I’m self employed, but I mean ranking in Google, they don’t like duplicate content as they count it as theft, but I think if I just do a synopsis of the article, it should work. I will look into it and see if it’s worth it as I definitely don’t want to invite unwelcome people here. I probably hadn’t heard of it as I tend to stay away from reading too much news online, it’s not good for my anxiety lol!
I love the photos!! Your so adorable Lorna. I like the changes you plan on making here, your readers will enjoy more personal posts. On to the survey. ❤️
Author
Thank you so much!
Hey hon, it’s late but – HAPPY BLOGAVERSARY! I think it’s great how your blog evolved from a thought in your bedrooom. I’m not surprised that you are looking for other ways to evolve, 7yrs is a long time for doing anything. I will for sure fill your survey toute suite ( :
Author
Thank you so much ( : I’m very grateful for the kind wishes as always!
Congrats on 7 years of blogging!!! That is such a long time! I am SO excited for your changes. I can definitely relate to fashion blogging just not being…. enough. I find that a problem too. I love personal posts and all of that so, I can’t wait for more posts from you. And yay, more posts!
Lee – leethrifts.com
Author
Thank you so much, Lee! It’s nice to see you commenting again, I know you went away for a while, so welcome back!
Thank you for your time and openness , congratulations on seven years , may their be many more .take care ian
Author
Thank you so much! And thank you for filling out the survey too!
I hope that the changes you are making will be a further great success for you – I’m sure that they will be. 🙂 I’m certainly looking forward to reading the new content and seeing what you have in store for us all. 🙂
It amused me that you remember the time of day (well… night…) that you began this journey. Though, of course, such a significant moment in your life I guess it’s totally natural that you would remember this even if you were unaware of the full significance seven years back, 😀
It is always such a pleasure to visit your pages, read your articles and interact with you in the comments section. This site really is one of the very brightest shining stars in the massive universe that is the internet. 🙂
Author
Thank you so much, Steven 🙂 That really is so kind of you. I appreciate it so much! And yep, I remember the time as it was getting really late and I was too engrossed in getting the design of it perfect, ha ha 😀
Happy birthday <3
Author
Thank you!
Congrats! 7 years is amazing 🙂 Wish you lots of success!
Author
Thank you 🙂
You look lovely! Happy blog anniversary! 🙂 xx
Author
Thank you 🙂
Congrats on your 7 year blogiversary, that’s an amazing milestone to reach! I’ve only just hit 5 years this year 🙂
It sounds like you have a lot of great things in mind for your 7th year of blogging. I think as long as you enjoy what you’re doing and having fun, you should make as many changes to your blog as you like 🙂
Hope you are having a lovely start to the week so far.
Away From The Blue Blog
Author
Thank you so much, Mica 🙂 That’s really kind of you! 😀
Wow, Congrats on 7 years of blogging! Wish you lots more success!
Ann-Marie | http://facetocurls.com
Author
Thank you!
Congratulations ! You are so pretty and your dress is adorable 🙂
Author
Thank you 🙂
Hello !
Your dress is very very beautiful ! I love it !
Julie – Comme on est
Author
Thank you!
Oh my this is so beautiful! So springlike! I love the floral prints and feminine colors!
Author
Thank you!
Congrats on your 7 years blogging! And congrats on your new blogging schedule as well. I hope you enjoy the changes. Have a great day!
Steal4Style.com
Author
Thank you so much!
Wow congrats babe, that is quite an achievement!
I love this look <3
X Merel
http://www.andathousandwords.com
Author
Thank you!
Congratulation! 7 years is long time. I enjoy your blog, and i hope you get to do more of things you want to do in the future.
http://www.comfycozyup.com
Author
Thank you so much!
Congrats on your 7 years, that’s fabulous! I’m looking forward to what’s new xx
Author
Thank you so much!
Hi Lorna, I meant to reply to this post when it went live but didn’t get a chance until now. Congrats on your 7th bday for your blog, that is awesome. I understand wanting to bring changes- I am on a blogging hiatus for the next while, too much chaos and too little words.
Anyway, I am excited to see what content is to come, love all types of your posts, I’m sure there are only good things to come.
Have a great weekend!!
Author
Thank you so much! I can understand why you need to take a break, it can get too much. I’m happy that you’re always here and following my posts, so thank you for that!
Happy 7th Blog Anniversary Lorna! You deserve to feel proud of yourself for making Raindrops of Sapphire the confirmed success it is today! I do love the blog in its existing form, and personally I don’t feel anything is lacking, in terms of the content. However, it’s great that you have positive plans to explore and expand even further, and it will be lovely to hear more of your thoughts on different subjects, as well as the usual fashion content. I’m excited to see the direction you’ll take. I’m going to complete that survey now!
Congratulations again on reaching this milestone.
Lots of love Saba xx
http://www.trulymadlydeeplyfashion.blogspot.com
Author
Thank you so much, Saba! Sorry, I missed this comment, it was hiding! Thank you for always being so supportive!
It’s absolutely my pleasure Lorna! xx
Author
Lots of love xx.