You should know I spent a long time deciding whether or not to publish this post. The topic of an authentic blogger has been on my mind a lot since last year so don't hate me for what I'm about to say, but hear me out.
Blogging and social media management has become so complicated, hurried and intense that some bloggers have gotten really aggressive by outsourcing work just to keep up with the ever growing landscape. More and more I'm seeing a trend of bloggers using a front person to do the work while they're doing the creative work and in some cases, they're not even doing the creative anymore.
What makes blogging idiosyncratic is its raw, authenticity. You open up a window of your life to the world and people look at you through that window. With blogging, there's the ability to influence and I believe with that comes a certain level of responsibility. Let's see how you may no longer be an authentic blogger and what makes an authentic blogger.
How you may no longer be an authentic blogger
Someone else manages your social media
More and more I'm seeing Tweets, Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat and Instagram posts being done by a virtual assistant and not by a blogger themselves. The intent of social media is to be social. If someone else is doing your social media, you lose your unique factor and while you may gain followers, they're not genuine followers. I think if you are overwhelmed by social media you need to streamline what you put your time into. Focus your time on 2 or 3 specific social media outlets that give you the biggest bang for your buck and rely on apps to do less valuable things to retain your credibility.
Someone else responds to your blog commenters
Have you ever wondered why on big blogs there are no comments? One of the biggest unknown secrets is that someone else is managing that site. From administering posts to scheduling content to responding to commenters, the person you see on the blog is usually not running the blog.
Case in point. I read Gina's blog every day and she has a huge following. As a reader, I would feel betrayed if I found out someone else was writing and responding to my comments. There's no doubt that responding to comments is a lot of work, but I think if you can't handle it you should shut off blog comments. I ask you would you want your readers to feel that way?
Someone else shoots your photographs
Many bloggers are now enlisting professional photographers to shoot for them. This one makes me most upset. In my mind, it teeters on the question of content authenticity. Say the content were a recipe and someone else shot and styled the food for the blogger. Sure the blogger may have authored the recipe, perhaps even made it for the shoot. Even then it no longer represents that person when someone else puts their touch on it. If you can't take a picture to save your life or don't have the time, then you should either be transparent about it giving full credit to the photographer or shoot your own content. But don't pretend to be something you are not.
What makes an authentic blogger
While I agree outsourcing administrative tasks (blog and widget design, e-book formatting and marketing, email subscription management and food site submissions) is a smart to do, I think it's disingineous to outsource so many things. As a blogger, you have a responsibility to be authentic and genuine. It's a fine balance, I get it. Especially when you're trying to build a business from it.
When I think about my favorite blogs and what makes me come back to read them time after time - Suz, Gina, Michelle, Lindsay (and many more of you who I love and adore), it's that they're relatable and have a genuine unique voice. They're consistent in everything they do too - blog posts, social media commentary and photography. If you outsource those things, then you've lost some authenticity and in which case, you're just another website.
So tell me. Are you an authentic blogger?
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Jenni says
Why do you care so much? I'm not a blogger but every person has a choice to do what they want. I find the blogs that outsource are the ones that are turning it into a 'business' and not just talking about themselves and their lives. Stuff like that used to get under my skin too, but it's not worth it. The real question is why does it bother you so much and why not keep doing your own thing and let others do theirs.
Megan says
I did not say it bothered me. In fact, I stated it was a smart thing to do for certain aspects. I think if you were a blogger, your perspective may be a bit different.
Cora says
Wow. I had noo idea all this outsourcing was actually happening. Thank you for opening my eyes (and many of ours, apparently) to this little sad piece of reality. I understand getting help with the technical/site specific things, but isn't the point of a blog to create connections and be a real person behind it all? At least, that is the whole reason I follow the blogs that I do. My favorite part of having my own blog - and the main purpose I feel - is to practice being authentically myself and connecting with others. This just all baffles me. But I guess just makes me support and respect those blogs that are doing all the work themselves that much more!
Megan says
Yes, virtual assistants or teams are a real part of blogging now. If you pay close attention, you can tell who is doing it. Like you said blogging is about connections so it saddening when you discover someone you've been following isn't really who you thought they were.
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says
Love this... though I'd kill for a personal photographer. My poor iPhone pics... LOL!
Megan says
I would just like someone take care of all the administrative "techie" stuff oh yeah and to clean my house too. 🙂
Rachel says
I must not read the bigger blogs because I didn't even know this was an issue. Yikes! Thanks for this post though. I'm going to pay attention going forward!
Megan says
It's not just the bigger blogs doing it and its pretty subtle so unless you're stalking their Instagram you won't notice it.
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
This is a really interesting point to bring up! I think if you are running a lifestyle or personal blog, it should 100% be you that does everything. However, some sites that are more recipe focused, I can understand why they outsource some of the work. It can be so overwhelming to continually harness that creativity to develop recipes, take beautiful photos and write well. Then social media on top of that? Eesh. Sometimes I wish I could afford to hire help! But there are some parts, like commenting and interacting that I think should be done by the blogger. Especially if it's their recipe, they know how to help the best!
Megan says
I agree that social media management is really hard when you're food blogging which is why I focus my time only on certain platforms.
Anna says
Wow! It would never have occurred to me that people don't do those things themselves. I guess that shows how "authentic" I am lol Very interesting!
Megan says
They do and you are authentic Anna which is what I love about you!