Rosie Scribble

You know you're addicted to blogging when ...

You know you’re addicted to blogging when … 

… your first reaction on seeing mention of the word sponsored in a school newsletter is to question whether the link will be no-follow and they’ll be opting for full disclosure. 

Seriously. Sometimes I worry about myself. 

How to be a rubbish blogger. Part 1.

There are some bloggers who happily accept review products with the promise of writing about them on their blogs. And then they never do.

It’s likely they fully intended to at the time. They were probably being completely genuine when they promised the PR the review would be delivered promptly. They may have even stated that they would send over the link as soon as the post was published. And then no review appears.

Months pass, the PR checks their blog and no, there’s still no review. The poor PR is probably wondering how long is polite to wait before sending that follow-up email, and if in fact the opportune moment passed about five weeks ago.

They could be wondering if, in actual fact, the products actually arrived. There's a thought. But they were signed for on delivery, there’s evidence in their hand, so how do they enquire politely and give the blogger a much-needed nudge?

It's a fine line. No one wants to upset a blogger. Word could get out. There could be tweets. It could be mentioned on Facebook. There could be repercussions.

But at the end of the day, is it really fair to promise something and never deliver? Nothing is free and review products do cost some company somewhere a little bit of money.

Who would want to work with a blogger like that?

What Cybher meant to me

Inside the four walls of our house there’s a little room, and inside the four walls of that little room sits one table, one chair and a computer. It’s where I spend most of my day. 

I like it. It’s home, it feels safe, it keep me busy and when I get lonely I simply venture online and there’s a community there waiting for me. But sometimes it is too quiet and too isolating and feels more than a little claustrophobic.

So contrast that to a weekend in London, dining with friends in Chinatown, drinking in a hotel lobby, chatting, joking, sharing experiences and spending time with a truly inspiring community of women, and you can already see what Cybher meant to me. More than I could ever put into words. 

Do you express an opinion or sit on the fence?

There are a number of issues I feel strongly about, where I have an opinion which I'm quite clear about. There's no fence sitting whatsoever.

Ask me about the pressure on young people to be thin, mental health stigma or the ease to which children can access porn online and I’ve plenty to say.  Ditto the weightier issues of the world – child prostitution, third world poverty, rape.

I could offer an opinion, although I’d probably choose not to, unless someone said something extremely controversial and I saw red. Even then I’m not sure I could put my point across constructively.  

So it often seems best to have opinions but not to express them, at least not online. Because even though none of my views are extreme in the slightest, and I’d like to hope they inform a debate rather than inflame it, there’s the worry that someone somewhere won’t like what I have to say or simply misunderstand the point I’m trying to make.

But that’s life, I hear you say. People disagree all the time. The world – online and off – would be a boring place if we all agreed on absolutely everything. True. But online I worry it could turn nasty, as it sometimes does, in a way that doesn’t offline when you’re talking to someone face to face. I’m not a fan of online negativity. It’s the sort of thing I dwell on for days.

BlogCamp UK: No scandal to report

It was one of those awkward moments - fleeting though it was - when you wonder if someone incredibly nice has just revealed their dark side.

For a moment at BlogCamp this weekend there was a whiff of scandal in the air, sharp intakes of breath, and I’m certain the world shook a little. 

But thankfully, as it turned out, when the usually lovely and always delightful Sandy Calico referred to the cows in the other room, she wasn’t actually referring to a group of unknowing bloggers as first thought. Sandy really was referring to the cows in the other room – a selection of soft toys provided by a sponsor. Thank goodness for that. 

For a moment it seemed the conversation had taken a sinister turn. But to the great relief of all concerned the world is now back on it's axis and all is well. There is no scandal to report.

It was the hilarious highlight of a really motivating day of workshops, socializing and cake, although as with all hilarious moments you probably had to be there.

For me the event was just what I needed.