In the past few years there’s a new profession circulating around – blogging. Some people call it content creating or influencing, but its idea is basically the same – to share some message and influence others using different online platforms. Lots of people, especially older generation, don’t really understand this profession, think of it as a stupid and not important job, or consider it merely a hobby. And maybe it’s because now pretty much every second person claims to be a blogger which devalues the real content creators.

But are all people who have personal sites and share stuff can be called and considered bloggers? Is there a difference between those two or are there any “requirements” for being a blogger? I think the main difference is that in blog you’re trying to convey something through your photo/video or written content. You either express your opinion on various topics, discuss them with your followers, educate, motivate and inspire others by sharing your own journey, or simply try to make others laugh. Blogs typically have a niche or a theme: people dedicate their page to books, travel, makeup, psychology, pets – anything they’re interested or have expertise in.

While in a personal page you simply show some updates of your life for friends and acquaintances or post random photos of yourself. You don’t think of a strategy, you don’t analyze your page, trying to understand the algorithm of the platform you’re in. A person just shows whatever is happening, like they got engaged, met a friend at a cafe, traveled to another country or attended a wedding. The thing is sometimes people confuse personal pages with lifestyle bloggers, who also tend to show mostly their lives.

But as I mentioned, the main idea of the blog is that you’re keeping the “give-receive” balance, trying to convey something valuable and entertaining to your audience. You’re actually spending time on creating the content, you work on yourself, try to imperfect your skills, even if you do it as a hobby. Maybe I’m a little conservative, but I don’t think that simply showing your face or outfit every day or filming a video of you walking, or sth like that makes you a blogger, even if you have thousands of views or followers. It’s not about the numbers, it’s about the absence of any type of content or message. You can’t become a content creator without actually providing the content. And let’s face it – posting simple photos of yourself isn’t content. It’s like putting a photo frame on the table without the picture inside.

To be honest sometimes it hurts a little to see people who don’t have any message to share (whether fun, educational or inspiring) act like bloggers, just because it’s trendy now. Because I truly believe that having the same access to social media doesn’t make everyone bloggers. Just like it doesn’t make you a singer if you love to sing, or a cook even if you prepare meals every day at home. The most ridiculous thing is when people start making fun of content creators in their own pages, but they’re basically trying to copy and imitate them. For example, instead of just talking about a book, or showing their outfit, they always add something like “I’ll pretend I’m a blogger today” in order to justify their actions. And it’s always accompanied by a teasing voice or laughing emojis. It’s like people are trying to sit in two chairs: they make fun of bloggers, making them somehow inferior or silly, but they act like ones at the same time.

This really devalues real content creators’ job, and that’s why lots of people treat bloggers poorly, because of the copycats who try to be mainstream. I think it’s great that nowadays internet gives everyone the opportunity to do what they like and are interested in. So, if you want to become a creator – just make a page and work on it. Talk about things you’re passionate about, even if it feels scary or even stupid. Don’t be afraid of being laughed at or judged just because you’re doing something you love. But don’t tease and make fun of others, trying to imitate them, just because you’re afraid of actually putting yourself out there.