The Blogosphere: the bitchiness in blogging.

Sometimes blogging grinds my gears. First off, I love that it is a way of conveying inspiration and showcasing interviews and work events and a gazillion other things. I do feel it has opened doors and helped me hone my writing skills. The main drawback is consistently putting yourself out there is a weird and sometimes scary phenomenon. Social networking can start to feel like an obligation as opposed to a pastime. Inevitably - blogging is a niche that can draw people that have a competitive or derogatory nature.

What do you have to gain from being the Queen of Mean?

Personally - my blog is a window into my life professionally - I joke about my outfits being a bit out there and in some cases I wonder what I was thinking. I'm inclined to laugh & cringe at my past fashion faux pas. It is a bit nerve wracking having a blog and giving your views without feeling like a narcissist or vulnerable. You don't want to be the lamb that gets slaughtered. I love feedback. In life and the working world a thick skin is important and necessary. I enjoy reading fellow bloggers work. There is a hive of serious talent in Ireland at the moment. Bloggers that are stylists, make up artists, college students, models, photographers or simply pop culture fanatics. 'Lipstick Gossip' is what I would label a 'magazine blog' it delves into my life as a Journalist bitten by the fashion bug. But some bitten by that bug can be elitist in the Irish and UK scene. It mirrors the iconic movie 'The Devil wears Prada':

'Andy' the new girl in the office is treated like an outsider until she ups her game in the style stakes, dons her designer duds and plays the role. Only then do her peers in the office treat her with measured respect and/or acknowledgement and the 'hideous skirt convention' slurs draw to a close. I just believe in the whole philosophy of writing your own rules as opposed to the 'sheep' mentality. 'Andy' dressing more stylish should have been a choice for her - not for other people. My favourite writers & bloggers aren't the opinionated self righteous ones, but rather the articulate writers that between the lines are writing for themselves and that are gracious.

The fashion scene is Ireland isn't massive so you start to build not only connections but camaraderie and friendship with fellow Journalists, bloggers, PR folk and organisers of these events. I have met some lovely people over the past few years in Ireland & the UK. Those unions have flourished into close friendships. But, I had an illuminating conversation with a new acquaintance at a recent fashion launch in Dublin. She commented that before I arrived she had felt intimidated and joked that some people retained a closed- door policy when she tried to engage with them - which she branded 'dismissive' and 'unfair'.

I'm no expert at blogging - I have worked hard but there is so much more to learn! I have different aims than some, I don't feel blogging is my identifier but I think it can really be a leg up in the industry.
To succeed in any role you have to be confident and have self- worth. You can have a voice without shouting. I don't think you should feel like having thousands of followers is the only way to be validated at what you do. Celebrate any one person who does take the time to check out what you have to say. If readers flock to support you be delighted but humbled.

I would love to know - Have any of you experienced this? Have you felt like this in work or at a social event before? Do you ever feel like an outcast?

xo L