To Blog or Not To Blog??
To blog or not to blog….that IS the question these days, isn’t it??
Hamlet may have been obsessed with philosophy, but today's modern singer is more concerned with marketing in a digital world. With the rise of social media in the early 2000’s, the classical singing world was thrown open to an eager
young audience demographic. Audiences are no longer content with merely attending a concert or an opera--there’s an insatiable curiosity to get a glimpse into the lives of the artists themselves. Famous singers’ blogs and vlogs can be found on a variety of platforms, offering everything from audition tips to career advice to recipes that can be made using only items found in a hotel room. It can be extremely exciting to allow strangers and fans a rare glimpse into your artistic process.
Unfortunately, it can also prove to be detrimental to your career to overshare---especially if you are not yet working at the artistic level that you’d like to be. So how do you know if you should start a blog or not? Here are some of the pros and cons of blogging, and how to go about negotiating your way through the murky waters of social media:
PRO: You gain more exposure.
As a singer, you should always be looking for a way to give yourself an edge over the competition. A good way to get directors to give you more casting consideration is to start gaining an active following--- a dedicated audience that supports you can mean butt in seats, which every producer wants. How do you get this to happen? You start by building connections with people. Blogging is an easy, effective and excellent way to network and gain new audience members. It gives you a platform, a way to connect to people beyond your voice--to show them your ‘true’ voice, the person you are both on and off the stage. Blogging can quickly expand your audience engagement, ensuring that anyone anywhere in the world can keep up with your career.
CON: You gain more exposure.
Consider that last sentence, ‘anyone anywhere in the world can keep up with your career’.
Now read it again in a scary-movie announcer tone of voice…
Sounds sort of menacing, right?
As an active social media singer (I’m obsessed, I admit it!), I often post my upcoming appearances on my website, my Twitter feed, my Facebook pages, etc. Sometimes I have total strangers show up to support me. While this can be really cool, it also can be a bit jarring to have someone you don’t know show up and seemingly know everything about you. Some quick tips to keep yourself safe:
-It seems pretty obvious, but NEVER include your phone number, your mailing address or your home address on your blog.
-Thanks to GPS, blog posts often feature a geographical stamp... and some of them can get VERY specific, as in a few blocks away from where you live/work (or the actual location itself). Try to see if there is an option to change this within your settings. If you live in a larger urban area, such as Chicago, just change the GPS stamp to claim the ‘greater Chicagoland area’. If you live in a more rural center, try setting your option to only use your state or your general region. Know that if you list specific performance dates and venues, you run the risk of someone actually appearing--be sure that you’re prepared to have total strangers show up and approach you. There’s a lot of content out there--someone is ALWAYS reading, so keep that in mind before you press ‘publish’.
PRO: Blogging is an inexpensive way to advertise....
...which is awesome for singers, who have other finances to worry about (such as that upcoming audition season circuit!!). Blogging is a really affordable way to drive audience engagement--most sites are either completely free or relatively inexpensive. Some blog platforms even offer the option to upgrade your free blog once it’s created, giving you the freedom to boost your creation after a few months’ time and reach a wider audience.
CON: Blogging is an inexpensive way to advertise...
….which means everyone is doing it. There are literally MILLIONS of blogs out there on the internet. Because of this, platforms are starting to place limitations on blogs. It’s important to acquaint yourself with your particular service, its limitations and its various options for upgrading. With a free blog server, you don’t own the web space you’re occupying. This means you run the risk of losing your content at any given moment; people have reported having their entire free blog deleted without a trace. There are often caps on the amount of content that are allowed as well--you might not have the option of uploading all your writing AND be able to include all those awesome videos/images you want to show everyone. So, if you’re limited in these terms, how do you stand out amongst the million other singers who are utilizing a cheap, easy form of audience engagement?
You do it better, faster, and more often. This can mean that some of your content may not be as inspiring or deep/meaningful as others. For example, last week I sandwiched an article about ‘fashionable panty hose for performances’ between two DIY performance pieces ...not my best efforts by a long shot. In terms of content, more is sometimes more, especially in terms of creating steady web traffic. It can also be rather stressful to add the demands of a regular writing/publishing schedule on top of everything else that requires your attention. Try to strategize your brainstorming sessions to those quick five minute breaks in between rehearsals, and choose a platform that allows you to schedule posts ahead of time.
PRO: Blogging is relatively easy.
These days, web designing services are actively appealing to the ‘technological first timers’ by building in safeguards and offering tutorials. Blogs prove to be no different--there are as many options for blogs and vlogs as there are colors, each offering various levels of technological possibilities at various stages of development. For those of us who are not particularly technologically savvy (*cough cough*, ME, *cough, cough*), sites such as Wix.com or Squarespace.com are perfect options. Their sites are easy to use, featuring options such website templates and automatic centering tools (for those of us with shaky hands!). For the more advanced programmers, there are options such as WordPress, which offers an endless variety of possibilities and add-ons to reflect your unique personality.
CON: Blogging is relatively easy.
..the key word here is ‘relatively’.I am a self-professed ‘analogue girl’. I cannot tell you the number of times I have lost my temper at technology-- let’s just say that if I had a nickel for every time I threatened to toss my computer out the window, I’d have my student loans paid off by now. As seemingly easy as blogging can seem, there are always technological hiccups that can occur. You can spend hours writing and editing a piece only to have it dissapear when a site crashes...or sometimes, your entire site can disappear, should the webhost decide to delete it (again, with free blogs, you don’t actually own your own content, as it’s hosted someone else’s web property--which means they can delete it if they want to). All of your hard work, all of those countless hours of writing and editing, all of your audience base you build up can vanish without a trace. Basically, you can spend hours of your one and only life pouring your content into technology only to have it backfire. Be sure to save ALL of your content on an external drive---and I mean ALL of it, pictures and outlines included. You never know what could happen, so it’s best to plan for the worst to protect your investments. Should you decide to purchase your web domain to protect your work, be sure you’re comfortable with the platform you’re purchasing--it doesn’t make sense to invest in something if you can’t fully utilize it! Also, beware of hidden costs: be sure to read all the fine print, and familiarize yourself as to what’s included in your purchase (and what’s not).
PRO: You gain notoriety as an expert in your field.
Remember when we discussed ‘making connections’ through blogging? This is the result of that. Nothing feels cooler than getting approached by a colleague who is asking for your advice. It’s a professional nod to your ranking amongst your peers, and free feedback that you’re doing something right. As awful as it sounds, sometimes the appearance of success can spawn success. Blogging or vlogging can encourage this by allowing your ‘true voice’ to shine through. The more natural you appear, the more relatable you become; the more relatable you become, the more likeable you appear. I’ve gotten multiple gigs simply based on the fact that directors like to work with me, and I’ve offered work to colleagues who I know are pleasant to work with. Consider what a blog could offer you in terms of notoriety, and how you could use this to your personal career’s advantage.
CON: You gain notoriety in your field.
It’s a sad fact that if you’re putting content out into the world, you’re 90% likely to offend someone somewhere at some time. There’s a saying that ‘opinions are like assholes-- everybody’s got one, and some are bigger than others’. The same goes for blogging: if you take the time and effort to put your opinion out there, there’s a good chance that not everyone is going to agree with you...or worse, you’ll violently offend someone. With the rise of the social media world, singers have to be more cautious than ever before. You have to know and accept this going into the exercise, and be prepared to deal with any possible personal or professional fallouts that might occur. First impressions may be the most powerful, but a careless comment left in a chatroom or Facebook forum can haunt your reputation forever. Before you click ‘publish’, take a moment or two to really read through what you’ve written. Do you really stand by the stories and statements you’ve made, or were you just venting? Venting your frustrations aloud (or in print) is a totally normal response...but can sometimes lead to irreversible consequences. If you were emotional at the time you wrote your blog, try waiting a day or so before publishing; review it when you’re in a calmer place. You’re far less likely to end up with your foot in your mouth!
Overall, blogs offer a variety of new and exciting possibilities for today’s modern singers. If used properly, they can unlock audience engagement in never-before-seen ways. Be sure to take some time to do your research, make some notes about what your goals are, and go for it!
https://www.bloggingbasics101.com/7-ways-to-boost-your-success-as-a-blogger/