Blogowoes

This post is going to be a little long as I talk about Blogowoes, but I have a lot of thoughts to share on this subject. I wasn’t going to write about this on my blog because I wasn’t really sure how I felt about it, but after thinking about it (a lot), I decided it was important to share my thoughts. The other day I read a blog post from a fellow blogger about her own blogowoes causing her stress and lightening up the load she had by getting rid of her Blogotex account. How doing that eliminated the stress she felt from always having deadlines and spamming notecards coming her way. Okay, so yes, that’s one way to address your Blogowoes.

Blogotex can be stressful, depending on the settings that the designer has set for their team. This management tool is meant to make things easier for blog managers/designers and the bloggers, but there are some drawbacks to the system. One is the settings that some managers/designers set for their teams; another is the number of sponsors some bloggers take on that overwhelms them. Where is the fun if you’re always worried about the next deadline? Where you can’t have fun with a scene and just do a post “just because” you can…where’s the fun in that?

Some of the Pros for me are:

• Apply online and track your applications submitted
• Read the rules and have them always available before and after acceptance
• Designers can leave a reason why they rejected you (A lot still don’t use this feature but they should. It helps the blogger learn to improve their work.)
• Know who to contact in case of rejection if you want to learn how to improve for the future. Ability to send and receive messages (i.e. Designers/Managers through the announcement board, bloggers via the posting box)
• Request vacation by the click of a button
• Chat with the team (Only if the designer has paid for this ability and/or enabled it)
• See the products thumbnail to make it easier to see what you are taking.
• Demo the product (only if this is available. It is my understanding that demos take up room on the designers account)
• See the timeline of due dates and keep track of your list. Report in one place.
• Eliminates the need for inworld group space

Some of the Cons for me are:

• Some sponsors don’t have the ability to chat with them. This makes it hard to ask questions quickly.
• Some designers set their time countdown to unreasonable limits. i.e. every so many days you are expected to post a blog for them. While before Blogotex, people could set limits at four posts per month, setting this on Blogotex makes it extremely stressful on the blogger. Seven day timer always counting down is one example.
• Receiving the notecards inworld which can cap your messages if you are non-premium and creates spam. ((NOTE: There is now the ability to turn off these notices in your settings if you wish.))

Overall, I feel like Blogotex is a good thing. In addition to the list above, I think Blogotex has other values to be considered. It eliminates the need for inworld groups or senders. Senders can overwhelm you if you’ve been offline for a few days as it all comes in at once and if you have more than one designer using them, you spend hours trying to figure out what goes where.

Inworld groups take up a lot of space which doesn’t leave room to join groups you would like…like RP groups or RFL groups! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to weed through my groups inworld trying to find one that I won’t miss just so I can add a new team group to my list. Blogotex also allows me to report in one place instead of multiple places on sheets or sending notecards. It helps me keep straight what is due and when. I need that organization at times so that I know how much I have left to do.

Then you have the stressful side where you just want to pull your hair out and say, “OMG, why me!?” Things like managers setting the system to alert you every seven days that there’s a new deadline, not considering there is always that ticker timing you and sending you notecards saying “you have so many days left” along with the threat to kick you from the team if you don’t make it in time. Can you imagine if all of your blog managers did this? Had the settings set so that it always counted down seven days?

I love their products. I love creating a new and fun picture with their item, trying to express what is going on in my mind at the time or describing what is happening to me at that moment through the medium of the digital photograph. But on the other hand, you have time management that is literally your fault. As a blogger, if I take on too many sponsors and can’t keep up, that is on me. That’s my fault for taking on too much and not thinking ahead, keeping track or marking down what I am already doing, mapping out my time and understanding that taking on more than 20 sponsors is my fault. Don’t get me wrong! I LOVE the people I blog for, both past and present!

My Views on Blogotex

My view on Blogotex is a mixed one. One one hand, this system helps me keep track of my deadlines each month, allows me to see what I’m taking before I take it with thumbnails, helps free up my group space and allows me to report my posts in one place. These features are all useful to me. Then, on the other hand, is the countdown that is like an anvil hanging over my head. It isn’t so bad now, but a few months ago I had a few countdowns that were ticking down every seven to 10 days. I wasn’t having fun anymore and had to walk away from some sponsors because of it.

While I feel like Blogotex can hold some blame for any stress that bloggers feel when the creators use the wrong settings or have unrealistic rules, I also think that there should be self-limits they should impose on themselves. If taking on a new sponsor will add stress, then let go of another one that you’ve outgrown. Taking responsibility for the load that you’ve taken on goes a long way to eliminating the stress. Making sure that the sponsors taken on have reasonable rules that you’ll be able to keep up with is helpful too. I realized a few months ago that my sponsor list had gotten out of control. I had 32 sponsors at that moment, which for me turned out to be way too many! No matter how much I liked a store, that was not fun anymore.

I guess this makes me different from some other bloggers who want to blame the tool for the stress that they find themselves under. As I said, I have a mixed view of the system. I think that people can and should take responsibility for how many stores they take on and cut back if they can’t keep up. I think that designers need to be more flexible in their rules and expectations and if they can’t, then maybe bloggers should be more selective in their choices of who they apply for. Whether that means walking away from them or whatever, that’s your choice. There is a lot to be said for less stress, more fun!

ღ steps down off my soapbox and hands out chocolates ღ

As always, see below for the full credits and Flickr for the full resolution version! Laters, Adventurites! ~LA

Credits:

My Avatar:

Head: LeLutka Bento Head – Simone 3.3
Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V4.1
Eyes: MILA – Wet Eyes LELUTKA
Skin: League – Amaia – Lelutka Applier – Medium
Eyebrows: League – Amaia Classic Brows – Lelutka
Hair: TRUTH – Livia

Dress: AZUL – Karina FitMesh Dress – Sakura – Trunk Show – Sponsor
Shoes: Bliensen + MaiTai – Yes – Wedding Sneakers – Trunk Show – Sponsor

Rings: Vibing & Nova – Keira Ringset — Rose gold

My Alt’s Avatar:

Head: CATWA HEAD Koura v3.2
Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V4.1
Skin: Amara Beauty – Dolce v2 03 Catwa
Hair: Stealthic – Cadence (Bento Fitted)
Necklace: RealEvil Industries – LUX Pearldrop Necklace RLV v2.2
Dress: Blueberry – Cori – Lace Dress – V2 Opaque – Maitreya

Décor:

Trompe Loeil – Logo Pallet Chair – SLB13 Gift
Dreamland Designs – Tropical Dream Tent Adult – Sponsor
What Next – ‘Tropical’ Drink Dispenser
HPMD – Sweet Garden Grass08 -pinkMix- a
HPMD – Sweet Garden Grass07 – b

Windlight: AnaLu studio 5

Pose: !R.O! Reve Obscura BENTO Poses – Routine BENTO Pose w/props