Homesteading Bloggers on Steemit - How are the two platforms compared?
I'm about to introduce you to two really talented homestead bloggers! Their blogs are informative and professional. Recently they are trying to build community and content here on Steemit.
Let's look at their blogs and their steemit feeds together. Questions and Comments about this topic after the introductions:
@aibell as http://hillsborough-homesteading.com/
The Blog
The Steemit Feed
@walkerland as https://www.walkerland.ca/
The Blog
The Steemit Feed
Before any questions or comments I would love to invite you to follow both of these ladies on their blogs and their steemit adventures!
The Comments
As a blogger myself (tho sadly neglected lately) I understand the amount of work that goes into creating and maintaining a professional blog! My hats off to you who can keep up with that.
One thing I really don't like about traditional blogs is the need for lots of advertising on them. You really do have to do this if you want the blog to pay off. These two ladies have handled it well, but it's a tough balance. I tend to get annoyed with the ads on blogs because they are so "in your face". But... like I said the ads are important in order for the author to get any revenue from the site. Revenue makes the content creation sustainable.
Steemit is a nice place to post content without any of those annoying ads. The community supports the content. However, the Steemit platform isn't really a great blogging platform (yet) because we can't create navigation to our articles. We can't even search one users posts to find that certain topic that we just know they posted a few months back. These are challenges I hope the Steemit devs can correct for the future.
The Questions
Do you blog and steemit?
How do you best manage both platforms?
Are you ready to give up traditional blogging for Steemit?
Are you about to go follow @aibell and @walkerland ?
Everybody has a story and I knew you would be the one to show case them! tweeting...
It's all about community!
I had given up actual blogging on a +regular_ site years ago and I have to say nothing compares to steemit in my mind.
I have really flourished with my writing and blogging skills, have MUCH better interaction with the commentators and have found a livelihood I never had on any other platform.
I haven't completely given up yet on the regular site. I'm still dreaming of ways to make them work together. Perhaps someday I'll come up with something :) You are doing well here and you are doing exceptionally well at sharing others here to help build the community. Thank you for doing that.
Thank you so much for the shout out @daddykirbs I really appreciate it!
I can't tell you the hours that have gone into my website for very little return. The biggest joke of all has been my ebook. Everyone kept telling me I had to have an ebook if I want to be a pro blogger. I spent a kazillion hours writing one and I've made about fifty dollars in the year since it was published. I have given away THOUSANDS of copies so there's at least that (lol).
So there I am doing the conventional blogging and one day I get fed up and sign into my steemit account. It was like falling down a rabbit hole.
Steemit has blown my mind and change everything. You've got potential for a good income paired with a wonderful community, interesting feedback and so much more. It's actually fun. So what's a person to do?
With my blog I also maintain a facebook page, pinterest (the biggest source of traffic to my blog), Instagram, twitter and a variety of other social media platforms. I'm all over the place painstakingly curating good content and its extremely time consuming. Half the time there is no feedback so you don't even know if it's worth the time. I've also got a homestead to run otherwise I won't have anything to write about.
Something has to change and I am not giving up steemit. I really love it here.
Here is my "test plan". Once a steemit post has been up for a week I will post a small blurb and photo on my website that links to the steemit article. Sort of curating my own content. I might even do a round up of other steemit articles on a particular subject. I will track it with analytics and see how it goes. It will be nice to drive my readers over to steemit. Get them used and curious about the idea.
This is a sample of what I mean: https://www.walkerland.ca/birch-trees-10-practical-ways-can-use-birch-trees/
Do you think this is a sound idea? Am I breaking any steemit rules?
I think it's a fantastic idea! I might even use it myself. This is a great way to help build the Steemit platform as well... which helps us all!
Cool! I will update you with my assessment on traffic (are people clicking the links or just leaving my site) - it will be interesting to know if it adds value or not.
I am glad to see the #homesteading community growing and being successful. It is true that Steemit has made blogging more easier for the writer and the reader.
Thank you for sharing!
The Steemit Homesteaders are coming together! @goldendawne is a great community builder with how she evangelizes the homesteading group on discord.
Following both as a fellow homesteader! I like both of them very much. I had a blog that isn't very active, for my farm, but now that I've come to Steemit I am making more time for blogging here, for the community, and for the feedback, which are both very nice!
The feedback is much better here :)
Thank you @daddykirbs ! I've been a fan of yours for years when I happened to find your recipe for a fermented hot sauce that my family ADORES (seriously - it started a fight when a guest was eating too much too fast and the others were afraid of running out!)
The community, first and foremost, is amazing. I'll spend hours on a blog post, engage on Facebook, twitter, instagram, but the interactions are few and far between. I often feel like I'm speaking to a void. I have so much I want to share with like-minded folks, but I'm not sure if they can even hear me! (Especially with Facebook redoing their algorithm this week, even LESS readers can hear me).
The platform itself is freer - I can write about anything! I can spend hours researching a topic for a post, or simply share pictures of my day-to-day. I find I'm more candid here as well. On a formal blog, I feel like your posts have to take on a certain format - a recipe, an instructional how-to, or a long curated list of ideas - there is pressure to provide a lot of value, where the pressure on Steemit is simply to make a connection!
In addition to community and format, I've earned more in 3 months on Steemit than I have in three years on my blog. I love my blog, and I'm not sure I'll ever leave it, but making money is rewarding! Making money on connecting with people is doubly rewarding! I don't have a lot of like-minded friends in real life, but in Steemit...well...the possibilities are endless.
I'll continue to create valuable content on my blog, if only for myself, but I'll continue to come to Steemit for a connection. To share the quick win's, the recipes, the 'hey! did you know?'s, and to share in other homesteaders' win's and stories and behind-the-scenes.
Have you found the same thing on Steemit? How does Steemit compare to youtube for you? Financially and with engagement? Can you build a community on Youtube?
Haha!!! the hot sauce story is crazy funny. BTW the most recent batch... yum.
YouTube is improving the community features but it's still lacking. I do truly appreciate the community that I've managed to gather over the years on YouTube. I also have a fairly dedicated Live show audience that continues to support and encourage me. However, the possibilities for community here feels more full and sincere.
Lol my mom kept nudging my stepdad to steal the hot sauce back and hide it before it was all gone!! I'll have to make another batch soon!
Good to know about youtube. I hate how they've changed their ad requirements this week too. Seems like it's becoming harder and harder to be a successful blogger.
I follow both ladies and enjoy their content very much. I never had the pleasure(?) of using any other platform before I came here. I am very happy with the communities here and the support and feed back they give.