Why we decided to blog

Some of you may be wondering why we decided to start a blog in favor of something more cutting edge like an exclusive YouTube channel or TikTok. Don’t we know that blogging is dead? It’s a thing of the past??? Youtube is the new blogging! Tiktok is the new Youtube!

Technology is always changing. I love to watch Youtube videos! They have become an integral part of my life. Especially when we have a vehicle issue! Youtube mechanics to the rescue!!! We actually talked about starting a Youtube channel. We talked about it for a long time. I imagined what kind of videos we’d make and different camera angles, etc. I took note of what was working well for different channels that I liked to watch and what didn’t do so well. It was a fun thought, but ultimately, we decided that it wasn’t the right format for us. Here are the reasons why:

I don’t want to hate my job

While I’m able to do video editing, I honestly kind of hate it! There is something about still photography that draws me much more than video. I’ve always loved a good video, and I have dabbled in videography since before the digital age when you had to record video on a tape and then record it onto the computer to edit it, then put it back onto a tape. But I never could get the video up to the expectations that I had in my mind. Of course, I could develop the skills to do it better, but it just never spoke to my soul like photography has. This doesn’t mean that we won’t utilize video or even start a YoutTube channel, but we don’t want that to be our main structure.

Freedom is the goal here

I watch as youtubers and other influencers are practically slaves to the latest algorithms and new tech. They might see it differently and are excited to use new tools and that is fair. It just seems like it’s a slippery slope going from “hey this is a useful tool” to “I’m freaking out because (insert your favorite platform) has changed its rules and my whole business plan was built around that!!!”. I’ve seen this happen. There is the classic movie story line about how artificial intelligence becomes advanced enough to enslave mankind. Those are extreme examples, but if you are totally reliant on it, it controls you. I don’t want that. The interesting thing is that I wrote this post before the recent TikTok shutdown. Since I hadn’t posted it yet I wanted to visit this topic since it became very relevant in the news and validates my point. I saw many people who were relying heavily on it to earn money. I don’t fault them for that, but I also saw it as a warning. I’ve heard the phrase, “own what you’ve grown”. Google inc. owns your youtube content. If they don’t like it for any reason then you can be shut down in a split second. We saw that in 2020. I suspect it wasn’t the end of that kind of thing.

Genuine Content > Trends

Speaking of AI, it is something that we need to factor in as well. I see it as kind of a wild card. It’s going to be more and more difficult to discern between real, genuine content created by another human being, and AI generated fluff. It is getting kind of scary how realistic it is. As I’ve listened to others speculate, I’ve decided that the most important thing in the near future is not going to be the platform, but the ability to connect in real, meaningful ways. I think AI will separate humans more than any other technology has already. There will be value in any content that is genuine and human.

On that note, there are plenty of bloggers out there that are still getting good content out to people, and even making a living! I’ve followed a few of them and realized that they are in it for the long term. They love what they do, and they love helping people. They are able to pivot, and try new things but they don’t completely change everything because of a trend in technology. The written word has been around for a very very long time. We all still use it. The truth is, blogging isn’t a “hot trend” like it used to be, but it is very much alive and well.

Flexibility

As we sat down and looked at all the ideas we had to build a business, there were kind of a wide range of things that we would love to do but were not sure if they were “the thing”. I hesitated to commit. I had a list of requirements for a business and the ideas we had checked off some of the things but not everything. At one point I was thinking about a blogger who tried youtube but stopped putting resources into it because she liked blogging better and it brought in more revenue. Suddenly it all clicked. A blog would give me something of a home base and allows for flexibility to test the waters a bit. We have a physical product that we may launch down the road but I have a lot of research and testing to do first. I like the idea, but I’m just not sure if it is THE direction. In this case, I can still work toward that while building something meaningful. Blogging checks (or has the potential to check) all the requirements that I set for my future business. It felt right, and I was motivated to move forward. It just made sense!

I Enjoy Writing

I can express myself better with the written word, than the spoken word. I want to be able to express myself well and I don’t want to be a slave to the lens. I know I have a lot of room for improvement, but I’m cool with that process. You probably don’t want to watch me mutter on camera anyway.

Slow Down and Enjoy

We are homesteaders… I’ve noticed a wide range of attitudes in homesteading but in the end, we adopt what we see value in and leave behind things that don’t. We really don’t care that much about the way the world does it. We see value in doing things the “hard way” when it makes sense to do so or if we enjoy it. Part of this lifestyle is to slow down and enjoy the process a little bit more. Not everyone has the attention span to read a blog post when they can consume 20 tiktok videos in the time it takes to read a post here. That’s fine, I’m not looking to connect with those people!

On that note, if you’ve read this far then you are the type of person I’m interested in connecting with! Drop a comment and let us know what you’re interested in and how we can bring value to your life! I look forward to connecting with you! Here’s to 2025 and beyond!