Friday 6 February 2015

Blogging Doesn't Cost Me a Dime!


Talking about the things that go on behind the scenes when blogging is something many bloggers feel wary of, and I, like many, tend to keep what happens behinds the scenes away from my content - people don't usually want to know how difficult it is, they just want your voice, your thoughts and your words, but there's been something that's been mentioned more within the last 6 months than has ever mentioned before, and that's how much it costs to blog. I however, have a confession.

It costs me nothing more to blog than it would to not blog.*

*Not inclusive of giveaways.

This isn't the same for everyone. For starters, I use Blogger, which costs me nothing. It's a free platform that means I get to do what I love without it costing me anything. I also haven't paid for any design work or programs - I do it all myself from skills I've learnt, picked up and watched other people use. I don't have a private domain name which costs me anything annually. Everything I need to help me blog costs me nothing at all. The only real thing I actually have to pay for when it comes to blogging is the books I buy, and even then, I don't really have to buy books, I can use the library and they'll be completely free. I guess what I'm trying to say is:

Blogging doesn't have to cost you anything other than time


It's true, time can cost more than anything else when it comes to blogging, and it's the same as anything, no matter how much you enjoy something, sometimes you do want it to be for something other than just joy, but really, blogging is something that was started because people loved doing it, they wanted to share their feelings and their thoughts, their likes and dislikes, and it didn't cost them anything, that's why it became such a common thing to see, and I can completely understand why people would choose to spend money on it, but it's not a vital part of blogging.

You can choose to spend money on your own domain name, but you don't need it, Stacie and I get views from google searches all the time, just because our blog name is easily searchable. You can choose to spend money on a blog design, but you don't need to do it, there's millions upon million of blogs out there that have tutorials, that talk you through how you can create and design your own look, without costing you a penny. You can choose to want your own space, to own that space, that isn't dictated by a company, such as Blogger, but it's not something you have to consider, as long as you follow the terms and conditions, you can be easily blog in a space that isn't owned by you and not have any issues. I guess in the end, it's down to preference and what you would rather, I've seen many bloggers talk about how it costs them to blog and they get very little thanks for it, and I've seen people underestimate bloggers and what it is that we do, but it's a choice you make, not a forgone conclusion.

What are you thoughts on blogging and costs?

Please bare in mind that these opinions are mine and mine alone and not meant to insult.
Please be respectful of other peoples opinions and thoughts in the comments below.

17 comments:

  1. I think you can make blogging as expensive as you want. It's up to you how much money you want to spend on your blog, but no one is forcing you to invest your money in a design, domain and whatever else you can come up with. It's one of the reasons I'm still on Blogspot; I can do what I want and it doesn't cost a thing. So I think nobody should complain about the costs, because it's your own decision :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm totally on that side with you. I think if you're worried about Google or something taking your blog, then you've done something to be worried about, if you follow the terms, you're laughing! It's completely your own choice :)

      Delete
  2. This is very true, that you don't need to spend anything to blog. I am on the more... paranoid side. Lol. I've seen lots of legitimate blogs taken down and then you're screwed when you try to get it back, because Google is non-responsive on these issues. So, I always suggest paying for your own, so at least you own it. If money is an issue, though, then free is good... until it isn't anymore :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can understand why more paranoid people would want to spend a bit more and feel safer. I export our blog regularly anyway, so if something did go wrong, I always have it backed up in numerous places. For me, no cost trumps my paranoia, at least on this :)

      Delete
    2. It's definitely very smart to export your blog on a regular basis. Not many people think to do that! I believe you're covered :)

      Delete
  3. If you want to get technical, if you were living on your own, you would need to buy a laptop, internet and electricity but already one of those things is a given [electricity]. I only know this because my parents remind me whenever I tell them blogging is free.

    However, in MY case [not my parents], it's like yours. I just pay my time. I'm really lucky to have a designer who was trying to build her portfolio. I was one of her last if not last free client. Sometimes luck just works like that, huh?

    I really like this post. There's definitely lots to think about in the whole "blogging is free" claim.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course, the technicalities would be those, but if you already have those, you've less to worry about really. I do think it's very lucky that your designer was building her portfolio, very lucky indeed! :)

      Delete
  4. Great post Amanda - this is something which I suppose people who are new to blogging, or people on the 'outside' who don't blog might have misconceptions about. It's all about personal choice whether you want to invest more than your time and effort into your blog in monetary terms. It doesn't have to cost a fortune if you're savvy about it and don't mind trying new things like experimenting with design on your own for example (which is what I did for my blog). Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Eugenia, that's what's important, be savvy and be clever, you'll get most things cheap that way! :)

      Delete
  5. Yes, this is very true! I guess we still pay with our time (and well... electricity if we wanna go there) but it's really up to you how much you spend for blogging. I know that I'm willing to spend money for a blog design and for web hosting since I'm with WP, but yeah, blogging never is something that requires money! It's completely up to the blog owner's choice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed it is Mel, the idea that blogging HAS to cost money isn't true, it's an option :)

      Delete
  6. It honestly really annoys me when people talk about how much blogging costs in almost a complaining way. As if they think people should *sympathize* with how much money they've *had* to spend in order to blog.

    I'm a firm believer that blogging can cost as much or as little as you want. You can blog completely for free if it's something you don't want to pay for. Or, if you want to pay for it, you can do that too.

    It just really annoys me when some bloggers act like they DESERVE to get paid to blog since they've HAD to put so much money into it. That's just blatantly untrue. If they've put money into it, it's because they WANTED to. And that's perfectly fine.

    I personally spend a lot of time and money on blogging, but it's not something I complain about because I WANT to spend money on it. I've made that choice. It's not a choice that I had to do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I completely agree, it's a choice and there should never be a thing about getting your money back.You choose to spend money on books, same as you choose to spend money on blogging. It's a hobby, not a job, I'm glad you agree Ashley :)

      Delete
  7. I bought a domain name for something silly like 99p and then I also spent a bit on a layout because I wanted the blog to look more professional and I didn't have the skills to do it myself. I totally agree that you can do it for free though. The one thing I would say is that if you want to go pro then you're a lot more likely to get the sponsors etc. if you have your own domain. I blog as a hobby but I still prefer to have a .com rather than a Blogger free domain, just because I like the way it looks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can understand the wanting a .com, it does give you more freedom and gets you more sponsors, that's more than fine and understandable.. I'm less fussed on sponsors, but you're right, it can help :)

      Delete
  8. I like that blogging can be completely free, but has so many options to spend money and make it better if you want. But I definitely agree that you don't need to. Other than giveaways I don't need to spend money on the blog. Yes, it doesn't look too amazing and it doesn't have the best design, and it has a really long name... but it's something I love and am very proud of.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think your blog looks wonderful Charnell, really, it's how you want it, and in the end, it's mostly about the content anyway, it's not good spending lots of money if your blog is rubbish! :)

      Delete

We appreciate the time you take to leave a comment and do our very best to reply as soon as possible.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...