Category: Blogging Rant

  • Did you miss me? Because I do

    Did you miss me? Because I do

    I miss having my whole life so well-documented, thanks to this little corner of mine in the world wide web.

    Aku bahkan tahu hari pertama ketemu dengan Apip (it was 11-06-2011) karena semuanya terekam dengan baik di blog ini.

    Walaupun sering oversharing di internet, sebenarnya aku ini orangnya cukup private. Aku merasa blogging, meskipun blognya diset public, lebih private dibanding media sosial lainnya.

    Blogging itu ibaratnya kita buka booth di pameran. Kalau minat dan tertarik, orang-orang bisa berkunjung dan lihat-lihat. Ada beberapa yang menyapa dan berinteraksi dengan kita. Setelah dirasa cukup, mereka akan pulang ke rumah dan kehidupannya masing-masing.

    Sedangkan media sosial, misalnya Instagram dan TikTok dengan algoritma dan fitur FYP/suggested posts-nya, rasanya seperti jualan keliling. Orang-orang di rumahnya masing-masing mungkin lagi santai dan istirahat, tiba-tiba kita lewat sambil teriak-teriak “LIKE POSTINGANKU DONG! POSTINGAN BARUNYA, BUNDA! DILIAT DONG INI SELFIE-KU, CANTIK NGGAK?”

    Jadi, mungkin karena itulah aku jadi jarang mengemukakan pendapat pribadi. Takut sampai di orang yang salah dan malah memicu keributan. I’m open to healthy discussion, tapi obrolan di internet ini seringnya malah jadi ribut-ribut nggak jelas, sulit untuk bisa agree to disagree. Ujung-ujungnya postingan lama kita digali sampai yang terdalam oleh para penyelam handal. Ngeri.

    Aku kangen diriku yang dulu sebagai blogger. Yang bisa ngeblog hampir tiap hari. Yang dengan pedenya posting foto diri sendiri seabreg-abreg. That’s why kalau kamu follow aku di Instagram, pasti ngeuh kalau akhir-akhir ini aku jadi sering upload selfie. Aku memang nggak cantik, tapi rasanya aku pun nggak jelek-jelek amat kok. Why did I stop posting selfies in the first place? Nggak tahu juga.

    Terus, apakah aku akan balik lagi rajin ngeblog? Nah itu juga aku nggak tahu. Kita lihat sajalah. Yang jelas, aku sudah memutuskan untuk ganti template jadi lebih clean, elegan, dan dewasa (tsaaahh…)

  • #BPN30dayChallenge2018 Day 9 – 5 Blogger (dan Mantan Blogger) Favoritku

    #BPN30dayChallenge2018 Day 9 – 5 Blogger (dan Mantan Blogger) Favoritku

    Sebelum punya blog sendiri, aku sudah jadi pembaca blog terlebih dulu. Ada beberapa blogger yang hampir setiap hari aku sambangi blog-nya sambil berharap ada postingan terbaru. Mereka lebih banyak menulis tentang keseharian mereka, tapi dengan gaya tutur yang menarik sehingga aku merasa seolah-olah mereka adalah sahabatku sendiri. (more…)

  • Blogging Rant*: Four Things To Do Before Sponsoring A Blog

    Four Things To Do Before Sponsoring A Blog | Hola Darla
    I’ve been sponsoring three blogs for the past couple of months. Purchasing an ad spot is new to me, even though I used to do ad swap back in the day of blogging glory 2010-2011. If done right, sponsoring other blogs can be very helpful in increasing your blog traffic and follower numbers. Alas, that’s not the case for me. Out of the three ads I’ve purchased on three different blogs, there’s only one success. But the experience has taught me these four things I should have done before sponsoring a blog.

    Get to know the blogger first. The very first time I sponsored a blog was by googling for small-to-medium blogs that accept sponsorship. Then I bought their cheapest ad. It was a tacky move as if I was shooting in the dark. I didn’t know the blogger and as it turned out, we literally had nothing in common. It was a waste of money and I wasn’t satisfied with the result. After sponsoring that first blog, I decided to sponsor a blog that I had known for a while, Sincerely, Sara. It was the total opposite. I got my fair amount of traffic and followers while I also supported a blogger I genuinely like. It was a win-win situation and I’m really glad I did it.

    Visit the blog’s current and past sponsors. It’s important to know that your blog and their blog’s current and past sponsors at least have one thing in common. The first blog I sponsored was a beauty blog and their sponsors were also beauty and hair blogs with contents like makeup products reviews, beauty tips and how-to’s, and things like that. I, on the other hand, rarely (if ever) write those kinds of post. Sara and I both love YA fictions, Marvel movies, and other geeky stuff, so our blogs are not very different (although her blog is more organised and focused than mine). Her sponsors were all also similar in taste. I didn’t feel like an alien when my ad was placed among them. So, another point for Sara!

    Study the available ad choices. Blogs that accept sponsorship usually have several choices of sponsorship you can choose from. The cheapest one usually only offers an ad space on the sidebar, perhaps with several additions like a shoutout on Twitter and a link back in a blog post. Other options may give you the opportunity to do a guest post or a giveaway. Study these sponsorship options carefully, so there won’t be any misunderstanding in the future.

    Choose the kind of ad/sponsorship that suits your blog. For example, if you are a crafty blogger with an Etsy shop for handmade accessories, you may want to choose the kind of sponsorship which gives exposure to both your blog and your shop, e.g. an ad space on the sidebar plus an opportunity to do a giveaway. Also, don’t forget to choose the sponsorship in accordance to your budget.

    Sponsoring other people’s blogs is a valuable experience. It brings new friends and also helps you grow. I hope these tips from me are helpful for you who are new to this whole sponsorship thing 😉

    *Blogging Rant is an irregular feature on Hola Darla, in which I talk about blogging and other things related to it.

    Dara | Bloglovin’ | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook