Column: The strange world of blogging

Always one to take on more than one can chew, I like to add many strings to my bow.
A blogger in action (not Nicola)A blogger in action (not Nicola)
A blogger in action (not Nicola)

I was prone to this even as a child where competitive swimming and gymnastics were not enough so I added ballet where I proved I was indeed the most untalented mini-elephant in the class and Brownies, where I was eclipsed massively by my sister in the badge department.

So not content with 20 years in journalism (yes, 20 years in August!) a fledgling career in radio, a new interest in photography, an obsession with travel and writing the novels which will one day be best-sellers, I decided to become a blogger.

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I actually launched my first blog - JabberingJourno.com inspired by the name of this column and my Twitter account three years ago.

I was really rather proud of it but it hardly went stratospheric in the influencer community.

Undeterred, I have now launched a new much more technically competent travel and lifestyle blog - ladylessordinary.com - aimed at women like myself who want a bit more out of life.

But I’ll be honest, though vast amounts of work went in and it looks amazing, I'm properly scared of all the uber bloggers out there who are changing the face of how information is shared and advertisers and brands work with them.

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It’s an entire world away from established media with our legal training and fiercely guarded editorial independence.

In blogger-land the rules are still being established and and it’s a jungle out there.

I’m not currently monetising my blog - it’s more about developing a following with quality content - but some of the savviest bloggers are making fortunes in a world where what people are told on social media they tend to believe at face value, particularly if there is a persuasive picture or video.

This mean cheaters abound with one of the biggest tricks being the buying of followers to look popular and attract the brands with their money.

The quality bloggers tend to overcome this

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I’ve met many lovely bloggers on my travels - usually while taking their picture in front of an attractive doorway.

But like the established media, it’s a difficult world to conquer and only the toughest will win all the badges.

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