Mighty love, and other things.

April 4, 2013
wateringcan9422

Let’s just talk straight for a minute or two here:

Blogging as a career can be really wonderful. There are days when I feel overwhelmed in the best possible way by the freedom, the creativity, the opportunities for mistakes and small triumphs, all equally and all on my own terms.

But sometimes being a blogger can be tricky. First there’s the awful name to contend with, and then there’s everything else. Since I decided to accept sponsors on my blog last spring, I’ve had to make difficult decisions about my blog as a business. I’m really proud of the team of independent sponsors that support and grow this site, but I’ve also made some mistakes. I’ve turned down opportunities that maybe I shouldn’t have, I’ve accepted others that didn’t feel quite right. I still feel iffy about affiliate links. There’s not a manual for figuring out how to make your blog a small business–or maybe the trouble is that there are too many–in the end it feels mostly like trial and error. As I’m figuring this out, I have been incredibly, unbelievably grateful to other blogging women who I’ve met–women like Natalie and Becca and Cara–who are willing to talk about blogs as businesses. We need more conversations about this sort of thing.

But lately I’ve been thinking that in addition to figuring out ways to make blogs function financially, we need more conversation about how to make blogs function socially. In the rush to figure out a way to grow a blog into a business, what sometimes gets left out of the equation is how to use a blog as a way to make change, to do something good.

Yesterday, my dear friend Natalie partnered with Go Mighty and launched a #mightylove project: a small-scale campaign to encourage women to compliment other women on social media all with the goal of raising money to donate to a battered women’s shelter. And I thought: YES.

So after all that blathering: here’s a little encouragement to write a nice thing or two about women on the internet who inspire you, who move you in some way, who just seem to get one thing (or lots of things) right. Tag your compliment with the hashtag #mightylove. When there are 500 compliments, $500 gets donated. All the details are here.

Full disclosure: I can be reluctant to join movements like this one. They can seem clichéd at best and insipid at worst, but that’s an awfully cynical perspective. Let’s spread some positivity on the internet, friends. Let’s raise some money for good. Right now. We’ll figure everything else out later.

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16 Comments

  • Reply megan April 4, 2013 at 1:47 pm

    Thanks for an honest perspective on the decisions you make as a business owner.

    Also tiny note, I think it should be #mightylove – just want to make sure all the lovin' is captured.

    • Reply Erin April 4, 2013 at 1:49 pm

      whoops! typo!

    • Reply megan April 4, 2013 at 1:57 pm

      It's in the air. As I typed my comment I had to correct about five typos!

  • Reply lisaathome April 4, 2013 at 1:51 pm

    Really great, honest post about the trials and tribulation of social authenticity.
    I'm pretty new to your site but I will be back again (and again!).

  • Reply Tidy-Up Gal April 4, 2013 at 1:53 pm

    "First there's the awful name to contend with…" I was just thinking about my blog name last weekend. About changing it because sometimes I just don't like it! If it's any consolation, I think your blog name is clever and unique!

    • Reply Erin April 4, 2013 at 1:53 pm

      Ha! Thanks! It's the really the word blog; blogging; blogger that gets me!

  • Reply Neurotic Workaholic April 4, 2013 at 1:56 pm

    That would be difficult to figure out who to include on your blog and who not to include. I like the idea of the mightylove project, though; it sounds like something that would inspire a lot of people. I've had people contact me to put ads on my blog, too, but I doubt I would make much money; I have less than 200 followers and I think that only about fifty or sixty of them read my posts on a regular basis.

  • Reply Cara of Big Girls, Small Kitchen April 4, 2013 at 3:10 pm

    I love this! As always, I admire and appreciate the honesty with which you write – it's a way to make change, all by it else. And thanks for the #mightylove. Can't wait to pass it on!

  • Reply Wendy ~ www.wendymrobertson.com April 4, 2013 at 4:02 pm

    Do you have have Twitter for the hashtag to work? I'll happily make a post on my blog for this good cause if it'll work without Twitter (since I no longer have an account).

  • Reply Mags Pomichowski April 4, 2013 at 4:23 pm

    Great post! I am going to look more into this and perhaps join! Thank you for sharing and I agree we need to build each other up as women!

    xoxo
    Mags
    http://magsmind22.blogspot.com/

  • Reply rebecca April 4, 2013 at 5:20 pm

    perfectly and beautifully said. if everyone wrote as honestly as one should, perhaps this whole blogger thing wouldn't be the mystery that it is. too deep for a thursday?

  • Reply the hedgehog chronicle April 4, 2013 at 8:06 pm

    love this, i will do my best. i am new to this world, but trying to enjoy it and find the good and even the fun in it all. this certainly helps!

  • Reply lucent imagery April 4, 2013 at 8:30 pm

    I've thought about this stuff a lot lately as I ponder which direction to take my online shop. I really appreciate when bloggers talk openly about the struggles and have thought about sharing mine in a post too. I think it's important to still stay true to ourselves no matter what the blog business advice says – which for me has meant a smaller, slower growing business.

  • Reply marissa (stylebook) April 4, 2013 at 9:47 pm

    natalie's the best. i found your (and becca's) blog through hers, actually! i'm digging #mightylove week. cheers!

  • Reply Sam | ashore April 5, 2013 at 2:44 pm

    yes, let's all just agree that "blog" is the most unappealing word for a thing ever (… one letter off of "blob?", c'mon!!). And yes, again, that in this silly-named space we could all use a little more love to each other on top of all that "lovely"

  • Reply frases de dolor April 27, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    Congratulations, your blog is very… magic! I love this 🙂

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