Sometimes I worry a little that we may be a dying breed. Anime bloggers that is. Didn’t mean to scare you! So many anime bloggers seem to disappear or occasionally diversify beyond anime and gradually stop talking about anime all together. It’s part of the game, people move on.
Thankfully, we have talented new blood to take over whenever we start to dwindle down too much. However, I still really admire the dedication of those bloggers who were around before I started and still post regularly. And I have been noticing certain points a lot of them seem to have in common.
Here are my completely unscientific observations of 5 habits long term anime bloggers seem to share.
5) They stick to some sort of pattern
Whether it’s a loose schedule or niche content type, most (although not all) bloggers that I have been following for multiple years tend to stick to some type of pattern.
I can relate to this personally as a structure posting schedule is one of the only things that has really kept me on track. But it doesn’t have to be a schedule per see. Maybe they have rituals they do every year, like the 12 days of blogmas, or they always make sure to read and comment on fellow blogger posts on weekends or they make it a point to always post when the discover a new anime that features competitive rowing…Whatever it may be, it’s a simple, easy to comply with reason to come back to the blog!
4) They have a sense of community
Maybe they are involved with other bloggers or blogger groups. Maybe they are vocal in the community, commenting often in others’ posts and keeping up with what everyone is doing. Sometimes they really do look beyond their own blogs much but they have a faithful following they can exchange with. Whatever the case may be, most long term bloggers I know aren’t line wolves. They’re..playful pandas?
3) They’re flexible
Although some structure may be helpful, if one makes it too strict, it can end up being stifling instead. The bloggers that have been around for a while also seem to not be afraid to adjust when something is no longer working for them. Even if that means completely altering their blogs’ concepts.
I have noticed a few times that bloggers who dedicate themselves to something very specific seem to run out of breath much quicker. I don’t know if it’s because they run out of material or because once their tastes shift their interest wanes. Similarly, imposing too gruelling a schedule on yourself will likely burn you out, especially if your circumstances changes!
2) They balance their ego!
This is an odd one. I’m not in fact talking about a blogger’s actual ego, I have no way to know that, but more what they project. For some reason, I’ve noticed that bloggers who seem very proud of their blogs and vocal about their achievements don’t last that long. There are exceptions here and there but it happens a lot. And I always notice because they are so vocal that it’s obvious when they’re not there. I have zero clue if there is any actual relationship between bragging and longevity. My uneducated guess is that if they truly feel they are better than other bloggers it may get frustrating to not receive the admiration they feel they deserve, but that’s wild speculation.
On the other hand, bloggers that project unusually low self-esteem seem to do a little better but not much. I know my writing skills are suspect. I have never studied in English and I wasn’t particularly gifted in the languages I studied in either. I often lampshade my failings in that regard as a way to make fun of myself and boost my morale. But even that has occasionally worried my readers. And there are bloggers however that never give themselves a break! It’s honestly a little troubling to read. I wish we could leave hugs as well as likes.
So the bloggers that stuck around give the impression of falling somewhere in the middle. Proud of themselves and their blogs but not believe they are above others and humble enough to think they can still improve. This point got way too long… Sorry.
1) They watch anime
I did mention this list was about Anime bloggers. One thing I often hear from bloggers and read in posts is that people have just stopped watching anime. Either for lack of time or because their interests have changed. They play video games or are captivated by some American show instead. It’s amazing how often that’s a factor in their decisions to stop blogging.
I can see why. My blogging and anime watching are now intangibly linked in my head. I don’t see myself continuing to blog once if I stop watching anime. And I write general opinion pieces half the time that really don’t require me to watch that much anime to put together. It’s not like I’m pumping out episode reviews every day.!
Like I said, these are outside observations. I don’t really know what’s happening behind the screens. It may just be a bunch of coincidences. Still, so far these have been pretty good indicators of staying power. Have you noticed any others! Or maybe you think I’m way off on one of these?
I have been blogging about Anime since 2009 and of course the blogosphere as a whole was more active back then. I think this is largely due to anime becoming more accessible through legal streaming, meaning less need to read blogs along with social networking. While my content changed throughout the year such as covering more Japanese related comments and I hardly do full anime reviews anymore, the routine is mostly the same.
Yes, most of the bloggers I knew have stopped writing posts. It’s obvious that life changing events such as getting out of college and starting work or starting a family. I had to reduce the amount of content I created while I worked until 2016. I focused on my blog and other activities until now. When I start working soon, it’s back to the same routine, but I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon since it’s my hobby nowadays, which I usually focus on after work along with video games and other activities..
That’s some amazing staying power. I am truly impressed by people who can stick to something like that
I notice some anime bloggers have their own social media. And some of them often update those channels than blogs so I think you don’t need to be worried, they are active. I admit some of them are inactive though. Nevertheless, this circle is like this for a long time and this anime bloggling circle never dies. :3 I found myself visit some inactive blogs once in a while because their posts are so interesting and can’t find anywhere.
I do that all the time. There are some amazing past blogs
oof… 0/5 I guess I’m on borrowed time then…
Pfffth between the dozens of people you got posting I’m pretty sure you hit every point
I’m relatively new to this blogging world, but I have certainly noticed some of your observations come to play in a few bloggers I’ve come across. The ones that involve themselves in the community have even given such wonderful advice and encouragement, more so than I thought I’d ever get. Even as busy as I am with work, the holidays, and just my life in general (moving is such a pain), I still try to write a post every once in a while to “stay in the game”, so to speak. I can understand why some would drift away from lack of time, but if they truly wanted to write, once a week isn’t such a terribly time-constraining commitment.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this post! Keep up the good work.
I’m glad you liked it and that you’re keeping at your posting
Irina, I would like to file a complaint for slander for #2, that was a personal attack! /s
Jokes aside, damn, good points. I’ve certainly been a victim of that kind of thinking before about projected egos.
I never noticed. You really seemed in the balanced category to me.
Bloggers are see now are those that stayed in the game for a long time now, or just low key finally coming out to talk more in public space (twitter, etc). Great post!
I am not too big on posting anime reviews as i am quite noob at the specific terms and frasing that goes with certain shows. I do like anime though. If there comes something on my path in the near future, i will post about it… Thank you for your take on the community👍🏻
I look forward to it
This definitely makes sense, though sad to think bloggers might be a dying breed. There’s definitely a great community here and even if the faces change periodically, the love of anime remains pretty strong.
Im sure we’ll renew our numbers soon!
New Year usually brings new blogs.
That leg kabadon distracted me for a little while longer then I would like to admit. (And RWBY is ok)
But anyway, I think you pretty much hit the spot here with everything. It really does take a very specific person to keep going and blogging on a consistent basis. People looking for short term gains and growth will be disappointed when they start blogging because most people don’t care and go to YouTube for their stuff instead of reading..
And I know that I said I don’t care about views most of the time, but I still kind of do considering that I’ve experimented with content, when to post them, what events should I do, and such. Like that space tour was bananas and went incredibly well. I’m planning on doing something like that for next year with time travel because it worked so well. Plus, Mecha March will be slightly different this coming year too.
It’s all like running a non profit business.
It is like that! I never thought about it but you’re so right. Looking forward to next March!
Ouch!
(So much I want to say here but I think it will make me regret pausing my blogging hobby)
Nothing stopping you from posting once in a while
I wonder how many of us end up dropping our blogs because of changing life circumstances. I know I’ve had to change the format a bit because of the stupid amount of work I started to have to do in the last two years, shifting away from my game-exclusive focus to more anime and music content, but I have no plans of stopping.
You’re right that the community here is special — the kind of engagement we get here among our blogs is nothing like we could ever have on normal social media platforms.
It’s a vert different dynamic
These are apt observations, I think, not just for anime but for any blogger who has specific subject matter or media in mind — a lot of these apply to me as a primarily gaming blogger, for example.
The point about flexibility and being willing to adapt is probably one of the most important things for me. MoeGamer has evolved a lot over the course of the last five and a half years because I’ve continually wanted to experiment and try various different things to see what works and what doesn’t. Plus every so often it’s nice to just shake things up a bit and keep yourself fresh. Routines are good, but they can also be limiting and constricting, so sometimes it pays to just go “well, I know I *normally* do this, but how about if we try something else this week for a change?”
As nabe says, as well, a lot of commentary is seemingly moving to social media for more immediate thoughts and reactions. That’ll never quite be the same for me, though; I have little interest in reading a hastily hammered-out 27-tweet screed about something or other, but if I get the chance to read someone’s in-depth, carefully considered thoughts on their own site that they’ve put care, love, effort and attention into, I’m much more inclined to listen.
Plus there’s the fact that blogs are much more “permanent” than social media — relatively speaking, of course. A tweet is here one minute and gone the next; a blog post can be easily found again to refer back to, and is often composed with future readers in mind as much (if not more so) as for the readers of *right now, this precise second*.
True. There is this sence of permanence in blogs. I often fall on posts written by bloggers many years ago and enjoy them. There’s a legacy
I do notice that they are a dying breed. Bloggers are see now are those that stayed in the game for a long time now, or just low key finally coming out to talk more in public space (twitter, etc). Great post!
Glad you liked it