Why I still have a regular blog in a world of instablogs

{via Instagram}

With the rise of microblogs on Instagram (or "instablogs" as I've seen them called) comes a question as to whether or not traditional blogging is dying or dead. Many fellow bloggers and some other websites have declared that blogging is dead, but is it really? It seems like every day I see someone in the comments section of my favorite blogs saying that they were recently inspired to start their own blog. Sure, the market may be saturated now, but I don't really think that blogging itself is dead.

I guess it may be "dead" if you're thinking about the money-making potential. It's probably nearly impossible to reach Gal Meets Glam-level status if you start your blog now that there are a million and one blogs out in the world—and factor in the number of "instablogs" and that number seems to increase as quickly as the digits of pi. But most of us who do blog don't do it for the potential of making hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. Some bloggers are lucky enough to make it their full-time gig, but that was never my goal going into it (though sometimes this whole lack-of-jobs-in-my-field thing makes me wish I could blog full-time, haha). We just love to share and connect with like-minded people!

I've been blogging now for a little over three and a half years (where has the time gone?) and have seen the rise of instablogs. It seems that now many people prefer using the platform as their "blog" and also prefer following others on solely their Instagram instead of on their actual blog. There are a few reasons why I don't do these two things myself and why I still hold onto my own space on the internet with my own personal domain.

When I decide to follow someone, it's almost always through their blog first. I enjoy reading blogs and looking at the variety of photos that tie each post together. If I think the blogger is authentic and I'm genuinely interested in their life, that's when I choose to follow them on their social media accounts. I don't follow a lot of bloggers on Instagram that appear to only shill product (and/or post too much), and I like to follow people on social media to get a glimpse of their real life (life "behind the scenes" if you will). A lot of people (myself included) post blog photos, which is fine, but I also enjoy the iPhone photos and also the near-real-time stories.

I myself don't use Instagram as my normal blog because of the things I mentioned above: I enjoy writing posts longer than an Instagram caption and curating photos for each post. (I really don't like writing Instagram captions because I never feel like I get it just right.) I'm also holding onto my own blog—even though the digital world seems to be swarming to Instagram—because it's mine. I own it, it's my content, and I can choose what is displayed here. I love having an online space to call "home"! I'm more than just a pretty, perfectly filtered, and cohesive photo feed.

I'm also on Instagram way less than I used to be thanks to the new algorithm change. (It is actually nice to not be on it all the time, so that's one positive I guess.) It's nearly impossible for me to grow even when I put in the effort, so I've decided to just kind of keep it as an extension of my blog for whoever prefers using Instagram (with the occasional cat photo, of course). As much as I don't care about the money aspect, my Instagram doesn't seem to provide me with more opportunity, so that's why I don't treat it as my normal blog. Plus, even though it seems unlikely right now, it's totally possible that Instagram could disappear...and then what? All the people who worked hard on their instablogs suddenly have nothing to show for it. I don't really have to worry about that.

Anyway, these were a lot of rambling thoughts on a subject that has gotten additional attention over the past few months. If you read this, I assume you like following normal blogs, too; what are your thoughts on instablogs vs. regular blogs?