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“Blogger ka ba?”
(“Are you a blogger?”)
Not such a hard question, was it? I was up in the mountains of Batanes, exchanging pleasantries with fellow tourists, and one of them had come up with this query…that strangely rendered me speechless.
My first thought was: what gave me away?! Was there a blogger look I had unconsciously emulated? Did my eyes have a squint, say, that spoke of too much time in front of a computer screen? Did my fingertips have telltale signs of late-night key-pounding activities? Had someone stamped “I have a travel blog” on my forehead?
And there was the question itself: was I a blogger? Is everyone who blogs a blogger? Not all people who swim are swimmers, are they? Not every Tom, Dick, and Harry who takes photos is a photographer. I suppose a distinction could be made between professional bloggers and hobby bloggers. But that begs the question: how do you define a professional blogger? Is it someone who earns from blogging? Or is it someone who approaches blogging as he would a profession, that is, a “job that requires special education, training, or skill”?
Me — I’m that girl who blows off could-have-been-billable hours on a post that could very well be read by only a handful of people. I spend an inordinate amount of time on one sentence: I move my words around, I tinker with the phrasing, and when I go down to get coffee I’m still thinking about what I’ve written or what I’m about to write, trying the words out in my head to see if they’ve got the cadence I’m after.
Does that make me better than others? Not really. But perhaps that’s what made me overthink what was, after all, a really simple question.
“I…have a blog,” I said.
I’m curious — do you call yourself a blogger?
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“Do you consider yourself a blogger?” was created by LSS for travel site Small-Town Girls, Midnight Trains. All rights reserved.
awesome! Is blogger-face the new bitch-face? I’ll take it!
xx
Hah! I probably have both. 😀 Thanks for dropping by!
I had not really thought about that until someone linked to my blog referencing me as “a physician turned blogger”. Oh. I guess so.
And as a physician turned blogger, how do you feel about that? 😀 I think most people who know you or know your blog would think of you as a physician first and a blogger 3rd/4th/5th. But if someone who doesn’t know you asks you out of the blue if you’re a blogger, would you qualify it first — that you’re a doctor who writes a blog?
Certainly blogging is just a hobby and probably always will be. I don’t really share this side of me with people that I meet as part of what makes blogging so much fun is the freedom to write without having to worry how someone I know will take it later…
That is true! Well, even if it is just a hobby for you, you’re really one of the best at it.
That is a huge complement coming from you. Thank you for making my day! 🙂
I can’t imagine I’d ever label myself a blogger. The idea kinda makes me chuckle. But yes! I have a blog! And I let people I meet on the road know about it. And Don and I just had cards printed so we didn’t have to be writing down the blog address every time we’re asked for it.
I’m like you – I think about the words, the sentence structure, the cadence, writing and rewriting, trying to get it just right, and then after I publish *always* finding things I wish I’d done differently or better. Plus I spend hours on the blog, both writing and photography. But I’d never call myself a blogger.
I do call myself a nomad 🙂
Alison
It’s a passion! Or maybe a compulsion. 😀 Cards, yes! At that moment I was being asked if I was a blogger, even while I was wondering if I should say yes or give a longer answer, I had the urge to give her a card and say “Here’s my blog! Please read it!” 🙂 I really should get cards printed…
This article is great! I often wonder what I would say if I was asked this question. I know what you’re saying about blowing off billable hours for posts that only a few will read – but there’s something so exciting about it!
Right? There’s just something exciting and challenging and satisfying about crafting words — or crafting anything really. And then you look at the clock. 😀
Hmmm… good question! You’ve got us thinking now! Thought-provoking piece 🙂
Oh yay! I’m still not sure what to answer even now, if someone else asks me. Let me know if you guys figure it out! 🙂
Interesting question! I love this! My knee-jerk reaction would have been yes – I have a blog, I write a blog, I guess I am a blogger! Interesting way of looking at it though..
Also, I’d love to know what “blog-face” looks like hehe
Haha! Whatever it is, I probably have it, because that lady just totally asked me out of the blue. Or maybe it’s because I was traveling solo? I don’t know.
Nice topic and it made me stop and ask myself, too 🙂
Well, are you? 😉 Kunyari, you’re queuing to go up the Eiffel Tower tapos somebody asks you that question. Haha, I’m just really excited about your Paris trip! Can’t wait to read all about your experiences there!
Haha if im queuing and someone asks me i will ignore them lol i was advised not to talk to strangers in Paris :)) 2 more days hoping for the best. By the way did u use ur fone cam or u brought camera? Hay sorry im so kulit haha i dont wnt to lose valuables lng
I brought my camera but I have the cheapest phone so it wasn’t really an option. Marami din namang other tourists with more expensive cams and were better dressed so I never really was afraid…feeling ko sa lahat naman nang pwedeng pagnakawan, hindi naman siguro ako ang pipiliin nila. 😀 Just don’t draw attention to yourself and you’ll be fine! 🙂
Alright. Noted. True. I just found out a colleague of my husband who came from his paris trip was a victim of metro pickpockets. Not sure if may nakuha
Oh no! 😀 Seems like you’re getting conflicting messages. 😀 Be careful but try not to let it cramp your experience. And have a dummy wallet! 😉
I know right? Oh thats a great idea! Dummy wallet! Sbi nga u should put some kleenex tissue pack on ur back pocket para un nlng ang mapagkamalan na wallet. 😀
Oo! Although some say the dummy wallet, with a few small bills inside, is better because at least the thief will get something for his troubles and won’t feel too frustrated, because some of them might get violent if they feel you just fooled them. I didn’t really ride the Metro much, though. Walk if you can. Or take as few metro rides as possible by exploring one area at a time. Actually medyo nag-splurge ako on a hotel with a central location para I can just walk around.
Ours is i think at the 9th district? So to really get to the tourist spots i need to ride the train. Haha sabit lng ako sa trip kaya i cannot complain :)) plus the hotel well..i cannot expect much. Getting 2-3 star ratings in tripadvisor hmmm..
Yes Im a blogger but not a hardcore one. I just blog about stuff I fancy the most. Hehe. Hardcore bloggers are those who are making a living out of it. Hehe.
Nindot unta if we can also make a living out of it no?? 😀 Pang-fund sa laag.
You’re definitely a writer and a blogger!
I guess I think of myself as a blogger but as the most basic, casual hobby blogger.
Ooh, you got it exactly right — I’d much prefer to call myself a writer who has a blog! But that’s just vanity probably. 😀 You might be a casual hobby blogger, and a lot of your posts do have that fresh, even sort-of-stream-of-consciousness vibe, but they’re always, always interesting!
You are, you’re definitely both those things and they’re both good things to be. I could see you writing for a travel magazine, you’re very good.
For that, you are my favorite person in the whole wide world right now. 😀 Hey happy thanksgiving! 🙂
Thank you!
You’re a blogger. To blog is to be human and share the experience in one medium. How’s that for a philosophical approach?
Very philosophical 😉 And very right — blogs are a very versatile and lasting way to express yourself and share the life you’re living. I do wonder if having a blog automatically makes you a blogger, or if things like regularity, quality, profitability, or even motive can help draw the line between who can and can’t be considered a blogger.
The same question can be asked for so many things in life – what makes a Christian a Christian, what makes a runner a runner, etc. Different people have different definitions. And some of us don’t worry about the definitions of others to define us.
True! I guess that means I can say I’m not a blogger, just someone who has a blog. 😀 I am overthinking it, of course, but it is interesting and maybe worth exploring that something so simple on the surface could be not so simple after all!
I like blogging as a hobby. It’s all for fun and most important, it makes me happy writing whatever it is I want to write.
Right? 🙂 Hey, are you here in the country na? How’s it going??
Yes I’ve been here for a week. I’m loving it so far and I haven’t had any time to blog
That’s what I thought! 🙂 Sige, continue to have fun and make happy memories. 🙂
Thanks!!!
Were you affected at all by the storms? I haven’t tuned in on any newscast but I heard south daw. Hope you’re fine!
Hey, thanks for asking! Queenie hit Cebu but mostly the southern part…I had some friends in Dalaguete who had to be evacuated. Here in Cebu City we mostly had rain — ironic after I’d been complaining about the heat! 😀 Are you still in the Philippines?
Glad you’re staying safe. Yes I’m still here. I’m leaving on Sunday. So short yet I had a great time!
A few weeks ago, a friend told someone that I was a blogger so I sort of owned it since then. 🙂
Haha, why not, right? 🙂 But do you FEEL that you’re a blogger? Does the term fit you, you think?
I was cool with people calling me a blogger but I realized I haven’t called myself that, so I guess I’m not at that point yet where I really feel like a blogger. Maybe after a year or if Lonely Planet hires me (I wish!), whichever comes first (hehe), I can confidently tell my parents that their son is blogger. 🙂
🙂 Keeping my fingers crossed that Lonely Planet WILL hire you. 🙂 Anything’s possible!
Oh My…Never really thought about it, but then again I’ve only just began my blog…. I guess that right now my answer would be the same as yours ” I have a blog” but who knows, perhaps in the future I will identify myself as a “blogger” … but foremost I will always just be someone that loves traveling and writing about it! regardless of its in blog form or long emails to my family and friends 🙂
True! I will always think that way too — I love writing, I love traveling, and I love writing about traveling. 🙂