Hopefully this question is not too strange as it relates to the personal relationship I have with my family and friends.
Do you tell them you are writing a blog?
Do you invite them to join?
Do you make them join and never speak to them again if they don’t?
With the AnArt4Life back 7 years ago I did tell my friends and those of my family who were aware that computers and the web had become part of our lives! Three cousins and three friends maintained an interest for 7 years but the others were embarrassed to say that they hadn’t kept up the interest. Is this normal?
And now that I am building a new site to showcase my own work what should I do?
I don’t expect family and friends to purchase my paintings and prints but I would like their comments on my site.
That was 6 questions, but they are all sort of related.
This is a very valid question about how to reach out to family/friends to help support you with kicking off your new blog.
How about something like the following.
Hi [replace with their firstname], I’ve been working on a new blog to share my creative journey and it would mean a lot to me if you’d check it out! Your thoughts and feedback would really help as I refine it - no pressure, just love having your support. If you feel like leaving a comment on a post, it would help make the blog feel more lively and engaging!
Thanks Matt - I think your wording is excellent. And you have also reinforced my opinion about “expectations” and writing as blog. As you are saying, ask for support and interest in your venture but don’t pressure anybody (family, friends and the general public) to be part of your journey. If you want to write a blog on a subject of interest to you - just write it- and don’t worry too much about how many followers you have. Do it because you are enjoying doing the writing and even if you only have a handful of responders then it is a win. However, many of you will not agree with this attitude - so let’s talk about “how do you judge the success of a blog”.
