Sunday morning I submitted my resignation letter to BlogHer.<\/p>\n
I’ve been with the site from very early on. I watched it go from a handful of unpaid enthusiasts to a sprawling sponsored network with big bucks and dozens of paid contributors. BlogHer pays better than any other network I’ve worked with — that went a long way towards keeping me committed to producing my twice weekly posts. But I was never able to cash in on the company’s growth. Because I take sponsored travel, I was disqualified from the ad network that I hear is quite lucrative for a number of bloggers. And that same travel, because it was sponsored, was off limits as a topic for posts on the BlogHer site. And in a third frustrating twist, I’ve never been considered for sponsored travel through BlogHer’s partners because I’m not part of the ad network.<\/p>\n
I’d considered leaving the network a few times before but never quite jumped ship. Candidly, I needed the money. And this was relatively easy money; I found it fun and effortless to crank out a few hundred words twice a week on some travel related topic — round the world families, the traveler’s view on world events, how much flying sucks now, how to pack for anywhere in one bag, or just, hey,\u00c2\u00a0 check out this damn fine travel blog. But it’s been increasingly difficult to find inspiration. And over the last few months, while bungeeing between apathy and trips that I can’t write about, I’ve shirked my responsibilities. Meanwhile, my inbox has filled with queries — “We love you to write about our destination for BlogHer.” I’ve deleted them or responded that while I’d love to do so, the editorial policy prohibits it, though if you want to have me out and are interested in coverage on my personal blog…”<\/p>\n
Five years ago when I joined BlogHer out of boredom — it’s true, I was hanging out in Austria and feeling at loose ends; I needed something to do — I had no expectations. But I have seen the growth and I have seen the money and I have seen the opportunities. Meanwhile, I’ve sat in my corner, hammering away at my keyboard, while a growing crowd talks at once in the same virtual room. Some days, I’ve had a hard time finding posts that I’d hit publish on only a few hours before. What was, when I joined it, a community of unique voices, looks increasingly to me like any mainstream women’s magazine, Redbook, Family Circle, those old school publications with fashion tips and diet ideas and ways to perk up your relationship and oh, don’t overlook this, we do have one or two real hard news stories.<\/p>\n
I sound, I know, like an editorial snob. And you know what? I am an editorial snob. While I think the rise of blogging is freaking fantastic and I think what BlogHer has built shows incredible business acumen, my heart isn’t with the idea of a blog or even with online community, it’s with writing<\/strong>. I have this tyrannical fantasy. In it I get to take over a blog network and then, I go on a heartless firing spree, kicking 90% of the bloggers to the curb. After that, I hire editors, real editors, who carefully review every single post not just for grammar, spelling, and punctuation, but for quality.\u00c2\u00a0 I cut the number of posts down to a fraction of what they used to be so that\u00c2\u00a0 I’m not publishing 10000 Google keywords every day, but I am publishing say, 1000 words that are loved, deeply by the writers and then, polished carefully for display by the editors. Rather than a fire hose of words backing us up against a wall, we have an exhibit, we have art, we have ideas, beautifully framed and presented and valued. Yeah, like that’s going to happen. In my dreams.<\/p>\n It’s been five years, can you believe that? And in any job, there needs to be growth, new opportunities, change. You can’t just sit on the bench, waiting, forever. I understand that BlogHer has made a lot of people quite successful. I envy them that, sin that it is, but I just don’t see it happening for me with their organization. It’s time to say goodbye and seek my fortunes elsewhere.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sunday morning I submitted my resignation letter to BlogHer. I’ve been with the site from very early on. I watched it go from a handful of unpaid enthusiasts to a sprawling sponsored network with big bucks and dozens of paid contributors. BlogHer pays better than any other network I’ve worked with — that went a … <\/p>\n