Earlier this year I went to a restaurant recommended by a popular food blogger and I ended up strongly disliking the food. I left that experience bummed that I had spent $24 on an awful meal, gave an awful experience to a friend that had joined me, and believed this blogger’s raving comments. I began thinking about the way we consume media and trust recommendations. From my experience working with bloggers and being a blogger, here’s some truth.
- Bloggers will rarely post about something they didn’t like, especially if the experience was complimentary.
- Lots of photos are staged to make an image or experience more appealing.
- Bloggers give their recount of their dining experience, which has a hundred different factors, including mood, eating companions, amount of alcohol consumed, and how much they paid for it.
- Bloggers are individuals with their own particular tastes, palettes, likes, dislikes, desires, background and education. You are bound to have similarities and differences with them.
I don’t mean to crack your rose-colored glasses! Yes, there are many bloggers who have become experts in subjects because of their constant exposure, involvement, and education with the subject. They are still entitled to their own opinions and content. As with anything in life, have a bit of skepticism and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Blogging is not all a ploy to take your money.
As a blogger, I write about my experience in hopes that you will find the same joy I had when you experience it for yourself. I map out my path to where I found joy. I list the sights I saw on my trip, I tell you about the things I ate at a restaurant, and I show you how I decorated a space for a party. There are a million factors between my experience and yours. Who I am (personality, desires, how I see and understand things), my goals, and the people I interact with are some of those factors. You won’t have the exact experience I did, though it may be very similar, but you can find your own joy in your own unique experience.
This is why a DIY you try to replicate won’t always turn out exactly like the photo you’re working from, hence Pinterest fails. This is why you may visit a buzz-worthy restaurant and find you didn’t enjoy the same dishes. This is why your travel experience will always differ from a companion’s even if you both follow a blogger’s recommendations. Bloggers are merely guides. We give recommendations about life, travel and food. Then, you take that guidance and make an experience your own. On Fearless Captivations, I hope to inspire adventurous living, in whatever shape or form it comes. I’ll post ideas and inspiration, but it’s up to you to take the information to bring joy to your life.
What’s your experience with bloggers? Who or what post has inspired you lately?
If you’re a brand, check out this post about how to engage with bloggers to grow your business on my marketing-focused blog.
Photo by Death to Stock Photo
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