BLOGGER: Caroline
FEATURED BLOG(S): Caroline on Crack
TWITTER: @CarolineOnCrack
FACEBOOK: Caroline on Crackheads
FLICKR: Caroline on Crack
YOUTUBE: Caroline on Crack
SERIOUS EATS: Caroline on Crack
FOOD BUZZ: Caroline on Crack
This week our ‘Bloggers We Love,’ series took us (via telephone) to fabulous, sunny Los Angeles, CA, where we spoke to the energetic and LA-savvy blogger Caroline of CarolineOnCrack.com.
A northern California transplant, Caroline is a lifestyle blogger who writes about food, cocktails and fun in and around LA. Having read her blog with some regularity, I was already impressed with her style, but after speaking with her, I was especially taken with her easy-going energy and affable nature. Her personality and blog embody what I imagine Californians to be: relaxed yet energetic, casual yet on-trend.
My conversation with Caroline got me thinking not only about lifestyle blogging but also the blogging lifestyle: is there something unique about lifestyle blogging that enables a blogger to keep it up over the long-term? Or, is there something special about Caroline’s lifestyle that that gives her staying power? What does it mean to really live the ‘blogging lifestyle’ day in and day out? Put simply: what is it that has enabled Caroline to blog nearly every day for five years and counting?
I’ve decided to investigate that question and answer it with some of the secrets of the blogging lifestyle that I learned from Caroline…
CAROLINE SAYS: SEEK THE BLOG/LIFE BALANCE
While Caroline writes about her daily adventures, she’s careful to maintain some modicum of privacy for herself. As a reader, you appreciate this: you feel like you know Caroline, but she doesn’t cross over into TMI territory like some bloggers. She certainly doesn’t make you feel like a voyeur.
“When I first started, I didn’t want everyone to know who I was: I have a day job, and I wanted to keep the blog separate,” Caroline says. “So, I would purposefully leave myself out of my posts. But then [I wrote a few posts of a more personal nature] and I let a little of myself in – and it seemed like people really responded to that.”
It’s a difficult balance to strike – being completely authentic and personable without being overly intimate – and Caroline nails it with remarkable skill and aplomb.
Striking such a balance could be useful for a blogger who’s in it for the long haul. It allows the blogger to focus on their subject matter, without allowing their personality and personal life to overpower the piece. The post’s tone becomes relatable to a wider variety of readers, potentially garnering a larger audience for the blog.
Moreover, when a blogger keeps aspects of her identity somewhat cloaked, she can be candid about other aspects of her life. For instance, Caroline publishes her calendar of public social events (though personal evenings are marked on the calendar as “busy”). This doesn’t cause the uncomfortable, invasive encounters that one would predict. In fact, when she participates in these events, readers actually prefer to respect her privacy. She once judged a mixology contest and brought a friend along. Fans recognized the friend from photos on Caroline’s blog and asked her to tell Caroline that they’re huge fans but then shied away from meeting Caroline themselves. It’s almost as if fans don’t want to actually know who’s behind the voice they know and love.
CAROLINE SAYS: ‘RELAX’
“Try to write every day – just don’t pressure yourself,” Caroline advises. “I’m able to enjoy [blogging because I don’t pressure myself too much]. I used to actually write every day, but then I decided to take the weekends off.”
Caroline says she still feels strangely guilty if she misses a weekday post – “It’s like I didn’t shower, or like I’m letting somebody down,” – but she doesn’t ruminate on that feeling:
“I try not to think about [my plans for the blog], because if I do I’ll psych myself out. I think that’s why I’ve been able to keep myself going [because I try not to take everything so seriously].”
“Sometimes I do keep an editorial calendar—especially if I get press release sent to me about an event that’s well into the future,” Caroline says. “I also have a to-do list of posts I want to write, like events that I went to and still need to blog about.”
So, it’s not all laissez-faire. It is useful to maintain some degree of regularity in your blogging. Living the blogging lifestyle means exactly that: integrating blogging into your lifestyle.
CAROLINE SAYS: HAVE A COCKTAIL!
'Birds & Bees,' with cherries, photo courtesy of Caroline on Crack
The final secret to living the blogging lifestyle a la Caroline on Crack? Cocktails!
Caroline on Crack has come to be known as a go-to source for information about cocktails and mixology, even though Caroline wasn’t a passionate cocktail lover when she started the blog. It’s a love that’s evolved organically.
“I’m not a cocktail or spirit expert, I just enjoy it. I’ve learned a lot and I’d totally love to go to bartending school,” Caroline says.
The lesson? Be open to the ways your own interests may evolve and what that might mean for the evolution of your blog. And don’t forget to take the time to kick back and enjoy yourself with a well-deserved beverage of your choice. Try a Pegu Club with Bols Genever instead of gin – one of Caroline’s favorites.
P.S. Local bloggers, don’t forget to register your blog here. It’s quick, simple, and will help drive traffic to your blog.
P.P.S.: If you’d like to be featured in our ‘Bloggers We Love’ series (or you’d like to nominate your favorite local blogger(s) for inclusion), we’d love to hear from you! Simply send an email to esther@outside.in
