It's Not Like the Old Days....

I know that title makes me sound like a Granny, but it's the best way to put it without swearing, frankly.

My last post touched on how I feel, as someone who has been around for quite some time, that blogging is not what it was when I first started out back in 2006.

I didn't touch on what really peeves me about it, as I was trying to be polite, but after yesterday, the hell with that.

Yes, I do host and write sponsored posts. At the moment, like most families, times are tough, the budget is tight. We are moving as soon as we can, to a place where rents are far, far cheaper (we're talking thousand pound per month difference), and where the area is nicer despite the lower rents. Our town is a crap hole full of pretentious twats who love themselves far too much. Not all of them, I have met some amazing people who are down to earth, have no airs and graces and who are great folk to be around. But sadly, the above themselves idiots far outweigh them. Mini is miserable here, we all are.

So, any tiny bit of extra cash- and it is tiny, not enough to live on, not enough for a holiday every five minutes- goes into the deposit fund.

I always felt back between 2006 and 2010 that bloggers were a bunch who, despite a few arsehats, and every group big or small has a few, looked out for each other. If they'd had a bad experience online or in shops or with brands or PR folk (as we approached a time of change where money began to play a part and change things), we would mention it and most would sympathise, and campaign with us and retweet and such.

Not anymore.

I have done a few posts now, for different companies. You all know I'm no genius at html and the like, but I know when a post has a no follow or follow link, and when it has .html in the address its basically a html post. I also have great people in second command on Family Panel and friends who blog and are old skool in attitude who can have a look if someone is attempting to take the pee.

No one has ever had an issue with my blogs html, no one has ever come back and been as ignorant, unhelpful and rude as one person who I've been, well, basically ripped off by. I'm not the only person who has been ripped off either.

So, I decided to warn others not to approach. We need to stamp out piss takers, frankly, not big them up and allow others to fall into the same trap.

Or so you'd think.

All I got was "newer" bloggers, who I don't know (and after their attitude of "I'm alright Jack" I don't wish to), have a go at me for voicing my anger and annoyance at being conned. 

I got told off for swearing. In a group of adults. I mean, grow the hell up, right?

Half of these self absorbed, self appointed "Head teachers" patronising me have blogs which aren't of the caliber of some of us old timers and who clearly don't put the effort in. The sort which started as band wagon jumpers who found out they may score a free buggy so jumped in, but who don't do it for the real passion of writing.

Where has the support network gone?

No doubt a few will have run to this con artist non payer to bitch and whine and get their heads patted. I hope karma bites them and next time they try and extract the promised payment out of this person they get the same bull that I have.

Now, don't get me wrong, there are some great, utterly brill, new blogs or newer blogs who are actually worth reading, who yes, like me do get a few posts paid for but that's secondary to the love they have for their craft. Then there are those who when a friend voices disappointment at not being picked for an ambassador programme bitch about a free Vacuum they got and this person didn't. 

This is not what I signed up for. And it's not what a fair few others who remember how it used to be did either. I end up scoffing in disbelief most days at the attitude of some people. 

No doubt trolls will rear their sad act heads, but I have simply gotten sick of being a good little girl and keeping it to myself. 

Some of the new breed are the problem, not all but a big majority, with their selfish me me me attitudes. That is what has killed blogging. 

And I only hope they get bored and jump on the next fashionable bandwagon soon as.