About the author: By profession Vanessa Musson is a freelance market researcher, specializing in industrial products. Her work involves a lot of overseas travel, to places as varied as chemical plants and wind farms, oil fields and cotton fields, stately homes and sewers. In her free time Vanessa writes the blog Bonkers about Perfume, which combines lighthearted perfume reviews with zany travelogues and the occasional post on beauty products for that unfortunate crossover condition of “problem mature skin”.
I am a relative newcomer to perfume: for most of my life I was largely indifferent to scent, occasionally succumbing to the heavy sell tactics of sales assistants at airport duty frees, and politely wearing whatever anyone might think to give me as a gift. Not very often, mind, for when I was struck down out of the blue by “sudden onset perfume mania” in 2008, I had just one rancid bottle of Estée Lauder Intuition to my name, barely touched in the seven years I had owned it.
But all that changed, and within weeks I went from zero to raging “fumehead”, and I’ve never looked back. 18 months on, I decided to start a blog. For the previous eight years I had written a humorous column for a business magazine, based on my misadventures on overseas work trips. Its sudden closure prompted me to seek out another creative writing outlet, and my newfound interest in fragrance provided the perfect vehicle. Bonkers about Perfume was born. And now another two years or more have passed, and here you have it: 5 things you might wish to consider if you are thinking of starting a perfume blog of your own…
Do you have anything new to add to the conversation?
A while back, there was a post on Grain de Musc about the recent proliferation of perfume blogs. Denyse used the colourful phrase: “metastasising like crazy”, which troubled me at the time, though I don’t think the analogy between newbie bloggers and rampant tumours was meant to be taken too literally. Her point was that new entrants add to the general noise and fragmentation of the blogosphere, resulting in less meaningful dialogue amongst perfumistas. It is true that there are a lot of fragrance blogs now, but most of the ones which stick in my mind have carved out a distinctive niche for themselves. Now Smell This itself has been likened to CNN, an up-to-the-minute news service which also features in-depth analysis (in its perfume reviews). Katie Puckrik has cornered the epistolary format with her Perfume Pen Pals series, while The Muse in Wooden Shoes weaves perfume into a diary of family life. On this subject, Brian of I Smell Therefore I Am chimes in: “I want to add something valuable to the conversation, rather than simply contribute to the din”. So yes, there is room for everyone in the “fumisphere”, but to stand out in this growing crowd, find yourself an angle…
Can you keep a sense of perspective?
It is easy to get delusions of grandeur when you see yourself in print. Blogging is effectively a form of vanity publishing — there are no hoops to jump through, no labouring over the perfect query letter that will convince agents or publishers of your writing talent. Just hit “Publish your post” and you’re done. Or that’s what it can feel like. In all the years I wrote for the business magazine I only ever encountered five readers — there may have been more, but I had no way of knowing. I wouldn’t have done anything differently though. My answer to anyone thinking of starting a blog is to feel the void and do it anyway. Blog because you love to write — and if anyone reads your stuff it’s a bonus. That said, if you do want to be read, you’ll have to learn to network: see the “Do you play nicely with others?” section below.
Do you have time?
Linked to the notion of a sense of perspective is that of commitment and continuity. I have been surprised by how much time I spend researching, writing and proofing my posts, as well as tracking down pictures to illustrate them – anything from two hours to (very, very occasionally!) two days - depending on the scope of the subject. I have got into a rhythm of posting 2-3 times a week, but I can’t maintain this momentum when I go off on my long work trips, and no longer stress about that. Now, I know that some bloggers manage to maintain a “regular service” by writing posts in advance or engaging guest contributors, but in the run-up to my trips I am usually in such acute headless chicken mode that I barely find the time to wash or eat, never mind delegate! And whether or not you allow yourself posting breaks like me, the fact remains that if you want your blog to “stick to the (cyber-)wall” long term, you need to be able to spare a fair bit of time on a regular basis..
Decide how you feel about writing negative reviews
My mother used to follow the axiom: “If you can’t think of anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.” There is a similar school of thought in the perfume blogosphere, whereby some bloggers only review perfumes they like — or are painstakingly diplomatic in their remarks about a perfume, regardless of what they may privately think. The rationale for this is deference to the scent in question: these bloggers feel that a negative review may harm a scent’s reputation, yet the fact that someone doesn’t like a fragrance should be no reflection on its merits. My own stance on the matter is that I mostly review perfumes I like, because it gives me more satisfaction to spread the word about the scents I really rate — and hope that others might also enjoy — than it does to diss the duff ones (to my nose). There again, I have been known to write off the fragrances I don’t care for in flippant two-line nuggets, and occasionally to feature outright scrubbers at more length. I make it clear that this is just my opinion, and that I am drawn to rather shy and retiring styles of fragrance as a rule. Frankly, I think it is helpful to anyone researching a particular scent to be able to cross-reference opinions from bloggers whom they know to have divergent tastes. The odd negative review in the mix helps nail their overall assessment of whether they might like something or not.
Do you play nicely with others?
Yes, Perfume Land is a community like any other. I’d go so far as to say that the perfume blogger “characters” you meet in cyberspace have parallels in your average high school classroom. For example, there are the exceptionally gifted students, who are in a higher stream for certain subjects such as chemistry and history of art; then you’ve got the quietly studious ones, who keep their heads down and don’t socialise very much. There are also a handful of geeky kids, a popular prom queen or two, at least one class joker, and a gaggle of quite promising pupils who nipped out in their lunch hour and never came back. And as a community, the perfume blogosphere is governed by the same golden rules of neighbourliness and good turns. When I started Bonkers, I naively thought that you just put up some interesting content, sat back and waited for readers to find you. That’s like staying in every night, hoping to meet your future husband. If you want to get your writing noticed, you have to be prepared to promote it. Sometimes that means promoting the posts of your fellow bloggers, who will hopefully return the favour. Social networking (Facebook, Twitter, comments, blog rolls, retweets and links of all kinds) is the beating heart of the perfume community. I may be guilty of not pulling my weight here — the promotional aspect of blogging can sometimes feel a bit like “hustling”, and I am not a natural hustler. Likewise, sometimes the social networking “noise” just adds to the noise of the blog posts themselves, and there are days when my head simply spins from the frenzy of endlessly scrolling communication. The long and the short of it is that I enjoy the writing more than the selling. But these days, to get ahead in any walk of publishing, it is increasingly important to work at both, and “playing nicely with others” is key to the long term success of your blog.
Oh, and in case you are wondering, I haven’t forgotten the interests of your blog audience in all this, but if you can’t play nicely with your own readers you really shouldn’t be blogging!
Be sure to check out Bonkers About Perfume tomorrow, when Vanessa will be talking about five more things she has learned from blogging.
Note: top image is Suzanne Valadon Blogging, after Lautrec [cropped] by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com at flickr; some rights reserved.
Great article.
One thing I would add – Will people consider you trustworthy and entertaining? With all the media out there, people will return to blogs that they believe (not overtly marketed hype) and enjoy reading.
Funny thing is that I thought of all your points before I started my blog a few weeks ago. As a beginning fumehead, I would read all these amazing reviews and get lost in the descriptions, note lists, etc and realized that there were probably others out there who didn’t understand the language. I think what I add to the conversation is a simple approach with basic language that everyone can understand. I am also planning to relate a lot of things to electronic dance music (my main journalistic pursuit is dancemusic.about.com for New York Times.)
[ed note: link removed; see comment policy: https://nstperfume.com/about-now-smell-this/comments-user-accounts/%5D
Hi djron91,
Electronic dance music sounds like a very intriguing angle for your new blog – all the best with that!
And you raise a good point about whether your audience will view you as “trustworthy” and “entertaining”. On the first one, fellow blogger anotherperfumeblog has recently introduced a special Media Disclosure section in which she sets out how she interacts with perfume companies in terms of being independent and not writing reviews to order etc. It may be that readers will require more upfront clarity along those lines in future – I have assumed that biased reviews are easy to see coming, but I could be wrong.
And yes, being entertaining – in whatever way – I would rate quite highly personally, though I can see a role for a very informative blog that was a huge resource though not necessarily a laugh a minute. : – )
I think it’s fine and perfectly reasonable to write technically/scientifically with an expectation that the reader can look up terms they don’t understand, I think the main thing is to be concise, even when saying a lot. I know there’s at least one blog I avoid because the author is verbiose to the point of being headache-inducingly ridiculous. I also don’t mind a dry tone to writing as long as it is actually teaching me something. Reading so many blogs now, I’ve also come to appreciate that having a neutral, appealing to all tone is a fine art.
Hi pigoletto,
You have hit on a very good point, which I think is one of the key reasons for the long term success of Now Smell This and some other major “reference” blogs, by which I mean the ones to which I would turn for an authoritative and clear review of a fragrance.
I’m anxious to read the next.
Hi moore,
I plan to post it tomorrow morning – UK time!
After several years of kibitzing around here and selecting fragrances for friends, I’ve started writing articles last spring and finally my own blog around Christmas. It’s private for now but a portal for women started publishing one article per week last spring. I did stop writing for a while as they objected to a couple of reviews they said were advertorials (which they absolutely were not) but now the blog contains whatever i want and they can publish whatever suits their views.
Our fans are not too savvy so for the portal I select exclusively mass-market fragrances and pepper my reviews with stories legends and poems, create characters for the fragrances, and generally aim to entertain as well as inform.
So far I had on Tuesday the same number of readings for the 2nd article as the previous got after 10 days. Also, ladies have started to express their appreciation, require advice and praise my style. [gloat gloat]
The blog has extra reviews of rare fragrances that will never be published by this portal but that’s OK, those are for me. Eventually the blog will become public but I am afraid of attacks. Already in the portal there are trolls writing hostile and mean replies – can’t imagine what they would write without censorship from the moderators. Robin is so lucky, everyone here is so well-behaved.
People complain because we require registration in order to comment (and it does mean fewer comments) but I swear by it in terms of maintaining civility in a fair sized community.
And we thank you for that! There are plenty of social situations where ‘negativity for no good reason’ cannot be avoided. Personally, it’s not what I want to experience on a blog that I visit everyday. The folks on NST sometimes disagree and sometimes share negative experiences but they do so sincerely and, I think with no agenda other than to provide insight to others and to know themselves better. That’s so much better than the bullying I’ve read on other sites that do not require registration.
Hi hardlyworking,
You make a good point about some social situations one finds oneself in being inherently stressful – why would a reader voluntarily wish to hang out on a blog that had a hostile or confrontational vibe?
I truly admire Robin how you handle any negativity here in nst, though it happens once in a blue moon here, thanks to the great audience and your fantastic attitude and wisedom. I learn a lot more from you than appreciating perfume.
Yes!
And the comments here are moderated, aren’t they R?
Well, not really — that is, I don’t approve every comment before it appears. Only someone’s very first comment is held for moderation. But because we answer most comments, most of them get read and I delete or edit those that are problematic.
Frankly, just not seeing “bad” comments on a site discourages others from making unpleasant comments, and vice versa. So it’s a matter of housekeeping. That said, I totally understand why many blogs don’t do it. It does restrict the conversation since many people won’t take the time to register, and it does take up more time.
Thank you for doing some housekeeping here. It’s nice to know I have a happy place to come to.
Hi Nile Goddess,
I was most interested to learn about the particular angle of your mass-market fragrance reviews – “stories, legends and poems” sound great! – and saddened to hear that there are “trolls” being nasty to you via the portal. I guess we are spoilt on NST and the other main perfume forums and blogs, where as you say everyone is respectful and civilised.
Though if you make your blog public, might you not attract a more sedate type of audience, given that that is where you will be posting your reviews of niche perfumes. Maybe the mean people are purely a phenomenon of the portal?
I have been attacked a few times, most memorably when a reader called me “God’s mistake”, which I managed to get comic mileage out of by turning the incident into the subject of another post. But it didn’t feel nice at the time. I hope it works out for you, whatever blogging path you take.
Cracking up at “God’s mistake” although I can see why it did not make you laugh at the time. But really, it sort of amazing sometimes how angry people can get over perfume.
Yes, my offence in a nutshell was to sit around and state my opinion about perfumes. I don’t know to what extent the *sitting* part may have made it worse… : – )
Trolls infiltrating fragrance blogs!
Oh dear!
One of the reasons I gave up on baseball discussion boards, was that no matter how elevated a discussion began, it would often be invaded by trolls and deteriorate into attacks on the team preference, the intelligence and the (alleged) sexual identify and preferences of the commentator.
Hi Dilana,
Oh dear, that sounds like a right scrimmage! Isn’t there a word for these sort of Internet attacks – “flaming” or something?
By and large, I get the feeling that men’s forums tend to be more cutting and thrusting, while women favour more nurturing exchanges, but that may be a wild generalisation.
Well, of course one doesn’t really know the identity of anyone who posts on line, troll or not.
However, on perfume blogs, describing someone as gay or straight, or transgendered is not considered an insult. That pretty much takes away the ammunition of most mean spirited sports blog trolls.
Hi Dilana,
That is a good point you make about screen identity being inconclusive on the gender front, but as you say, if those kind of insults fall on stony ground it does rather curtail the trolls’ arsenal in any event!
I think sports blogs are the worst… all that testosterone poisoning! 😉 I read one regularly, but wouldn’t dare jump in and comment with all of those young guys.
Hi Rapplyea,
I don’t speak from experience, but your sport-related testosterone theory makes perfect sense to me! Some of the male-dominated “musical gear” forums – with which I have a passing acquaintance – are full of robust humour and some frank terminology, let’s just say.
Sports blogs are bad but some of the food ones have some shockingly nasty people. I love the boards to try and get helpful kitchen tips but some of the posts just make my blood boil.
Hi poodle,
Food blogs have food fights? Who’d have thought it! We are a civilised bunch, it would seem…
This article is amazing, really interesting and mind-stimulating. Once in my 6 -year perfumista-hood I wanted to start a fragrance-related blog. But many cons made me say “no.” I, as a student with a lot of in-laboratory duties probably wouldn’t have time to post regularly.
But it doesn’t bother me as a private blogger. I’ve been succesfully writing my blog since the begging of 2007. There I share my thoughts, sometimes writing a larger article focused on one, certain topic. Some of them get a lot of attention or are posted on the main page of the largest internet portal in Poland. Two articles even appeared in press of which I’m very proud.
I may not be suitable to run a perfume blog. But in my friends circle I’m treated as a fragrance expert. They always ask for help, or want to know about interesting new releases. I couldn’t dream of a better way of appreciation.
Sorry, lucasai – my reply to this comment follows lower down.
no problem, found it already
Great article! I often think of starting a blog, one that wouldn’t be purely perfume related, but then I think of the time in formatting, linking and searching for pics, etc. and realize I don’t want to put the time into it at the moment, at least. And I believe I found your blog though your commenting on other blogs, another easy way to self promote (clicking on your gravatar/user name which is a link).I found scents of self that way as well. Actually just started reading Bonkers recently and don’t think I’ve commented yet, but I am enjoying it immensely!
Hi odonata9,
Am delighted to hear you have already found your way to Bonkers, and also how you came to do so. It is true that I feel quite comfortable commenting on other people’s blogs – I enjoy it and would do it anyway, even if there wasn’t the possibility of a self-promotion angle, say if there were no hyperlinked names. It is the more overt forms of self-promotion that don’t come so easily to me.
And you are quite right that those other aspects of writing a post – looking for illustrations and formatting and generally titivating it – can take a long time, especially for a technical numpty like me!
Great subject for a post! I especially like the pointer about having enough time. I find one post a week for NST is about all I can handle. Writing it takes a few hours, as does responding to comments. I don’t know how people can manage lives and work and still post daily or even every other day (although some people do it very well!).
That said, I’ve loved writing for NST and “meeting” so many perfume lovers.
I have nothing but awe for the regular contributors to NST, not least Robin, for all the work you have put in over the years to keep this big planet turning (I can’t recall who compared the likes of NST to planets once, but I thought it was a good image!).
I am one of the slowest bloggers I know – most of my “event reports” – be they sniffing posts or the silly travel stories I write about periodically – take 4-5 hours to write, and another 1-2 hours to knock into shape. And yes, answering comments is another aspect that takes time. Even when I am between work projects (as is the case at the minute), I couldn’t begin to consider a daily post. However slight my ideas, the execution always seems to take longer – research, fact checking etc. I do think I am at the slow end of the bell curve, as I say!
Hi lucasai,
Another person with a private blog, which to be honest, I hadn’t even heard of as an option till today. : – ) It seems like you have struck a happy balance between posting frequency (and I quite take the point that with a private blog, there is no sense of pressure to put up content), and some public exposure.
So with a private blog, do you invite a trusted circle of people to read it or is it literally for your eyes only? But then how would the Internet portals pick up on it if that were so? Do you perhaps select articles and submit them to the portals (like Nile Goddess), or to the newspapers where you have had publishing success? Just wanted to understand how a private blog gets to people’s attention, this being a new format to me!
I try to keep my everyday life and blogging separate, so none of my friends know I’m a blogger. I find other readers by reading other blogs, leaving comments. In most cases the other reader returns to my blog and also leaves a comment. It often happens, that after few weeks of reading each others blogs we link them together and become regular visitors. The portal promotes interesting blog articles as blogs are located on the same virtual platform – this portal promotes 3 articles daily. My two articles appeared in polish press, one in a colour magazine and one in a local newspaper.
Hi lucasai,
Thanks for your further insights from your own blogging experience. I must say it has never occurred to me to keep my blogging hobby a secret from my friends or family. A few read it, but I am fine with the fact that perfume is not most people’s cup of tea. Were you perhaps concerned you might bore them, or what was the thinking behind keeping quiet?
I know what you mean about bloggers mutually commenting and linking to one another – that does happen to quite an extent, but is by no means certain. I am sure I read blogs of people who don’t read mine and vice versa. It probably all evens itself out in the end and is more or less fair in a “karmic” way. Or that is the hope!
The main reason was the fact that I didn’t want to give us the reason to argue over my article or it’s subject. I also sometimes blog about things that I don’t tell others, so I didn’t want those “little secrets” to come out. I used to treat blogging more serious-subject-writing-focused, but nowadays I write about my everyday life and write more serious articles from time to time.
Hi lucasai,
That makes perfect sense now. I must say that Facebook is a veritable minefield in that regard, as people from all walks of your life see the same updates, sometimes with tricky consequences…
: – )
A very interesting and well-written post! But now you’ve made me feel guilty as I find I’m reading fewer rather than more blogs these days. Blame my Kindle! 😉
And I’d add a number six: keep your site extremely well-protected from viruses, etc. I no longer read a favorite blog as one day when I got on the site, my computer flashed a virus warning about that site and then promptly crashed! It took our tech guy a week to get my computer straightened out.
Hi Rappleyea,
I didn’t mean to make you feel guilty, haha! I think people’s reading habits naturally evolve. Three years ago I spent most of my time on a particular music forum and MySpace. I haven’t looked at my MySpace page in forever, if it is still there, indeed! Kindles have definitely been as life-transforming for people as iPods and -Pads and -Phones, though I am still resisting at this point. That said, I was reading a big hardback book the other day and thinking: “This really is almost too heavy to hold”, so even I may crack one day.
Thanks too for the tip about security – there is one perfume site I love which IE refuses to load for some reason. I don’t know if that is to do with security per se or just a functional glitch at my end. I have problems with people not being able to comment from time to time on my own blog, but hopefully it is not a health hazard in any more profound way!
I resisted for a long, long time as I love a real book – love the paper, the smell, the feel, etc. But it got to be a matter of space and so I grudgingly gave in, and now I love my Kindle. Quite addicted in fact!
Hi Rappleyea,
I can definitely see it being a matter of weight on planes and space in suitcases…not a problem at home so much, but in transit for sure.
An excellent post! To me, “play nicely with others” is the most important of the 5. I don’t much care if someone’s reviews or articles are not the most original thing in the world, but if they attempt blogger rudeness- oh, it’s on!
Sorry – this threaded comment business is the one of the beauties of WordPress, and you can tell I am not used to it!
Hi Ari,
Yes, I think being mutually supportive is key in this as in any other type of community, and there are very few playground fights in Perfume Land, as far as I can tell!
My husband’s been after me to start my own blog and has even offered to help with the set-up. But I was leery of the time commitment involved, and still am. Thank you for the helpful advice should I ever make the leap!
Hi maggiecat,
That is so nice of your husband to encourage you to start your own blog – about perfume, I assume? – AND to offer to help on the technical side. I would have thought that spouses were more likely to object to their other half disappearing down this particular Internet rabbit hole. : – )
Yes, blogging takes up much more of my time than I ever imagined – I also wake up in the night with ideas for posts and titles and odd bits of imagery – so in extreme cases it may also interfere with sleeping patterns, and I would also advise a pad of paper by the bed!
Though I do want to stress that other people manage to combine more frequent posting cycles with greater responsibilities than me (eg children etc), and seem to take it all in their stride, so my experience is just a personal take on the matter.
Hi Maggiecat- my husband has also encouraged me to start a blog about perfume. When we first met I was writing a lot but haven’t put much time into into for several years. I think I’m intimidated by the very first item on the list – do I really have anything new to add to the conversation? I think that this should be the most important question for anyone pondering a new blog. Maybe that could be discovered by starting with a private blog as Lucasai has described. I like that idea a lot.
Hi Hardlyworking,
If I may say so, you have an encouraging name for someone considering starting a blog…: – ) – and husbandly encouragement like Maggiecat, which also counts for a lot.
The private blog idea (which is new to me as I say) might be a gentle way back to creative writing, which would enable you to see if topics flow and whether you are enjoying the process. Like a glorified journal maybe, that might evolve and suddenly feel ripe / right for publication.
Nicely said. I’m inspired 😉
Good stuff!
Very smart, thoughtful article. It’s nice to see you over here on NST!
I would only add that, like the private bloggers above, people start blogs for many different reasons. The whole idea of blogging has gotten much more professionalized in recent years, but I still love the DIY ethos behind it, and as someone who often trips over her own fear and perfectionism I have a lot of admiration and respect for people who start writing simply for the fun of it, make their mistakes in public and gradually evolve into finding their concept or angle (or not, as the case may be).
Hi Alyssa,
I can relate to your comment about “tripping over your own fear and perfectionism” – I am dogged by that myself to a degree, and it probably accounts for some of my extra “production time”. : – )
The DIY ethos is a nice aspect you raise, and I think that is more or less what I meant by “feel the void and do it anyway”. And though I have cited quite specific examples of “angles” in my post, I probably mean the term in a looser way. There are bloggers whose quirky persona or casually chatty style counts as an “angle” in my book, or someone who is particularly nurturing of their readers (I know I am using that word again). It can be anything from subject matter to style to general MO, as long as it makes that blog stick in your mind. And this point about finding an angle is probably going to be more important from now on than it has been up to now, just because there are so many more of us (as Denyse observes in the post I referenced).
I totally agree with you. And I’m glad you have a broad definition. I was just trying to say that it’s only “becoming more important” to have an angle if your goal is to stand out in a crowd and gather a larger following rather than just committing to a public record of your thoughts. I’m sure there are good conversations happening between bloggers I’ll never read and I love that.
And I am painfully slow, though getting better of necessity. Your 4-5 hours seems quite speedy to me!
Hi Alyssa,
That is a nice distinction you draw between those who wish to get their blog noticed and those who are writing a “public record of their thoughts”. A couple of my favourite bloggers I feel sure fall into the latter category, because of the random nature and sheer guilelessness of their topic choices, yet it is that very artlessness that has propelled them to reach a wider audience. Which is not to say that a good many other bloggers adopting a similar approach will not go largely undiscovered. And some of them may not mind either way. : – )
My own blog is pitched somewhere in the middle – I am aware of the buzz around particular launches, and might add my own take if I feel strongly motivated to chime in. But equally I post some really arcane trivia that is important to me, but which I just know hardly anyone will want to read – and that is okay!
And some other blogs I can think of which set out to review as many as possible of the key new releases are also performing an important service – you know that if you click in their archives you will find a post (to a consistently high standard) on pretty much any given thing you might be interested in, and that too is extremely valuable.
Oh, and 4-5 hours is speedy? (For the base draft, even?) I feel so much better for hearing that!
I’m another one to relate to the perfectionism problem. I too started a blog (not exclusively about frag). At first I found it really liberating to type something up in an hour or two and then ‘publish’.
Unfortunately I then started trying to ‘improve’ quality and started reading up more about the history of whatever brand the item I was reviewing belonged to…and then trying harder to capture the nuances and subtleties of the experience given by the item (whether jewelry, ornament, fragrance or dog toy!)
And soon, of course, it was labouring over word-choice, and saving for a week or more before daring to hit the ‘publish’ button, and even after that it was reviewing again and sometimes altering…
So it ended up being another project I had to ditch!
Hi Merlin,
I am sorry that you felt the need to ditch your blog, though I can totally empathise with that feeling of needing to do ever more work to nail all the aspects of a subject, if it is not to be too superficial a treatment of the topic in question at the end of the day. I am afflicted with similar self-doubt every time I do a “review” (I use the word advisedly) on Bonkers of any scent that is iconic or currently generating a lot of interest. My industry knowledge is limited and my nose an unfortunate combination of a blunt AND fickle instrument, plus you can only get so far with secondary research. I have worked on the principle that the use of humour cuts me a fair bit of slack, but I could be misguided in this view!
A dose of wit excuses just about everything!
Even in reviewing a vase I felt like I was continually stretching after some fine aesthetic quality that was hovering JUST beyond me. Eventually the light touch got kind of buried and even the humour laborious! But, as noted, there are enough blogs around for the world to keep revolving without mine.
Imagine my surprise to see you over here! I’m thrilled! Love to read you anywhere. I have no intention of starting a perfume blog, or any other blog, for that matter. NST and Bonkers on my tiny list of regular reads. I barely have enough time to read, let alone write. Thanks to you and all the writers here, we so appreciate what you do!
Hi lovethescents,
As you are a mother of two small children with a demanding job, who manages to cook from scratch (total respect!), tend a garden, do DIY, maintain a full social life and look fabulous! (especially today!), why am I not surprised that you have no time to start a blog… : – )
I am just very happy to be on your small list of regular reads!
I love seeing more of your writing, Vanessa!! Your sense of humor is what drew me to Bonkers in the first place.
The point about time is an important one; I can share what worked for me best of all–to find a theme unifying several posts and to plan well in advance. I format the posts during my commute (formatting is time consuming, but it is relatively easy.) I write every morning for a certain amount of time before work starts, but I usually schedule each posts well in advance (sometimes weeks.) So, the posts are staggered, if that makes sense. This way I get a chance to step back and reconsider what I was going to write, add more information or streamline, and I do not have to worry the night before that I do not have anything to post. And if I don’t, it’s ok too.
In the end, if you love your subject, you find time and everything falls into place. Blogging has been a great experience for me above all for the community of like-minded people I found, who are very generous and passionate. I love that you can go around and leave a comment on any blog, and whether you are a regular commenter or just a lurker who occasionally chimes in, you will be greeted warmly and acknowledged. I don’t see it in other types of blogs, for instance. Responding to each comment individually is something that’s very perfume blogging specific.
Hi Victoriaf,
Thanks very much! I must say I loved seeing more of you generally over on Ari’s blog… : – )
Very interested to learn about your own blogging MO. I sense you work in a similar way to Olfactoria, who is another highly organised blogger whom I admire greatly, and who I understand salts away posts for times when she might need to deploy one eg when family commitments intervene.
Often the busiest people get the most done, because they know to make each window of free time really count…
Me, I have a big repository of titles I would like to treat, so I never run out of ideas in that sense, however, other than jotting down some themes or imagery for the odd one – or their punning titles, quite often! – my posts are all written “to order” on the day (this one for NST being an uncharacteristic example of an “advance production”!)
The warmth of reception on perfume blogs is exceptional, I agree – I have commented on some “lifestyle / interiors”-type blogs and never seen a response, and it does leave the reader a little crestfallen to be honest not to have one’s time and effort – and interest – acknowledged. Hence why a timely response to comments matters a lot to me on my own blog – and I shall do my best here (Greenwich Mean Time and an eventual requirement to go to bed permitting!)
Great article, Vanessa. Great timing too – and that’s all I’m going to say about that. 😉
Hi Dionne,
Do I infer that you may have a new blogging venture in the offing which we should look out for! if so, the very best of luck with it…
I shall (as they say), “watch this space” – and keep clicking on your name till it yields a linK! : – 0
Great topic, great article!
I remember that quote from Denyse (or a very similar comment from one of her interviews on another site). It stuck with me b/c I’m one of those people who added to the din by starting yet another blog–one I rarely keep up. I nearly went private at one point, but decided that for now, knowing anyone *could* read my posts makes a difference to me, even if, in fact, nobody does. I’m heartened to read several posts here from others who get personal fulfillment from blogging, even if they are not ready to go full out, get on a schedule, publicize, etc.
I have *huge* respect for bloggers who find that sweet spot where the professional and confessional meet; who not only write well and post regularly, but who manage to find a voice that others recognize and want to hear. You’ve done all of that with Bonkers!
I”m really enjoying all of the comments here on your post, too.
P.S. Just realized you are the VM I knew from BN (Nostalgie, here)! I didn’t realize you had started a blog. All is illuminated!
Nostalgie – I remember you well. My BN attendance did take rather a nosedive when I started my blog – there it is, something has to give maybe… Yes, I am flittersniffer aka VM I hate civet, though I seem to be coming round to civet (in a small way) these days, and have the knives out more for lavender – or it for me… : – )
So glad you and civet are getting along better now!
In another life I will choose one user name and stick to it on every site, blog, forum and social network.
Quimby, I think I should do that too… To confuse matters further, I am florientalgirl on MUA, while people are even starting to call me “Bonks”…. : – )
Hi Quimby,
That quote struck a chord with me too because Bonkers was quite new at the time like your own blog, and my first thought was: “Oh no, I am a tumour, and a noisy one at that!” But as I say in the post, it was a colourful image that was not intended to be be applied to the letter.
I am glad you stayed public and derived satisfaction from just having your material in the public domain. And yes, it is nice that this post has winkled out some small scale bloggers, proving that personal fulfilment can be found at any level..
And thanks for including me in those bloggers who have found “the sweet spot where the professional and confessional meet” – what a cracking expression! Just the sort of phrase I wish I had invented!
And to be honest, I wasn’t sure that I *had* achieved that with Bonkers, as it is quite maverick and personal, and I don’t tend to overtly invite interaction though I am delighted when people comment – as you have here!
[ed note: link removed, see comment below] I write something up when I have the time and desire to do so. For me, this is about sharing what I have learned, nothing else. I post it at BaseNotes.net too, and have received helpful comments/criticism, which in some cases has led me to edit some of the blog entries. I don’t see any problems with fragrance blogs, and I really like how they tend to have at least slight different perspectives and foci.
Hi BigslyFragrance,
Sharing what you have learned sounds as fair a premise as any to found a blog on! Interesting about the feedback from BN. As you say – and I would agree – most fragrance blogs that I have come across do have those slightly different slants to them.
You know, we have a simple rule here that you don’t link to the front page of your own website…all you need to do is edit your profile (link on the right column) and put your website in your profile, then your name becomes a link when you comment, and people can find your site. Thanks!
Very nice article. I would like to add a sixth requirement: ‘Make sure you can actually write’. Admittedly, I am anal about the basics of good writing, but some blogs used to drive me to distraction. I stopped reading them pretty quickly. It isn’t enough to ‘like’ writing and have something to say, you need to be able to get the message across.
My own blog (not about perfume) is now defunct: by the end, I felt I was repeating myself and believed – I’m sure quite rightly – that my readers were as bored as I was with what I was writing. I miss it because the more you write the easier it gets and, for me, writing has now become fairly hard again.
Hi Bela,
You are a woman – I take it you are a woman, in the light of Dilana’s comment above? A French woman if I remember rightly! – after my own heart, I was going to say. I am passionate about spelling and grammar, and a staunch defender of the apostrophe in particular. But I realise you are mostly getting at the importance of having a cogent and engaging style,
Hi, Flittersniffer,
Yes, I am a French woman. Actually, I wasn’t just talking about ‘the importance of having a cogent and engaging style’: I too think that good spelling and grammar are an essential part of good writing. They are the building blocks of good writing. Too many people are deluded about their writing skills. Their friends keep telling them that what they write – which is not edited – is wonderful, and they believe it.
I’m older and I’ve loved perfume for a very long, but I’m not knowledgeable enough to write about that subject myself. My particular mission is to teach perfumistas how to pronounce French perfume names.
Hi Bela,
I have now looked you up and everything makes sense now – I do remember your being consulted on pronunciation matters on blogs in the past. And yes, a natural flair for writing is important as well as a grounding in the basics.
Indeed, there used to be queries about pronunciation practically every day on MUA. For some unfathomable reason, they are very rare now. LOL!
Aaargh! ‘for a very long TIME.’
Good grief, yes! I recently read few perfume reviews written in very … creative English. Sadly amusing.
Hi lupo,
Sounds like a more straightforward style of writing is your preference too. I would describe my own style as wordy, but not particularly lyrical. I am sure that every type of writing has its fans…
Rarely do humor, whimsy and a fine analytical mind combine the way they do in that cranium of yours, Vanessa! Enjoyed all of your points and observations, here. It should be noted that further to the “plays well with others” discussion, I consider you the Secretary of State of the Fumiverse in your efforts to track down and meet every local blogger possible in your world travels.
As to the proliferation of perfume blogs, I’m all for it! More voices means more enthusiasm for the thing that we’re all enthusiastic about. And personally, when I’m trying to get a bead on a perfume that might be the newest “the one”, there’s nothing more helpful than comparing/contrasting lots of different opinions.
Hi Katie,
Thanks for that generous tribute – I must say that you and your hilarious blog have served as role models along the way!
And yes, it is true that while the frequent foreign work trips mean less time for blogging, they have also afforded me a number of opportunities to meet and go sniffing with far flung fellow fumeheads – sometimes more than once!
I suspect the I-Spy series of children’s books may have been a British phenomenon (I-Spy Trees, I-Spy Trains, Dogs, Birds, Cars etc), but I certainly have nearly enough material to fill an “I-Spy Perfumistas” one. : – ) And I intend to track down a good few more if I can (Belfast and Berlin here I come!) before my happily itinerant lifestyle is completely supplanted by Skype.
The more the merrier. Perfume bloggers are definitely not a cancer.
Do play nicely with others, because some are good at bad mouthing.
Try to bring something new, do not always write about the two same perfumers you befriend with. Don’t underestimated the power of the unspoken, be sincere because your readers will feel it.
And who knows, masters like Serge Lutens may even insist on meeting you.
Hi Le Critique de Parfum,
Wise points, well made…
I hesitated at least one year before starting my own blog because there were so many talented perfume bloggers out there… I figured no one would ever read me. Then a friend said, “Write the blog as a way of keeping notes for yourself.” That made sense and The Perfume Chronicles was started. Appropriately, my first post was called, “Why Start a Blog”?
I’m not always happy about what I write. And, there are some perfume reviews I wish I could take back… or a few choice words which were too hasty. I haven’t always been generous and it takes alot of courage to speak truthfully about a perfume you love (or hate) when bloggers you admire all think the opposite of you.
In my case my blog unwittingly started a series of lectures on perfume in local libraries. Now THAT is a lot of fun! It always makes me laugh when a local newspaper runs my photo and in the caption they say (in french)… “un grand passionné de parfum”. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Great post and sorry for take up so much space here!
Hi Normand,
Thanks for sharing your own take on blogging, and I like the note taking approach. Undina of Undina’s Looking Glass keeps rigorous statistics of everything she samples, so that is a heightened form of “note taking”, you could say!
And I guess I do something similar in my travel reports at least: there I document what I sniff and the people I meet wherever I go, but there is no particular logic to any of the other posts.
And you raise an excellent point about regretting things you have written. It is so common to do a 180 on a perfume, and then at the back of your mind you remember there is a negative post knocking about somewhere in the archives of your blog from 2 years ago or whatever. Should you go back in and change it? Or accept that that is a snapshot in time of what you smelt and felt at the time. I have come round to individual notes, scents or entire houses after a certain amount of time, and my archives are not going to be consistent as my taste evolves – or changes, certainly!
What fun that your blog sparked interest from your local community and led to a series of lectures. I am sure that compared to most people, we are all “grands passionnés de parfum”, even allowing for some negativity in there. This is only natural I’d say, and as you observe, can take courage to voice.
Thanks for this thoughtful post, and in advance for also planning to share what you have learned from blogging. I do admire and appreciate those who put in the time to blog. I can barely keep up with the three or four blogs I read regularly and post a comment or two. The thought and care that go into even the simplest post and illustration are evident. I also appreciate the creativity and skill that goes into the banner and lay-out.
Huge thanks to you and to all who blog on perfume! While I don’t read very many blogs regularly or semi-regularly, I do often click on the commenter names that appear in lavender here and explore blog rolls whenever I have the luxury of time. In fact, it’s one of my favorite treats!
Hi NozKnoz,
Thanks for your lovely comments about the blogging community. It is true that there is a lot of work involved, especially on the most frequently updated blogs like NST; I am sure that all the bloggers who may be reading will be pleased to know that their time and effort is appreciated.
And I do that “clicking on names” thing too myself, and have discovered a few interesting blogs that way!
I am not a blogger of any kind and have no intention of becoming one. I can see how it would be important to keep perspective, though, for those who want to pursue such things. I don’t think anyone wants to be the equivalent of the self-deluded, narcissistic American Idol auditioners who think that they are the gift to the world, if only they could be given a chance to prove it!
Me, I wouldn’t want the pressure to be interesting and entertaining consistently! I appreciate those who are willing to take on the challenge and succeed.
Hi Marjorie Rose,
You raise a valid point which we have not discussed here yet of narcissistic leanings on the part of would-be bloggers, and the analogy with American Idol is a good one. I held off from starting a blog for a good year after I was immersed in my perfume hobby, as I didn’t feel qualified to speak about fragrance, and I do still feel that to a degree. It can be no bad thing to take a reality check now and again, not least when you are thinking of starting a blog.
I’m the same. I appreciate interesting blogs, I get bored with mediocre ones, and I have no intention whatsoever to start one. I’m member of a couple of perfume related websites, but I admit I very rarely contribute, while I enjoy someone else doing it. Sit and watch, that’s my attitude towards blogging 🙂
Hi lupo,
I think you just neatly defined “lurking”! Well, speaking for myself, I am grateful for readers who visit my blog on any footing. Even the ones who landed there by mistake…
: – )
So very true what you said. 🙂
I find the time aspect in my case to be the most problematic part. But that will change too (at least I hope). 🙂
Hi Ines,
Happy Birthday! I think I have got that right… : – )
Yes, I do find the time aspect particularly tricky to manage, and I haven’t got the answer to that. That said, Victoriaf’s system above (and doubtless the one used by the team on NST – for this post was written in advance, as I mentioned) sound very organised.
Thank you Vanessa! 🙂
I seem to be finding your birthday wishes everywhere (not that I mind – it’s a lovely surprise).
Yes, it is a bit like one of those treasure hunts we used to have at kids’ parties – where will you stumble across the next greeting… ?
: – )
What an interesting and timely article. I have just started a blog, which is going to stay low key for now (perhaps for ever!) until my writing skills develop. I just looked at all my perfume one day and the impulse to write about them became overwhelming. It will be combined with my other deep passion for jewellery and gems.
The explosion of blogs can only be a good thing, as that energy is positive. Some will thrive, some will disappear. The tumour analogy referred to above is unpleasant, but it has certainly provoked debate.
I do wonder whether perfume noses and manufacturers do any market research via blogs. Perhaps there is scope for some joint blog campaigning – Smaller Bottles Please for example.
Hi sunsetsong,
I am with you on the Smaller Bottles Please campaign – one or two perfume houses have taken note I see, and even the Chanel Exclusifs are available in a somewhat smaller – but arguably still fairly whopping! – 75ml size. I think the industry is increasingly recognising the influence of blogs, or that is my impression.
Good luck with your own blog – the combination of perfume and jewellery / gems sounds very appealing, and I am sure will make for some mouthwatering photos!
I’ll join to Smaller Bottles Please campaign. Sometime ago I was talking exactly about it. If there was more smaller bottles my collection would be so bigger…
Hi moore,
I suspect all of us would have – hmm, maybe having *a load* more small bottles (as I am sure I would be tempted to do) isn’t such a good thing after all, given the current size of my collection! : – )
Hello all. What with different time zones and the working day, I’m just now discovering this discussion. I admit my wording in the post you refer to was not very happy, and I’m a crestfallen it’s popped up again. Of course it was a metaphor, which is how I hope most people understood it, but it was insensitive, especially for people who’ve lived through the real thing, directly or through their loved ones. So I’ll take this opportunity to apologize to those who found it hurtful.
The feeling it sprang from was something I was going through when I wrote it over a year ago: that just as the number of new houses/launches was growing to uncontrollable proportions, the writing that was springing up all over the place made it impossible to follow everything. Now just as I’m made my peace with not being able to keep track of everything that comes out, I’ve come to terms with missing out on a lot of good writing. C’est la vie…
Perfume is an incredible writing generator, and the online perfume community has literally changed its object, since now in addition to the stories the industry gives out, there’s a new story written every time someone posts about a scent. So that really, there can never be too many stories.
Denyse
Denyse, I can see now why it was an unfortunate word choice, and *I* apologize if it bothered you to see it again here, but the metaphor was in some ways a good one — after all, it stuck in people’s heads, including mine (although obviously Vanessa wrote the post above). And I know exactly what you meant — I too am both glad to see such a flowering of activity but at the same time I very much miss the feeling of being able to “follow everything”, which is now literally impossible if you plan to leave your computer, ever.
Denyse, I didn’t mean to cause offence by raking over old coals or sleeping dogs or whatever the phrase is. I’ll admit to having had a bit of a wobble when I read your original post – I think we had a dialogue about it in the comments at the time – but I hope I have correctly conveyed your intended message, and the fact that the image (powerful as it was), was not meant to be rigidly applied. You make a very valid point that the proliferation of blogs has led to a fragmentation of the blogosphere, which can make it difficult to keep track of everything – or to communicate with one another. There is an analogy to be drawn with the explosion of TV channels – when I was a child, there were only four channels and everyone was united by having watched the same programmes the night before. Now people can be interacting with any one of a zillion channels – if they are even watching TV at all!
Vanessa, Robin, no offense taken at all! I was just sad to remember that I’d hurt some people back then by shooting my mouth off. Always a problem with self-publishing, isn’t it? Especially when one is afflicted with the impulsive Arian temper…
Anyway, it launched a lot of discussion and that’s not a bad thing especially since, as you note in your post, the perfume community as a rule is incredibly courteous.
I am glad about that, Denyse, and I am certainly no stranger to “shooting my mouth off” now and then, as I discuss with Normand a little higher up. And I quite agree that your comment has been a catalyst for a constructive discussion of the whole rationale for blogging – and may well have been a key inspiration for my post (though it is a while since I wrote it, so I’m not entirely sure of that!).
I saw this post a bit late, and I find it very interesting.
I’m not a blogger, I am just a reader and occasional commenter (a typo-spreading commenter, that is).
I am amused by the fact that an increasing number of people feels the urge to publish on the web their feelings about fragrances. The option of writing for one self is so 1900 apparently.
As a reader I feel ashamed for many bloggers, the misinformation they promote, their naif aims to self promote via massive courtesy links, serial interviews, joint projects, patronizing certain brands and/or particular kinds of perfumery (the natural, the exclusivissime, …).
While everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, if you publish a post you *should* do your homework first.
You *should not* feel slighted if the occasional perfumer expresses his opinion on your work: you are doing the same (Poor Mr. Lubin, I’d buy Idole just for what has happened to him: he dared to publish a rough comment on a blog).
You *should* be open to criticism.
Of course, it’s just wishful thinking: no one can set rules to blogging, but if you are not ready to accept to the good and bad of this hobby, to improve the quality of the information you spread, you’ve chosen the wrong time-filler IMO. A la Morticia Adams does red cross!
As a reader, I am glad I can do one thing. Stop reading. Or laugh out loud. Or maybe risk to come off as impolite in the comment section.
😛
I am happy I have a bunch a blogs I love and trust, where I really feel I home. Thank you NST!
Hi Zazie,
Thanks for your detailed comment in which you raise a number of important points bloggers of which bloggers should be mindful, notably the one about doing one’s homework first. I worry about that a lot, and I daresay there are factual inaccuracies in some of my posts. In a recent one about a perfume event, the organiser came through and corrected me on a couple of points which I had either misheard or jotted down wrong, and I must say I was pleased she did. But often bloggers don’t have anyone to help with the editing side of things and I put my hand up and say we are none of us perfect in that regard.
As for your thoughts on the networking side of blogging, as I explain in my post, I am a bit torn on this one. I think the mutual back scratching fulfils an important role, but the overall level of “noise” generated by all these interactions does concern me, and as Robin says, sometimes you think that you daren’t leave your computer for two minutes for fear of missing a ton of new stuff appearing. Logically, that doesn’t seem right, but the world is evolving more and more towards a state of permanent information overload!
Not forgetting proofing their comments! (sorry for the double “blogger”…) : – )
Please don’t say this: you make me feel ashamed for my many typos and english mistakes!
Actually, when I speak about homework, I am not referring to tiny ortgraphic mistakes, or little details that get mixed up in copy paste.
Now that I think of it, I’ve not only posted comments but written few reviews – on makeupalley. Each time I’ve checked and re-checked lists of notes, compared concentrations on skin, the perfumer and the year of lauch, the rumors and the facts… I would expect the same or higher level of “pre-post anxiety” for a blog review. But that’s just me… and many could argue that I what I say for bloggers should also stand for commenters – and with all my mistakes… I should shut up! But I am talkative…
Hi Zazie,
No worries at all! It is good to talk – and you make some very thought provoking points. I did think you meant “mistakes” in the widest sense, and agree about the need for a degree of research and background/fact checking by bloggers if they are presenting a proper review of a scent. I don’t research every possible aspect of a perfume, often because other bloggers have covered those areas before me, and I tend to approach almost every subject from a more informal, lighthearted angle. However, if someone is putting together a comprehensive overview of a fragrance release a lot of work does tend to be involved – or probably should be.
Hi, Vanessa Bonkies! Lovely to see a post from you here on NST, and such a good one, too, with good advice and your usual, enjoyable, sense of humor.
I started blogging just for myself, and decided I would not aim the blog specifically toward perfume. Why not? I figured that I am the Anti-Expert, first of all, and I didn’t want to spend the next fifteen years learning about perfume before writing about it (not that there’s anything wrong with that!). Secondly, I made the assumption that there might come a time when I didn’t want to write about perfume any more, and wouldn’t that be a huge disappointment? Thirdly, I do have other interests, and I wanted to be free to write about the farm or my new favorite book or the bathroom remodel (should such a thing ever happen!). I have tried to make it clear that I’m no critic, I’m a reviewer, and I have personal biases and holes in my knowledge, and what I have to say about a particular fragrance shouldn’t be taken as the definitive review but rather as part of the online discussion of it.
I love that so many of us are writing about our passion. There are so many blogs I enjoy reading (I continue to have trouble commenting on BaP, but I come by and read you several times a week!), and meeting lovely new perfume friends. I love it that I can sit down and just bang out some thoughts on my laptop, and push a few buttons – and WOW, THAT’S MY STUFF, RIGHT THERE ON THE INTERNETSES! ANYBODY COULD READ IT! WHAT A THRILL!
As a side note on blogging: I have noticed that the quality of writing on my blog has downgraded since I’ve been spending more time working on my novels – it’s more the telegram-style diary thing than lyrical reviews. I’m sorry about it… but only a little sorry. I’ve only got so much brain space, and I want to put it to work on the books first, with the blog getting the sad leftovers. Sigh.
Hi Mals86,
Vanessa Bonkies? Whatever next! Now I remember your baseball post on NST very well, and your blog shows how other topics can be neatly incorporated with the theme of perfume. You futureproofed Museinwoodenshoes from the start to allow it to go off in other directions, as indeed happened. Now I know you say you are an “Anti-Expert”, but what you do have is a very fine nose indeed. The combination of that nasal prowess and facility with words means that your reviews are also a “reference” for many perfumistas, myself included. And your blog may only be getting your “sad leftovers” at the moment, but they are high quality leftovers given the banqueting table from which they fell… ; – ).
Wonderful post Vanessa! And what a delight to see you here 🙂
Perfume blogging is a funny thing… I feel like I sort of just happened into it. What started as a private repository for my thoughts on the fragrant world unfurling before me became, over time, a public space (much to my surprise! And delight!), and I didn’t approach it with any intention. And I still don’t really feel like it has any direction… But it’s rewarding, and I don’t see an end in sight 😉
Sorry I am late to the party!
Hi Dee,
I am sure your many readers are delighted you decided to go public and we look forward to a post about your scooter!
(I named her Dolly! She looks like a cupcake!)
😉
Great! : – )
A timely post, considering the proliferation of perfume blogs out there. I would never consider starting one. Although I enjoy reading several blogs regularly, and discussing fragrances in comments and forums, I have no unique voice or perspective on the subject. I just love the ‘fumes, learning through my reading, and getting to know fellow ‘fume-heads. In the variety of blogs I frequent, I am impressed by the civility I have encountered. Each person has her/his loves/hates, but I accept that and look upon our differences as humorous rather than insulting.
Just my two cents, but I prefer to read blogs that offer both positive and negative reviews. Note that “negative review” does not equate with “character assassination”. Yes, people have different tastes, but the writers are knowledgeable enough that they can also judge a perfume on the quality of its ingredients, if it lives up to its brief, if it starts out well but falls apart in 15 minutes, etc. I gave up reading a blog that offered nothing but puff pieces on fragrances (including those that received less-than-good reviews on other blogs I respected), and fawning articles on perfumers. Not to mention that the posts were so long that I would give up on them, exhausted.
I’ll end by adding that the blogs, forums, and discussions thereon are making perfume consumers a powerful voice in the market. We have served notice to the industry that we are frustrated with endless launches of cookie-cutter fragrances, that we will not accept poor quality, and we have expressed our anger over reformulations of classics and being lied to about it. This is a positive development IMHO!
Hi fleurdelys,
Thanks very much for your detailed and considered comment on different aspects of the perfume blog scene. It is my experience that bloggers do tend to joke about their divergent tastes, and if you get a mix of takes on a particular scent, it helps anyone reading pinpoint where it falls in the spectrum of their own preferences. I don’t think puff pieces advance the cause for readers any more than the waffly ad copy that accompanies perfume launches gives the consumer much of an idea of what they are buying! : – )
And yes, I think collectively the blogosphere is an increasingly influential voice that the industry is slowly taking notice of. Niche scents are gaining a wider audience and popping up in the national press these days, and I am sure some of that is down to blogger reviews trickling up.
Also, when I talk about a new blogger finding “an angle” – assuming they are interested in getting noticed, say, which they may not be bothered about – I do mean that in the broadest of senses, as Alyssa and I discuss higher up. I guess I am talking about some kind of personal stamp that makes people remember you, which could be down to your job or circumstances, style, content, manner – all sorts of things that just mean people remember you and come back for more. If that is what you would like them to do!
All of which is also just my two cents too!
I’m a champion of being late to discussions but I just didn’t want to pass by without saying how glad I was to see you here: it’s like coming to one friend’s house and meeting another friend there unexpectedly.
Very nice article, thank you, Vanessa.
Hi Undina,
“Late” doesn’t come into it, and I hope you had a lovely birthday weekend! I like your analogy with meeting another friend unexpectedly… : – )
Vanessa! Fascinating post, and fascinating conversation. My own blog (I’m ChickenFreak, if it wasn’t obvious :)) is deliberately and consciously a slacker’s blog. I don’t worry about whether I’m an expert, or the fact that I blog about any little thing I feel like in addition to perfume, or, well, any other lack of perfection in my blog. But I quite agree that anyone thinking about a blog, whether a slacker or a careful scholar who carefully polishes every word written and every fact presented, would do well to think through your questions.
Yo Chickenfreak (as you would say yourself!)
There can only be one chicken-themed blogger out there – or maybe not – (“duplication is inevitable”, as I say in my other post), but I did think it was you, yes…
I know what you mean about a “slacker’s” blog, and that may turn out to be one of the reasons why you are such a distinctive voice – who could not enjoy listening to the whimsically whirring cogs of your mind even as you lament your lack of inspiration periodically, and post another gratuitous kitten picture?!
Though it looks like the sewing hobby has been coming to the fore lately, while the bacon-eating sprees are on the back burner? : – )