Is blogging and snap chatting as a career coming to an end?

Emmser

I'm a career guidance teacher and you wouldn't believe the amount of girls that study media or journalism in the hope of making a career out of blogging. I'm not saying it's humongous, but I'd defo have one or two girls, out of forty, every year.

This year however, not one person has mentioned it.

Are snapchatters dying out and losing credibility or all bloggers in general? What's going to happen? Will they be forced to 'return' to 'normal' work and working conditions?

Anyone any idea what direction marketing might move now? Is it YouTube videos? I notice the UK blogging industry is all about YouTube videos now and less about snap chatting and insta stories.

I've even noticed my own business Facebook page is getting viewer hits and Instagram gets double. Is Facebook heading to bebo land?!

I generally advise girls interested in blogging, to go the business route and possibly specialise in marketing. I think that's a good start. Then maybe do a makeup qualification post degree.

Anyway, trying to get ahead of the game and direct those eager beavers in the right direction! Any advice, particularly from those involved in marketing, most welcome.

Keepingitreal

By all accounts the emphasis going forward is on video either facebook/Instagram or youtube. All marketing experts have discussed this regularly over the year.

As a blogger who blogs outside of my day job, for real success to happen you need two things - social media/SEO acumen and fill a whole in the market. So I would advise anyone who would like blogging as a serious career path, do a good Digital marketing course whilst having the ability to identify their USP. Most importantly have a lot of grit and balls!!

dudara

I think the lightweights and the "blaggers" will drop away or be dropped. But, there will always be room for good content, well-written or well-produced.

Advice - learn to write and communicate well. Learn about digital marketing and SEO etc. Learn about photography and video creation.

Keepingitreal

dudara wrote: »

I think the lightweights and the "blaggers" will drop away or be dropped. But, there will always be room for good content, well-written or well-produced.

Advice - learn to write and communicate well. Learn about digital marketing and SEO etc. Learn about photography and video creation.

Love it and yes your right!!!!!

Cria

Faces by grace and Rosie connelly will be in the ****s if Snapchat stops being popular

witchgirl26

I think it's not sustainable in its current format potentially as there's just too many out there for new people to really break in and make a living. Also a lot of the bloggers I follow have quite open discussions on their channels about how difficult it can be to make a living from it unless you're the Zoella level. A couple I follow were completely honest about struggles with getting mortgages with their partners as they were self-employed essentially and having to provide 3-5 years of accounts etc.

I think what you're saying about marketing is good but a basic journalism course as an add on (like you're saying about the make up one) would be really good too as I find some bloggers writing is just not good and they could benefit from some skills you'd learn in these type of courses.

I've noticed that a lot more bloggers in the UK have moved away from Snapchat towards Instagram stories instead and I think this is good as I know a few of my friends and I were talking about how there's too many platforms to follow now. I never go on Snapchat anymore really.

retro:electro

I don't know if it's coming to an end to be honest but it's certainly not sustainable. I think it's imperative to have some sort of journalistic credentials under your belt for when it all ends and you want to fall back on something. A lot of bloggers these days don't have that. Most of them got a following through Instagram and then started blogging as a result of that success- I'd wager most who are in it for the love of blogging have it happen the other way around, and the success and following comes with respect of their blog.

Many who I follow (beauty and fashion) don't even blog anymore, or at least it's very sporadic content, and mainly ads. But ya, I wouldn't say it's going out of fashion any time soon- a quick look at Chloe Boucher's Snapchat from yesterday will tell you that. The amount of free stuff she got sent in the space of one week was, in my opinion, gratuitous. I can see how a teenager could be inspired by the amount of freebies and see it as a viable career option.

baby and crumble

I do think it also depends on the sector the blogging is in. The blogging community is far, far bigger than beauty and female fashion. If the person wants to get into blogging etc because they’re passionate about a topic/ like technology, education, social justice, etc then that will stand to them. It’s like everything though, people move to where the money is. I remember when I was in school and doing my leaving (199-2000) business and tech were the big big things. People who has zero interest in technology we’re learning to be software engineers.

retro:electro

I think with tech it's different. Like you would need to have a genuine interest in the technology and know your stuff and that can't be bluffed. Anyone can be a beauty snapchatter. All you need to do is ensure you have enough of a following on other social platforms, and you'll get sent free stuff to show on Snapchat or your blog. Tech bloggers seem to have genuine interests in what they're speaking about from the production, the quality, the materials etc.. they often compare products across the market too and I feel for the most part, are genuinely reliable and not bought. The beauty influencer industry in my opinion has just lost all credibility. They get sent stuff, show it once and never follow up. It's more "look what I got sent" rather than "look how this might interest you should you want to buy it".

Tombo2001

Thats the most nuts question I've seen for a while.

If there are 2 million people working and earning a salary in this country, would even 20 of them even make a proper living from Blogging or Snapchatting. There certainly couldnt be more than 50?

Its like asking is Astronaut as a career coming to an end.

It was never a career in the first place.

I have fairly strong views on this because I feel the careers guidance I got in school was so limited - college graduates have a knowledge gap when it comes to the jobs market.

School leavers even more so.

The jobs they have 'heard of' and can understand - blogger, professional footballer, rock star, movie star, graffiti artist, professional skateboarder - are completely misrepresentative of the wider job market.

The conversation should be - Here are 50 different jobs that account for three quarters of all jobs in this country. Which one are you interested in.

There is nothing worse that people at the age of 17 committing to a completely useless 4 year degree course, that they have to follow up with a post-grad in computer programming at the end.

Emmser

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Thats the most nuts question I've seen for a while.

If there are 2 million people working and earning a salary in this country, would even 20 of them even make a proper living from Blogging or Snapchatting. There certainly couldnt be more than 50?

Its like asking is Astronaut as a career coming to an end.

It was never a career in the first place.

I have fairly strong views on this because I feel the careers guidance I got in school was so limited - college graduates have a knowledge gap when it comes to the jobs market.

School leavers even more so.

The jobs they have 'heard of' and can understand - blogger, professional footballer, rock star, movie star, graffiti artist, professional skateboarder - are completely misrepresentative of the wider job market.

The conversation should be - Here are 50 different jobs that account for three quarters of all jobs in this country. Which one are you interested in.

There is nothing worse that people at the age of 17 committing to a completely useless 4 year degree course, that they have to follow up with a post-grad in computer programming at the end.

As far as I'm concerned, I cover all careers and courses with my students. I would never attempt to tell a student not to follow what they are passionate about. Instead, I'd be honest regarding the job market and always insist there's a fall back plan built somewhere in their college choice, particularly for careers with limited employment opportunities. Hence why I suggested business or marketing degrees with 'add ons' to follow.

By saying my question was 'nuts', perhaps you are taking your frustrations and the annoyance you had with a past guidance counsellor out on me?

I assure you, I'm more than honest and realistic when it comes to assisting students in their career choices.

And yes, if someone wanted to be a 'professional soccer player' or a 'rock star', I'd try and help them achieve it, whilst at the same time encouraging them to study a course that'll have a 'fall back' plan.

Just to add, every 'rock star', 'movie star' or 'professional soccer player' even an 'astronaut' was once a student!!

FizzleSticks

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Charles Babbage

222233

I think it's dying, I think it's over saturated and I think the main players have all cornered themselves by starting their own product lines. The market for their products is really only as viable as their following and they use their social media platforms to plug their businesses so much that it takes away from real genuine content, which I suspect will eventually just fade out.

I think it's become unauthentic with the level of advertising. The fact that so many of them have brought out products already released by others makes me wonder if they have just become tightly owned enterprises, under the same management, it was interesting to watch this trend unfold none the less, one releases a product and suddenly everyone has always dreamed of releasing a product. None the less absolute kudos to them all for their entrepreneurship, takes alot of work, I just don't think it's viable.

Lindy97

Most of them do feck all actual blogging anymore, it's just sponsorships and ads. If I want to watch ads, I'll turn on the tv, at least you know where you stand. Snapchat killed genuine blogging. Its great for the lazy ones who just snap crap all day with no intelligence, content or thought put into their "work". The ones that do blog don't seem to know how to use spellcheck or have a basic grasp of grammar.

Personally, I think it appeals to the whole "reality star" and becoming famous for very little work. Don't get me wrong, some of them do work very very hard but the majority that I'm seeing daily, have no jobs outside of it, and do feck all, but this appearance of having a perfect life is what people see and it looks so achievable. If someone wants to do it then fine but I'd recommend they have a back up career and also like anything, work hard and be ethical is the key.

Tombo2001

Emmser wrote: »

As far as I'm concerned, I cover all careers and courses with my students. I would never attempt to tell a student not to follow what they are passionate about. Instead, I'd be honest regarding the job market and always insist there's a fall back plan built somewhere in their college choice, particularly for careers with limited employment opportunities. Hence why I suggested business or marketing degrees with 'add ons' to follow.

By saying my question was 'nuts', perhaps you are taking your frustrations and the annoyance you had with a past guidance counsellor out on me?

I assure you, I'm more than honest and realistic when it comes to assisting students in their career choices.

And yes, if someone wanted to be a 'professional soccer player' or a 'rock star', I'd try and help them achieve it, whilst at the same time encouraging them to study a course that'll have a 'fall back' plan.

Just to add, every 'rock star', 'movie star' or 'professional soccer player' even an 'astronaut' was once a student!!

How many of your students have made a career from blogging?

And what do you mean by saying you try to help them achieve their career while encouraging them to study a course that gives a fall back?

Is not an either/ or situation.....

If somebody studies journalism because they want to be blogger - they wont also be doing an accountancy degree on the side.

In the pre-internet age when I was in college, the equivalent thing was probably acting. The drama school was absolutely packed with 'passionate' students who loved what they did. Ten years later ........ they are all sitting in a bed sit somewhere with no money and no job, and thats a fact. This is careers guidance we are talking about, not hobby guidance.

witchgirl26

Tombo2001 wrote: »

If somebody studies journalism because they want to be blogger - they wont also be doing an accountancy degree on the side.

I think what she means is that the journalism degree is the back up not some other random one. In other words don't just leave school at the end to become a blogger and have no other skill set sorted out in case that doesn't work.

Tombo2001 wrote: »

In the pre-internet age when I was in college, the equivalent thing was probably acting. The drama school was absolutely packed with 'passionate' students who loved what they did. Ten years later ........ they are all sitting in a bed sit somewhere with no money and no job, and thats a fact. This is careers guidance we are talking about, not hobby guidance.

It's career guidance and if someone wants to follow something they are passionate about as a career then I don't see the point in telling them they'll probably fail and they should do something else. Give the facts sure but what happened to encouraging people to set goals and do something they want to do as opposed to something that's "a good career"?

I know someone who did acting in college and no he doesn't have the most amazing job at the moment but he has one that keeps him going and he does acting work in different theatres and loves it. He's never going to be rich or famous but that wasn't why he went into it.

I'm not into the whole thing of telling teenagers these days that they are the most special things on the planet blah blah blah but I do agree in encouraging them to reach for their goals but with a sensible grounding.

Emmser

Tombo2001 wrote: »

How many of your students have made a career from blogging?

And what do you mean by saying you try to help them achieve their career while encouraging them to study a course that gives a fall back?

Is not an either/ or situation.....

If somebody studies journalism because they want to be blogger - they wont also be doing an accountancy degree on the side.

In the pre-internet age when I was in college, the equivalent thing was probably acting. The drama school was absolutely packed with 'passionate' students who loved what they did. Ten years later ........ they are all sitting in a bed sit somewhere with no money and no job, and thats a fact. This is careers guidance we are talking about, not hobby guidance.

Hi Tom, at the moment, one student is in college studying journalism and Irish. Fall back would be journalism, which I hear she loves, or Irish teaching, which there's a massive need for.

Funny you should mention acting! I myself went that route and didn't make it. No regrets, I wasn't good enough. I'm perfectly happy as a guidance counsellor and am fully qualified to teach Irish and English. I love what I do and I wouldn't have changed my route to get here. I'm a well rounded individual.