I’ve been thinking a lot today. Thinking too much, I suspect. I really needed to get much more sleep than my brain-that-is-used-to-early-starts and paper thin blinds allowed me to enjoy after a very late night, so I can’t verify the quality of my thinking but the quantity has surely made up for it. The brain time has largely been devoted to matters non-bloggy, but this evening it turned to something blog-related that I’ve been thinking about sporadically this week and I thought I’d break from my usual content and share my thoughts with you…
Gratuitous berry shot
I had a lot of fun with the RSPCA cupcake sale that I spoke of in my last blog post and it was great to be able to share it with you, but I felt somehow uncomfortable accepting the piles of comment love. Telling the world that you’ve just done something charitable seems to fly in the face of being charitable, and I started to regret having written about it at all.
The more I thought about it, the more I could justify it by thinking that firstly, my motivation behind discussing it on here was not to tell you all how awesome I am, and quite a few friends had let me know they were looking forward to reading the impending post so I felt like it needed to be written. Secondly, I hoped that perhaps I had inspired someone to get involved in the sale next year, or to make a donation to the RSPCA (you can actually do that using my WA Cupcake Sale page if you are interested in doing so), or even helped with some cute cupcake ideas for a birthday party. Thirdly, it was a good opportunity to publicly thank everyone that had either bought cupcakes from me or made additional donations.
Despite these logical justifications, I am still left with a feeling of discomfort, and all of this has got me wondering about when food blogging turns into food bragging? I know that when I come across a recipe that totally rocks and that I have real success with (case in point being my recently discovered vegan cupcakes), I’m excited about sharing it with you so that you can hopefully make and eat it yourselves or maybe share the recipe with friends. After the RSPCA post got me thinking about trumpet blowing though, I have to wonder if such excited blathering can come across as calling myself a smarty doodah pants?
A cupcake for your thoughts, anyone? Am I just being overly reflective on this cold winter’s night?
In the spirit of bragging, I thought I may as well use this opportunity to get some proper bragging out of my system. I went to Wimbledon this year. It is nigh impossible not to tell this to someone and not smugly grin at the same time. I am thus grinning smugly as I share these photos with you, and am not ashamed to admit it.
The long, unbraggable queue to get in involved Dutch louts (calling every girl who wandered anywhere near them "Princess"); an ingenious form of sun protection; people camping out already for the following day; the view from where I napped on the grass during some of the wait; and a man looking fabulously chuffed with his free cup of refreshing Robinson's squash.
I'm in! I'm in! Time to be as stereotypical as I possibly can, and drink a long, cold Pimm's followed by a bowl of strawberries with cream (even though I don't really like cream, I felt obliged to pour away).
Oh yes, there was some tennis as well
{ 76 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh…I am the first to respond…pressure! Great Wimbleton pics…showoff! ;-)
Now back to serious topics. Yes you are right in saying blogging is bragging. We are proud of a recipe, a find, an idea and we want to share it with as many people as possible. But really what harm is there in that? I always a blogger is an exhibitionist.
But that is OK. People love our blogs and leave comments because they want to. They are foodie voyeurs (some are also foodie exhibitionist…you can be both).
Never had it crossed my mind you were showing off with your RSPCA event blog. I felt it was a sincere good willed sharing of info. And there is nothing wrong with that. No more guilt!
Well said Evelyne. You lived up to the the pressure :) Blogging certainly is a form of exhibitionism, and I guess it’s a pretty polite form given that people are only ‘forced’ to witness it if they choose to visit the blog. I’ll pack the guilt away in a box for another cold winter’s night next year ;) Thank you.
Conor – you are one of the least braggy people and bloggers I know. When I read your RSPCA post, I in no way thought you were tooting your own horn – just sharing a great story about a great cause that you were able to do something about.
Yes, to a certain extent, blogging is bragging a little but – I mean we all like people to read our posts and validate what we’ve done from time to time – can you imagine writing posts and having no comments etc? Quite disheartening. Meanwhile, you manage to get tons of comments and followers without even tweeting your new posts (on a side not, bloggers reading this, take a look at your twitter feed every now and then. Your own. You might be surprised how often you are tweeting new post this and new post that. The same one. It gets tiresome) so I would say for a non-bragger you’re doing so well you don’t even need to.
Having met you in real life, I can see how you might feel conflicted about all of this but I would put it down to a case of the winter blues and try to brush it off. Keep producing amazing content like you do and there is no need to feel like you are bragging because you are not.
xoxo
PS: can’t even comment on Wimbledon without mentioning the insanely jealous person in my house if I ever mentioned this to him!!!
Thanks Mardi, you’ve managed to pull me up by my bootstraps very nicely. You’re right, of course, in that if it’s a choice between feeling a bit of a show off, and having so many great readers and comments, and not feeling like one at all but having none of that, then it’s pretty clear what I’d prefer.
Thanks a lot, I know who to get in touch with next time I’m feeling less than fabulous :)
P.S. My sister and I just bought our tix for next year’s Aussie Open!!! Maybe you should keep that to yourself as well.
Thought-provoking post. And for my part, I don’t think you should feel guilty or braggy (is that a word?) at all. What you’re doing is setting an example, and a good one at that. Keep it going!
Dan
Casual Kitchen
Thanks for your words Dan, and if braggy isn’t already a word then you’ve just coined it – congratulations :)
Also, thanks for visiting my site – I look forward to checking yours out more.
I don’t think all blogging is bragging, I think it depends on the tone and the person/subject involved. Food can be a “how-to” post; you have the knowledge, and are passing it on. I think it’s important that those of us who know how to cook pass it on to people who want to know so they can learn. How would anyone learn, then?
On the other hand, if someone only posted luscious pictures and were sketchy about how to make it as if they were the only ones good enough too, spoke continually about all the material items they own and refused to answer questions or comments, that would be different. Very, very few bloggers are like this and the ones that are lose traffic after awhile when people become bored of them.
Blogging about charity is hard. At one time I did, and everyone was singing my praises so I felt like you-embarrassed. I wasn’t talking about it because I expected accolades, I was talking about it because I was genuinely excited. So I stopped talking about it.
I really think that you are right in that it comes down to both tone and context. I know that I don’t view any of the blogs that I regularly read as being like that in your latter example, and I guess I just have to hope that I’m like the former! My gut feeling tells me I’m ok :) Thanks for laying all this out so succinctly.
I’m new to your blog, but now I’m curious! I will have to come back more often and read your posts. From the sounds of it, I’ve been missing out on a great read.
Follow your gut feeling. I’ve found that mine often isn’t wrong. :)
I’m not sure if blogging is bragging in the precise meaning of that word but I think I know what you mean. I use the feeling you describe about looking at my blog and seeing ‘show off’ written all over it as inspiration for my next post. After a few days my latest post starts to get ripe, for want of a better term, and I become anxious to get rid of it and move on to the next recipe or event I want to ‘brag’ about! But, it is nice when people comment, especially when they are inspired by something in your blog or share that they tried one of your recipes and loved it. So, I guess if we kept quiet and didn’t show off a bit we wouldn’t have as much fun in life ;-)
Patty that’s a great way to look at it! I have to admit that I certainly have showoff tendencies, so seeing this is a way to inspire myself and bring fun forward is a really positive way to approach this issue.
I like your use of the word ripe here too :D
I read your post and not once did I think you were bragging! The only thing that crossed my mind was ‘oh wow, if only I can bake like that’.
On another note, I went to Wimbledon for the first time too! I’m glad there was not a drop of rain to be had in the 2 weeks. Hope you had fun. Did you buy a T-shirt? I bought a mug?
Thank you. And you can totally bake that! You may be a late bloomer, as you say in your latest post, but you’ve got some mean baking skills!
Oh yes the weather was absolutely perfect for the tennis. I couldn’t believe how warm it was, even for an Aussie ;) I didn’t buy a shirt, but I got myself a gym towel and some flannels, and also a gym towel for my sister who was insanely jealous that I was there. Am sure if I’d bought a mug I would have somehow smashed it on the way home.
How fun that you got to go to Wimbledon – great pics!
Blogging is certainly bragging and also a great way to boost one’s ego as well :)
It was amazing! Hopefully one day I can go back and actually get tickets for Centre Court :)
Good point. We all need an ego boost every so often.
ha ha I love the look on that guys face with his free Robinson’s squash, it looks like its the best moment of his life.
I know, I feel like I captured such a beautiful moment. I didn’t experience the Robinson’s magic, so hopefully the best moment of my life is yet to come :)
:-). Wimbeldon,…..OMW. Oh My Word. What a notable event. Definitely doesn’t fall under the ‘bragging’ category, woman. We all tread the fine line but blogging is not for non-exhibitionists. The beauty is, when we find pple who write with soul, then we cast off all labels and take it for what it is. And….Dutch louts, I say nothing…living in the Netherlands as I do!
I was so excited to be there! Totally worth the ridiculously long queue time, especially when the sun was shining so nicely :)
Absolutely beautifully stated, thank you.
Hehe, yes, let’s not mention the Dutch louts again.
I’ve heard it before that bloggers are just stroking their egos with their blogs, but as long as you’re having fun doing it I wouldn’t worry about it. I’ve never once thought of you as braggy :) Also Pimms and strawberries & cream? LOVE!
Thanks Steph :)
Oh yes oh yes it was AWESOME. I bought a big bottle of Pimm’s duty free too, so when we finally get some warm weather I can recreate the magic!
Yep, you’re definitely over thinking it! :) I do understand what you mean when you say “Telling the world that you’ve just done something charitable seems to fly in the face of being charitable” but I don’t think that’s necessary true. It depends on the way it’s done, and the motivation behind it. Your motivation obviously wasn’t “look at me, I’m so awesome, I raised so much money” – and your regular readers know that instantly, because of the tone of your post, and also because you’re not that kind of person. :)
I think you might be right Agnes! I certainly have overthinking tendencies. You would think this PhD would be using up all my thinkingness, no? Hmm..
Thanks a lot :)
Well as blogging is done on a public space anyone can read it. If you publish an entry you expect that there will be people who read it and if more people read it, it’s a nice feeling because it does takes time and effort. But in the end it’s about sharing something that you love (ie: food) and as we are humans we will always share other aspects of ourselves as well which may include our interests/values.
I think the most important thing is to keep it real and you shouldn’t feel that you have to justify yourself to anyone as long as whatever you write is honest and you write first of all for yourself and not for other people. If you started writing specifically to get more people to read your blog or to get a reaction than it wouldn’t really be about blogging anymore you would be aiming to brag or to increase your ego.
Thanks Apex for reminding me that this is truly a forum for sharing a love. And really, when you’re sharing something you love then it’s got to be a good thing!
Also very true that you need to keep things genuine. I think if I started writing for reasons other than my own, I would lose all the enjoyment of it anyway and it would come crashing down. This applies to a lot of things in life, I think :)
I love that chuffed expression on the Pim-getting guy’s face :)
But your caption about the sun protection gear… are you sure that’s correct? Because I’m fairly certain that was just Lady GaGa.
Onto more serious matters… I really don’t think your cupcake post came across as smarty-pants-doodah-bragging. I think it’s all in the tone. If you’d written the post like “Ohai, this is my awesomeness, aren’t I awesome? You could never be as awesome as me, and I’m showing you and telling you this so that you know about my awesomeness”, maybe things would be different. But your tone is always entertaining, honest, and genuine about your pleasure in what you create here, and I see no problem in conveying such to us.
As someone who had to consciously teach myself to accept compliments, and still has a hard time not rebutting anyone who says anything nice to me, I understand your discomfort, but you know what? Let it go. Because you’re fantabulous. (And yep, I don’t care if that’s potentially making you uncomfortable in the same way. I like you – so sue me. :P)
Chuffed man is so great! I love it when you inadvertently capture such things on camera.
Whoa. It could be Lady Gaga, but I’m pretty sure if it was then the tape would not be so visible. She would have invisible tape, surely?
Ack, I know what you mean about accepting compliments. I find it as comfortable as accepting people paying for my dinner. I need to figure out how to be graceful in such situations. Well, I have to figure out how to be graceful in most situations in my life. I’m not exactly full of it. Grace, I mean.
Having said this, I will now start by accepting your statement of fantabulousness with thanks! You are too kind and also quite fantabulous.
I would like a cupcake for my thoughts… you can pay me at anytime ;)
Yes I think food blogging sometimes is bragging. But isn’t the whole concept of blogging a bit self involved anyways? We do love the comment love and hearing how jealous people are, but at the same time, I love getting jealous reading other people’s blogs seeing that they are having a great time on the other side of the world, or gorging themselves with their weight in chocolate.
Well done to you and your awesome fund raising! and keep up the bragging! =)
x
I’ll be sure to deliver on that Shellie. I’m not sure when, but one day, when you least expect it, that cupcake will appear.
You’re right, I can’t exactly be surprised to be having these thoughts about something that is essentially an exercise in showing myself to the world, in some way.
Thank you :) Let’s get back to eating our weight in chocolate.
Blogging is not bragging. We love to share we have eaten, cooked, baked. It’s sharing rather than bragging. Love your blog, always!
Thanks so much Ellie! Right back at you! Sharing not bragging, that’s a great way to put it :)
Bragging? No way! I liked your cupcake post, from the mouthwatering photo onward. Plus, it’s helpful to me to know how good or easy a recipe can be. Your blog on a whole just makes me laugh – your witty writing and keen observations are pure entertainment and it’s a delight to read.
Thanks so much Andrea, that’s really lovely of you :)
Bragging? Are you serious? I didn’t even think of that… you are over-thinking. But wimbledon – well, that is bragging…. sheeshh… see you next year in Melb ;)
Penny I need you to tell me that every so often. Possibly with a thwak over the head. Stupid brain, wish I had an off switch for it. An on switch too, actually.
YES! So excited. We got our tickets today!!! Flights booked too, woo! Bring on January!
No, I don’t think it’s bragging at all.. You did a wonderful thing raising $ for a charitable cause. Besides, you might just inspire someone to partake next year :)
Thank you :) You were a massive inspirational force yourself! Your cupcakes were incredible!
Mm not bragging – more like narcissism. But you don’t have to worry about that at all, you are far from narcissistic! I think most people write food blogs to share. Sharing is caring, right?
Loved the cupcakes btw!
Thanks Mei, glad to know I don’t have obvious narcissistic tendencies :) Now, where’s my mirror?
Sharing is indeed caring (well, sharing most things is), and thanks very much! Wish I could share the cupcakes with you :)
I think bragging is useful ; there is no hurt to have self confidence ; you wonder too much ; just act and do not care what others think this is good sometimes to be selfish ; bragging is good for health and for the brains it is good to hear that what you do is good : if people would brag more often they should not need to go to the Psychologist : so trust me brag and brag again !!
Pierre the French bragger !!
Pierre, I think if more people had blogs, and had you commenting on their blogs, there would also be no need to go to the psychologist. I will embrace your message and embrace the brag! I trust you! Let’s get bragging!
Awwwww…..Conor, never mind what some people say. I love you and your blog! :D I love what @Pierre just said above…..BIG smiles and laughing here…..so true…so true…haha :D We can’t please everyone. Just write what you enjoy. Keep bragging if you need to….I will still enjoy it!
Awww yourself :) Thank you thank you. Pierre’s comments are great, let’s all get bragging together! You’re right, if we just keep writing what we enjoy writing then it will all flow from there.
Hmm interesting question Conor. I don’t know if blogging is bragging although there is some overlap I suppose. I think of it more as sharing things that you are excited about and if you show someone how to make something then it not really bragging is it? It’s inspiring and showing people how to do it themselves. P.S. I did not think you were bragging at all! ;)
Thanks Lorraine, glad to know I’m asking something of interest and not just being a total over-analyser! Your comments make a lot of sense, and I think that indeed the general consensus seems to be that it doesn’t count as bragging if the intention is not to do so. Although, let’s all take a leaf out of Pierre’s book and embrace the brag. We’re all awesome! :D
Yes everybody !! follow me I am the Bragguru!!
Pierre
We’re right behind you Pierre, conga-line style!
I did not see it as a brag at all – from Elvis, to cupcakes, to success during the cupcake sale – I think it was great story! Please don’t doubt yourself, I have been reading food blogs and yours in particular for ages now and it actually provided me inspiration to start my own. Keep the good stories coming!
Thanks so much, that’s lovely to hear :) I’ll keep them coming if you do too!
Blogging is a bit of a public display but not necessarily bragging especially if you share your failures as well as successes. It can be about sharing your love for food as well as information/tips for cooking if you post recipes. And it depends on the tone of delivery, I suppose…
And the failures are often more interesting! Yep, all in the tone, it seems. Let’s just keep sharing the love :)
Hi Conor – trust you to worry your pretty head off about something that probably rarely occurs to others. It certainly never occured to me that you were bragging when I read your RSPCA cupcake sale post. I thought it was fantastic that you were using your blog as a vehicle to call attention to a good cause and providing it as a bridge for others who may want to help by their donations.
I’m probably saying nothing new here but whether or not blogging = bragging would in my opinion depend on the blogger. There are some bloggers who brag blatantly and sooner rather than later, they lose their readership. To add insult to injury , these braggy bloggers usually do not have the best content *GASP* ;)
You, my friend, are in no danger of losing us! Keep up the great work girl :)
Oh Denise, you are sweet! Making me feel better about the whole braggy stuff AND calling me pretty ;) I very much like your vehicle and bridge analogies.. they make my blog feel both strongly stable and zoomily dynamic. At least, I imagine the vehicle to be zoomy.
Thank you, great to hear as I start this new day!
You can brag a little! Lucky you going to Wimbledon – jealous of all that sun.
I think we all have licence to be a bit braggy :) Wimbledon was amazing, I still can’t believe how perfect the weather was. Of course all around me Brits were getting nice and red (we queued for so long that you could see just how burnt everyone was by the time we got in!) and I was slathering on the sunscreen.
As many of the comments on this post have pointed out, blogging is a form of bragging, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Personally, I like others to see what things I’ve made, how brilliant I am and how many people love me (thru Comments). Though judging by the number of comments, you are much more loved than me *sad face*.
And we all know what a lovely person you are – through your blog posts. If you were a self-centred bragging meanie, then we wouldn’t be flocking here. Unless you are a two-faced meanie. But as Don Lane used to say, I love your faces :)
Bel, I definitely have to admit I get huge thrills from my comments, so I think I need to embrace the bragging aspect of blogging. No no sad face! We loves you! You totally win the comment stakes! You’re loved more than cupcakes and sprinkles and frosting! More than ever… dare I say it… cheesecake AND brownies? Yes, there, I said it.
In some ways, blogging about anything can be seen as bragging or just plain attention seeking; however, I believe that most readers take any post in the spirit in which it is written. I also think that sharing the news about a good deed or charity is the best use of blogging. We should all feel a little better just knowing about such activity, even it we do not actually participate. Your post can also inspire someone to create a similar event in another area. Keep on sharing! If someone interprets a post as bragging, do not worry about it. (If I worried about the opinions of every reader, I would not have a blog at all!)
Thanks very much Elle, I think your point about the spirit in which it is written is spot on. And yes, worrying about what other people think with your blog, just like worrying about what other people think in all other aspects of your life, seems like a recipe for woe!
I don’t think your post was bragging at all – all of our blogs are a way of sharing our food experiences… and the RSPCA post was about a charitable cause. You shouldn’t feel uncomfortable at all!
It would have been a different story if you had of said something about yours being the best looking cupcakes and everyone should have been lucky to have one… which I can’t imagine you saying at all!
Thank you April! I actually felt like the lucky one having such a great turn out, but I guess anyone whose afternoon is cupcaked is also kinda lucky ;)
Well deserved bragging! Very. Jealous.
Aw thanks :D I’ll trade you some cupcakes for some of that super fancy expensivo sake?
Interesting point raised :) I guess if you’re putting it out there in your blog then you’re telling the world that you’re rather proud of your achievements. You’re not necessarily bragging by doing that though. On the other hand, I don’t know if bragging is such a bad thing either if it’s done in a balanced way. If you get a sense of humility and humbleness behind the brag, it’s kinda endearing :D
Continually bragging about shallow achievements (Oh, my boyfriend bought me another LV handbag…) would wear thin but I think what you achieved is totally worthy of telling people and what a great cause :D
Thanks Monica. You’re right, I certainly confess to being proud of many of the things I put up on here, and I guess this is ok after all :) Thanks heaps, and I’ll remember not to discuss my piles of expensive handbags ;) (or uh, my actual piles of cheap Bali handbags)
I think it’s great you shared this info and could encourage all of us to find ways to use our passion for food in a positive way!
Thanks :) Very nice way to look at it!
I guess everyone has said it already, but to add my support I don’t thinking blogging is bragging per se. Of course we love positive feedback, but more because we know the information we’re putting out there is helpful and valuable to others, and less to hear how awesome we are.
To write a detailed recipe for the charity cupcakes shows a desire to share and teach. It didn’t read like bragging to me :)
Cheers Emma, well said. I am a little alarmed at the ‘desire to teach’ part though, given my feelings about tutoring, hehe. Although… teaching things cooking related doesn’t involve the use of Harvard referencing, so it seems less likely to make me want to scream in frustration ;)
I think it’s sweet that you’d worry about sounding braggy but I don’t think you did at all! Doing something for charity and then talking about it in the way that you did can on;y inspire other people to do the same, so that’s a good thing. I don’t think of blogging as bragging so much (though don’t get me wrong, I have come across some bloggers who need to get over themselves!) as it is being proud of your efforts. Sometimes we fail and sometimes we succeed, but I think for most of us the point is that we’re passionate and want to share that. That’s certainly what comes across to me in your blog!
Thanks very much Trix, you’ve brought a smile to my face with your words! (and piqued a little curiosity about those bloggers who need to get over themselves ;) )
I must admit, of late I’ve had the exact some dilemma.
However, I have to disagree with you, not for a second do I think that talking about your charitable conquests is bragging. In fact I think its more like a public service announcement. Letting everyone know that good can be done, and here is one way of doing it!
The Wimbledon thing….100% unadulterated bragging!! I had tickets a few years ago, but didnt end up going due to a family crisis. Families always get in the way of cool stuff!!
Thanks Maria. I like the idea of me doing a public service announcement. Makes me feel important. Just turn to me next time there’s a cyclone – Radio Conor will keep you informed!*
Oh no! Disaster! There is no getting out of family crises when they happen, what a shame it had to coincide with Wimbledon, and with tickets too!
*Whatever you do, don’t rely on Radio Conor in case of cyclone.
I do not blog to brag…. but, I am older. I blog to promote learning and conversations about food. Yet, even at my age, it is hard to sometimes not “almost” get caught up in the comment competition “out here”. I love what comments were designed for: conversations about food. Not punctuation marks that mean “I was here, now you owe me”. I do always respect anyone who reaches out in anyway on my site by going back to theirs to get to know them a bit and almost always (but not always) comment back in hopefully a conversational way. People that consistently list their accomplishments on their sites annoy me. I am here to learn and to collaborate. And, to develop real relationships. So, if I do decide I am learning from someone and have something to offer in return, I start to comment – and will continue. Often, for a long time. If they don’t reciprocate, then it is not a mutually beneficial relationship, and eventually, I find somewhere else to spend my time. I have a lot to offer my readers, but I don’t want to do it in isolation. Otherwise, I would close my comments. Yet, I live another whole and full life, so, sometimes, I just record my recipes and cooking experiences, and I am not so engaging on occasion either.
But, I usually get back on track right away.
Even though I am a little off topic. these are the kinds of thought provoking posts that really do promote conversation and thinking and learning and collaboration. This happens less around food, and I wish it would happen more.
Nice to “meet you”!
:)
Valerie
Valeria, it’s a pleasure to meet you and thank you so much for your detailed and insightful comment. I particularly like what you have to say about commenting – it really isn’t something that bloggers talk about (in public anyway) and it’s really interesting to me to find out other people’s opinions on the matter. I think I would have to say I agree with you on this.
Thanks again for visiting and taking the time to make this very un-”punctuation mark” comment :)
I will be back!
:)