#I don't think you can avoid your blog from plateauing

[jimlingss]

do u ever find that your following on tumblr kinda plateaus and it slows down for awhile even if ur active?

do u have any tips on how to avoid that from happening?

yes, I do. After being here five years, I can say for certain it does but I’m not sure if it’s actually because my viewership/readership has plateaued or I, myself, have merely gotten used to the routine - of receiving messages, of receiving the same amount of likes, reblogs, followers, etc. 

For me, it kind of feels like both. I don’t know if it’s true, but it feels like the BTS writing community on tumblr as a whole isn’t as prosperous as it used to be. Thus it’s natural that over the years, my following has plateaued. But also, a few years ago it felt like my tumblr was more popping. HOWEVER, if I look at the actual messages I receive and the feedback, I get way more now. It’s odd. How is it possible I can feel this way? But it makes sense. When I started I was so entirely ecstatic to get one message. And 100 followers made me celebrate. At the beginning everything is always new and exciting. But after months and years, it started to matter less and less to me. so in that sense tumblr is a lot less exciting for me. not to say I’m not appreciative but my own engagement has plateaued and I’ve become a lot calmer. Which isn’t necessarily bad. 

Not sure if that makes any sense, but to actually answer your question, there are blogs that definitely have more engagement or that I’m personally more engaged with and I’ve noticed several things they’ve done...

1 - Consistency. I notice that blogs that have consistent followings are because the blogger/writer themselves are consistent. They keep posting, they continue to write series, oneshots, etc. Being active isn’t just posting about what you’re doing that day or what you’re eating or merely giving updates, it’s also being active in whatever the purpose of your blog exists for. 

(+ using tags with your posts is the way you can pull in new viewers).

2 - Increase Opportunities for Engagement. I can only really give advice for writing blogs since that’s really all I know lol. But what I’ve noticed is the writing blogs that continue to receive messages/engagement are the blogs that have opportunities to do so. What I mean is do ask my muse tags - these are just great for readers to ask questions and get new readers to check out said story. also polls where writers can ask what should happen next really increase involvement. I’ve also noticed that releasing teasers for fics also heighten the excitement. 

These two methods are probably the best ways. I have some other methods but they’re a bit more...botched lol and should be taken much more lightly...

3 - Collabs. They’re pretty difficult to pull off, but by collaborating with another writer, you’re pulling viewership from both blogs together (or how many you collab with) so that really heightens viewership. The feasibility of this, however, varies. After all, group projects aren’t easy — and that statement is prob enough to explain the difficulty of collabs.

4 - Recs and Reblogs. In the past, whenever I got a spike in followers, it was because another notable blog reblogged something of mine or I was recommended somewhere. Fic rec blogs and networks are honestly great in this aspect. However, being reblogged and recommended is pretty much out of your own control. ((Unless you recommend yourself LOL)). But I suppose if you want your stuff to be reblogged, you should reblog other people’s stuff. Do onto others as you want to do onto yourself. This might even get you noticed by the people you reblogged.

5 - Friendships. This is kind of the underlying theme of #3 + 4 but obviously if you’re friends with other blogs, they’ll be talking about you and you’ll be talking about them and that’ll make your viewers check them out, vice versa. And when you post something, they might reblog it as a way to support you, and they’ll rec you when someone asks. HOWEVER, (high disclaimer lmao) being friends with other blogs for the sole purpose of increasing engagement is highly unethical and very exhausting. I’m acknowledging that this is a way. But I would not recommend this. Stuff like this never lasts. Plus no one likes clout chasers (lol do tumblr ppl even have clout??) 

6 - Write a (long) series with cliffhangers. On my time spent here on tumblr, I noticed that the times where my readers became most alive and my inbox is most chaotic, it was when I was writing a series and ended chapters with cliffhangers LMAO. honestly some of those times have become my best memories. As much as readers might detest cliffhangers, from the writer’s perspective, man you really get bombarded with messages when people are dying to know what happens next. and then people who are not reading your works become intrigued by the flood of messages and head over to check it out and see what the chaos is all about. It’s a win-win.

Hopefully this helps you out!! There’s probably more tips I can give but at the moment, that’s all I can come up with.

[positivelypositive]

I always feel guilty when I eat something like carbohydrates or sweets, every time I always think about how to eliminate the calories I have swallowed. I'm not fine with my body. I wish things were different, I would like to be more confident but I don't know how or what to do, all those things are bigger than me.

hey anon,

i know what you mean. i have struggled with similar problems so i'll tell you my experiences, hoping they'll give you support and motivation.

so, i am really short (5 ft) and have a genetically heavy build. i have large thighs, arms, tummy and butt. i am especially conscious about my upper arms which i feel are a little disproportionately thick. i mentioned in one of my previous answers that i meet my only friends, only twice a year but they never forget to make fun of my weight and my body, even when i feel like i am at a good place weight-wise.

i'll not lie to you just because my blog is about positivity. i feel self conscious and sometimes still have body image issues. i have been working on my health and body consistently for the last three to four months and even though i was on a plateau for the longest time, i think i have finally started seeing results this week.

so what changed?

my thinking. i kept feeling bad about the remarks from my friends and my own self conscious and negative thoughts about my body. it took me some time but i figured none of it mattered more than my health. i made being healthy my goal instead of it being 'becoming slim'.

i workout six days a week for half an hour. i do what i can do so that i can be consistent. i tried strength training and it didn't work for me so i let it be. now i do energising low impact interval training, fun zumba sessions and beautiful yoga sessions, each twice a week. i do alternate sugar and no-sugar weeks, actively avoiding added and artificial sugar for one week while allowing myself to occasionally add sugar to a cup of coffee or maybe even the occasional donut/ice cream the next week and so on. i go for evening walks (30 mins) if possible. i have regulated my time to sleep and to wake up.

anon, this may sound preachy but this is really working for me. not only do i feel lighter in my mind but also healthier in my thoughts. i may not be the slimmest person but i know i am healthy, flexible, and have more energy and physical capacity than i did 6 months ago.

changing my goals worked for me. it was trial and error for sure. i even tried tracking all my meals and their calorific values on an app and that just made me feel like eating was a calculated chore. i don't do it anymore. i let myself eat what i like. i try to make sure i make better choices but a better choice does not have to be not eating what you like. it can just be regulating the amount or the number of times you let yourself indulge.

anon, forgive me if this doesn't help but this is something very personal to me and i wanted to share it with you because i know what you must be feeling right now. i know it exactly and i want you to come out of that place. your body shape, your size or your weight do not define you. all that matters is that you are healthy.

if you feel that this was unhelpful, please please write back to me and let me know and i'll try to give better advice. i won't mind it, honestly. but i really wanted to share this because i think there's a small chance that my experience ends up helping you. sending you love, courage, and positive vibes ✨

[survivorjennaalways]

I don't know anymore

Here I sit and write, what a strange relief I ignored for so long. I have always enjoyed writing since a young girl and lost twisted growing years as a teen. Some writing I did in my twenties but not much, I think I avoided writing because I tend to write a lot of the dark and pain . It is therapeutic yet still painful sharing all these dark sides to your mind and broken heart. Over the recent years I have been told to start writing and I ignored the suggestions. I never really took writing seriously because it's been out of pure passion/hobby when I write and still is and I hope always will be. I keep reminding myself whether I write on my blog or write a book someday, this is strictly for the passion to be creative and perhaps help someone that can relate to me. I remind myself that if I can help one person who is struggling than sharing my pain is worth it. I have been thinking a lot about what my book will be, how I will show areas of my life with the dark and light, the struggle with the positive. I really thought by this point in my life I would have been happily married, working as a receptionist somewhere and making babies. All the past actions were for that dream and here I am alone and feeling hurt while lost. Than I think maybe I am not meant to be the wife, or the mother I dreamed to be.. Maybe I am meant to be here right now, sharing the struggle inside me that has nearly destroyed me. Perhaps I can speak for someone that can't, or feels alone in the fight. One day I may be the wife, or mother I thought I'd be one day. Yet now I am going to be the one to share and change while expressing to others. I want to show I can save myself and you can too. I want to be the voice that may or may not be understood. I want to fight for the worth I have left over. I will fail and succeed. I will plateau and fall. I will stumble yet grow. Life has thrown me off track many times and will continue to so do so.. However I will keep going as I always do. I will work on the past destruction I carry in my head and find the hidden hope my heart craves. To allow others to love me as I never did before. I want you to know how much of a warrior you are, perhaps you are covered in judgement and don't see the worth underneath the destructive criticism. Maybe you are listening to every comment said from the person of the past, that didn't deserve to love you and deep down you always knew that. Feeling inspired with my writing I am, while other areas of my life feel dull and discouraging. Questions keep repeating in my head like where will I go, what will I do, who will I be and who will I be with.. while it all adds up into a nauseous state of being. Back I am in the ''I don't know anymore'' mode of my life. This time feels a bit different though, as I finally see the worth with the pain, I finally see I need to be accountable for the choices and circumstance in my life. Looking at how I have allowed others to treat me the way they do. Seeing how my actions have consequences, while mistakes are meant to be learned from not repeated. Maybe I am not meant to know it all, perhaps I am meant to be here lost.. All I know is there is no point of carrying all this pain if I can't learn and help others with it. I am ending this post with an I love you. I love the human being you are for wanting to change, I love the flaws you keep hidden under the sad smile. I love the heavy heart you carry that has scars from the battles you have survived, that some may never know. I love you and I am rooting for you.