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To blog or not to blog….that is the question these days, isn’t it?

With the rise of social media, the classical singing world has gained a new tool for growing their young audience demographic. Opera companies and famous singers can engage with their fans directly through the usage of blogs and vlogs, offering everything from audition tips to quick recipes that can be made in a hotel room. Audiences are no longer content with merely attending a concert or an opera; there’s an insatiable curiosity to get a glimpse into the lives of the artists themselves.

It can be extremely exciting to allow strangers and fans a rare glimpse into your artistic process. Unfortunately, over sharing can also prove to be detrimental to your career. This is especially true if you are not yet working at your ideal artistic level. So, how do you know whether or not you should start a blog? Here are some of the pros and cons of blogging, and how to go about negotiating your way through the murky waters.
 

You gain more exposure

As a singer, you should always be looking for a way to give yourself an edge over the competition. A good way to get directors to give you more casting consideration is to start gaining an active following. A dedicated audience that supports you can mean butts in seats. How do you get this to happen? You start by building connections with people. Blogging is an easy and effective way to network while gaining new audience members. It gives you a way to connect with people beyond just your singing voice, and an opportunity to show them your "true" voice: the person you are both on and off the stage. Blogging can quickly expand your audience engagement, ensuring that people all over the world can keep up with your career.

Consider that last sentence, "People all over the world can keep up with your career." Now read it again in a scary-movie announcer tone of voice. Sounds sort of menacing, right?

I often post my upcoming appearances on my blog, my website, and social media pages. Sometimes, after posting on my Twitter and in performing arts forums, I will have total strangers show up to my performances. While this can be really cool, it also can be a bit jarring to have someone you don’t know show up and seemingly know all about you. If this does happen, here are some quick tips to keep yourself safe: NEVER include your phone number, your mailing address or your home address on your blog. Thanks to GPS, blog posts will often feature a geograhical stamp. Some of them can get very specific, as in a few blocks away or from your actual location itself. Change your setting to only include a general region or remove the stamp altogether. There’s a lot of content out there; someone is always reading, so keep that in mind before you press "publish."
 

Blogging is an inexpensive way to advertise

Blogging is a really affordable way to drive audience engagement. Most sites are either completely free or relatively inexpensive. Some blog platforms, such as Wix, start all their users with free pages, but offer you the option of paying to upgrade whenever you'd like. This gives you the freedom to boost your creation after a few months time, letting you experiment with blogging before financially committing yourself to it. There are also website builders, such as Squarespace and Wordpress, that are widely used by bloggers. They offer relatively cheap options for purchasing your domain name permanently and building you blog.   

This easy accessibility also means that everyone is doing it. There are literally millions of blogs out there on the internet and platforms are starting to place limitations on them. It’s important to acquaint yourself with your particular service, its limitations, and its various options for upgrading. There are often caps on the size and amount of content that are allowed; you might not have the option of uploading all your writing alongside your videos and images.

How do you stand out from other singers who are also utilizing this cheap and easy form of audience engagement? You do it better, faster, and more often. This can mean that some of your content may not be as inspiring or meaningful as others. For example, last week I sandwiched an article about "fashionable pantyhose for performances" between two DIY performance pieces. In terms of content, more is sometimes more, especially in terms of creating steady web traffic. It can also be rather stressful to add the demands of a regular writing schedule on top of everything else that requires your attention. Try to keep your brainstorming sessions to those quick, five minute breaks in between rehearsals, and choose a platform that allows you to schedule posts ahead of time.
 

Blogging is relatively easy

These days, web designing services are actively appealing to the "technological first-timers" by building in safeguards and offering tutorials. Blogs prove to be no different. There are as many options for blogs and vlogs as there are colors, each offering various levels of technological possibilities at various stages of development. For those of us who are not particularly technologically savvy, sites such as Wix or Squarespace are perfect options. These sites are easy to use and feature options such website templates and automatic centering tools. For the more advanced developers, there are options such as WordPress and Drupal, which offer an endless variety of possibilities and add-ons to reflect your unique personality.

The key word here is "relatively." As seemingly easy as blogging can seem, there are always technological hiccups that can occur. You never know what could happen, so it’s best to plan for the worst to protect your investments. Should you decide to purchase your web domain to protect your work, be sure you’re comfortable with the platform you’re purchasing. It doesn’t make sense to invest in something if you can’t fully utilize it! Make sure to back up your website and content to an external hard drive just incase a server crashes. Finally, beware of hidden costs. Be sure to read all the fine print, and familiarize yourself with what is and isn't included in your purchase.
 

You gain notoriety in your field

Remember when we discussed making connections through blogging? Notoriety is the result. Nothing feels cooler than a colleague asking for your advice. It’s a professional nod to your ranking amongst your peers and feedback that you’re doing something right. Sometimes, the appearance of success can spawn actual success. The more natural you appear, the more relatable you become; the more relatable you become, the more likable you appear. Consider what a blog could offer you in terms of notoriety and how you could use this to your career’s advantage.

It’s a sad fact that if you’re putting something out into the world, you’re 90% likely to offend someone somewhere at some time. There’s a saying, "Opinions are like mouths: everybody’s got one, and some are bigger than others." You have to know and accept this fact when you begin blogging, and you should be prepared to deal with any possible personal or professional fallouts that might occur. A note of caution: don't ever assume that someone will not read what you have written, particularly when discussing companies, programs, or people by name. Before you click "publish," take a moment or two to really read through what you’ve written. Do you really stand by the stories and statements you’ve made, or were you just venting? Venting your frustrations aloud or in print is a totally normal response, but can sometimes lead to irreversible consequences. If you were emotional at the time you wrote a blog post, try waiting a day or so before reviewing and publishing. 
 

Overall, blogs offer a variety of new and exciting possibilities for today’s modern singers. If used properly, they can unlock audience engagement in never-before-seen ways. Be sure to take some time to do your research, make some notes about what your goals are, and go for it!