blogging // one or two?

I've been going back and forth, back and forth over the past few months about the topic I'm sharing today: whether to continue maintenance of my two current blogs (this one you're reading right now, as well as my photo blog: www.annadelores.com/blog), or to merge the two into one blog for ease of upkeep, reducing the possibility of reader and photography client confusion (why the heck does this chick keep up two separate blogs with the same name?  What a weirdo.), and to preserve my own sanity.

I started THIS blog as a supplement to my Etsy shop back in 2010.  I saw it as a necessary social media add-on if I wanted to integrate into the handmade community.  Since then, the Anna Delores blog has evolved in a variety of ways, from a focus on handmade shops and products, to a shift toward lifestyle and giveaways, and now a heavier focus on weddings (with lifestyle, giveaways, and admittedly random musings thrown in).  

Ironically, the "ding" of an Etsy sale no longer holds the thrill it used to (not to say that I'm not grateful for every sale!  I'm just more focused on portraiture and weddings these days), but this blog is still very near and dear to me.

I'm truly fascinated and inspired by the community of folks I've met through my blog.  I've met a lot of blogger friends in real life, and no matter what happens to this blog, I intend to keep in touch with those people.  I've even been blessed and honored with the privilege of photographing the weddings of a few fellow bloggers!  I'll be working with Lauren in September and Evani next June.  I mean, is that awesome or what?!  I've had the amazing experience of photographing Kristen, Sandy, Gina, Lizzie, and others, and I met fellow wedding pro Joelle through our mutual love for both blogging and weddings.  We were blog friends long before we realized that we lived in the same county, and because of Joelle I've met a ton of other wedding professionals in my area and have a new studio space that I'm so incredibly proud to be part of.  And I've met a ton of rad people just to meet up and bond over blogging!

So, really, I could never place a premium on the value of the experiences I've had as a result of blogging.  I'm not a religious person, but if this blog hasn't been a blessing to me, then I don't know what is!

 

As a result, I am not at all looking to abandon this blog.  That is not the debate of the day.  What I would much rather do is move the Anna Delores blog to a new domain name and combine it with the photo blog (so, it would ultimately would be a combo lifestyle/wedding/photo blog, which I guess it already sort of is).  The layout would be a little simpler and more streamlined so that folks who find me via www.annadelores.com, when looking for a professional wedding photographer, aren't caught off-guard by what sometimes feels like clutter on the sidebar.

The drawback is that there are some blogging themes I'd likely abandon, if not at least decrease in frequency, as a result of linking the Anna Delores blog to my web portfolio photo blog.  For example, I think I'd likely refrain from discussing weight loss and that genre of personal topics.  There's a fine line there, because I'd still blog about my personal life to an extent; I think especially with one's wedding photographer, getting to know your wedding vendors is something that prospective clients are interested in.  Right?  I think Joelle executes this very well, and I know that there are a few others I've encountered that I admire in terms of the personal-professional balance (I just can't recall them at this precise moment). 

Anyway, I'm in the process of finding someone to provide some assistance with transition to WordPress, as well as getting a new domain and linking it up to my website.  If you've worked with anyone you'd recommend, send me an e-mail!  :)

What do you think?  Will you still be a reader if/when this transition occurs?