This kind of shopping post is not normally in my wheelhouse, but because my Skagen watch from a few months ago is now such a major part of my accessories wardrobe, I thought I would point out a few good sale prices for similar ones from around the web. My gold-tone Skagen Freja was deeply on sale when I purchased it, and a similar sale price for the rose gold is now available on Amazon for $84.99. Skagen is also having another sale on their website, and there are a few designs that I would seriously consider if I was still in the market for a watch: the Gitte with the black leather strap on the left is only 94.99 and the gold-tone Ditte on the right is currently $114.99. There are also quite a few other women's watches on sale, in a wide range of styles.
I'm not very creative when it comes to picking out watches, and I'm perfectly happy to own just one as long as the design is versatile and looks professional. Any of Skagen's metal band watches would certainly fit the bill and go with just about any outfit. I am very pleased with the one that I bought. I've been wearing it frequently since it arrived in February, and it remains in perfect condition.
As an aside, because I'm an avid GOMI-reader who has many thoughts about how commercialized blogging can be, I feel self-conscious every time I write a post that's mostly about a product I like. Even if I genuinely recommend something from personal experience (after spending my own money) and I currently am not monetized and have no plans to do so, I still feel a bit awkward whenever I write something that starts sounding like ad copy. I don't, by the way, object to the use of Shopstyle links or sponsored posts from bloggers who carefully pick sponsorships that are a good fit. It's just many blogs I used to adore have moved in a direction where I have trouble trusting their current recommendations because of questionable sponsorships. I fully respect the "hustle" that it takes to turn a blog into a business, but it does take away much of my enjoyment as a reader in some instances.
What do you think about the generally commercialized state of blogging? Does it affect how you approach writing your blog?
P.S. Speaking of GOMI and monetized blogs, there is now a fascinating discussion of income and fashion blogs taking place on their forum here.
As an aside, because I'm an avid GOMI-reader who has many thoughts about how commercialized blogging can be, I feel self-conscious every time I write a post that's mostly about a product I like. Even if I genuinely recommend something from personal experience (after spending my own money) and I currently am not monetized and have no plans to do so, I still feel a bit awkward whenever I write something that starts sounding like ad copy. I don't, by the way, object to the use of Shopstyle links or sponsored posts from bloggers who carefully pick sponsorships that are a good fit. It's just many blogs I used to adore have moved in a direction where I have trouble trusting their current recommendations because of questionable sponsorships. I fully respect the "hustle" that it takes to turn a blog into a business, but it does take away much of my enjoyment as a reader in some instances.
What do you think about the generally commercialized state of blogging? Does it affect how you approach writing your blog?
P.S. Speaking of GOMI and monetized blogs, there is now a fascinating discussion of income and fashion blogs taking place on their forum here.
I've seen a lot of blogs that I used to enjoy reading run off the deep end with non-stop advertorials in an attempt to make money from it. I've unfollowed a number of blogs that have done that. That being said, I don't have an issue with monetizing a blog in and of itself. It costs money to self-host a blog, and if the writer decides they want to recoup some of their costs in an unobtrusive way, or even profit from it, I'm not offended by it in the least. My blog is not currently monetized, and like you any products I've linked to are because I've tried a product and liked it. That being said, If I ever had the traffic, I would consider monetizing it in the future to help offset the costs of running it. I'm 99.9999% sure it will never replace my day job, but a little money on the side would be nice. I think the most important part to maintain is your voice. If your voice changes in order to try to shill products, the quality of the blog is in trouble.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed I lost interest in blogs when they become commercialized, i feel it loses it unique voice. And when people that were very high luxury/fashion start hawking pandora bracelets it's like...come on! More power to them though that they were able to turn a hobby into a lucrative career.
ReplyDeleteI've never owned a skagen, but have tried them on the in the past. Very minimalistic & chic, also light weight.
I definitely agree that monetizing as a general idea is totally fine. I don't read that many shopping/outfit blogs, and I don't have many examples to draw off of as a result, but I think Franish has done a particularly good job with keeping her voice and point of view while being monetized. In my case, I definitely think extra income would be nice if I grew my blog to that point (I'd probably want to use something like Shopstyle links), but I think its pretty unlikely for my blog to grow that much (or for my content to be easily monetized that way)!
ReplyDeleteI do, admittedly, have an irrationally intense distaste for some aspects of how fashion blogs monetize. I dislike the Rewardstyle business model. I'm also rather leery of bloggers promoting Chinese factory wholesale companies like Sheinside (or Chicwish or Goodnight Macaron) without at least warning readers about the potential difficulties associated with returning products and the highly uneven quality. I think I might be unusually nitpicky and grouchy about both these issues though!
I definitely know what you mean about losing interest in some blogs because they become too commercialized. (I definitely notice that some bloggers who used to get better sponsorships are now more likely to post items from Chicwish or similar sites, which is a bit of a contrast!)
ReplyDeleteI think you are doing fine with your blog. There is no harm in recouping some of the costs of running a website. But if it becomes your full time job and you're shilling every crap brand just so you get paid, I drop the blog fast. I can name a few (remember classy cubicle? Bleh! I'm an avid GOMI reader too!)
ReplyDeleteI'm more of a leather-strap fan myself, but that watch is beautiful! And I've cut off blogs that blog solely for money, it tends to get old fast (9 out of 10 times the products are quite random and not what the blogger would usually wear anyway) and I prefer reading blogs that show their own curated content. It would be something else though to work with a brand you truly admire. Cartier, if you read this? Haha!
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