Weekend Rewind + Why I like blogs better than magazines

I am so excited (and a little starry-eyed) to be co-hosting the Weekend Rewind with Bron from Maxabella loves, Sonia from Life, Love and Hiccups, and Kelly from Kelly Exeter . I love a good party, I love hosting a good party and being invited to co-host a great party is even better. Like any fabulous party the Weekend Rewind is a place to make new friends and catch up with old ones. Please link up below to feed the mutual blog addiction.

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It occurred to me that my blog addiction has replaced my magazine addiction. And I used to have quite the problem. As soon as a new issue hit the newsstands, it hit my bedside table. I would buy every issue of Vogue, Marie Claire, Harpers Bazaar and InStyle. Their covers were full of promises that were seldom fulfilled by the pages. But that never stopped me searching news agents, coveting my next magazine hit.  Nowadays, I have a Collective Magazine subscription and I will sometimes buy Frankie or Peppermint magazine. At some point spending nearly $10 on glossy pages full of advertising lost its appeal. It was probably at around the some point that I discovered blogs.

These are the reasons I think blogs are better than magazines.

Blogs don’t make me feel bad about myself.  I often feel like a big, fat frump after reading a fashion magazine (and I am a pretty standard size 10-12).  Skimming pages of pre-pubescent girls, posing as women, wearing clothing I could never afford is hardly an exercise in building self-esteem. On the other hand, the fashion blogs I admire are written by women I can relate to. They promote clothing I can afford and can wear. Magazines need to balance the aspirational, the attainable and the inspirational. Blogs don’t have that kind of image pressure and they don’t pass the pressure onto their readers.

Blogs don’t assume my intelligence or limit my interests. Most main-stream womens’ magazines assume that my interests begin and end with fashion, beauty, interior design, cooking and celebrity gossip. Newspapers (in particular my local paper) assume a primary school education and extreme right views. Blogs are generally written for a more specific audience. Thankfully there are a large selection aimed at intelligent women with moderate political views who are concerned about issues like human rights, climate change and welfare. I can access opinions, thought pieces and news that does not belittle or insult me. Writing that challenges me and makes me think.

Blogs allow for interaction and community. I can write to a magazine editor. My letter may get published. Three months later. Blogs allow for immediate community and engagement. Blogs are accessible and responsive in a way that magazines struggle to be.

Blogs are honest, real and raw. Often people are pouring their hearts onto the keyboard. There is a real-ness in so many blogs that is lacking in other forms of social and print media. Brave bloggers move away from the glossy, canned imaged of perfect life and tell it like it is. Good blogs feel like an invitation to sit with the blogger inside their (imperfect) home and share a cup of tea together. Looking through a magazine feels more like pressing my face to a window and peering inside at some impossibly perfect dream.

The one magazine I do subscribe to, the Collective, challenges the conventional magazine approach.  It features stories that are real and inspiring. It allows for interaction and community through a strong social media presence. I never feel my intelligence is insulted and always feel inspired after turning its pages. I feel similarly about Frankie and Peppermint and I have notice a few new titles creeping onto the newsstands that are finally understanding what women actually want to read.  And it does make me wonder – how much did blogs have to do with that shift?

And, yes, I am a bit of tight arse, so the fact that blogs are free does play into my bias.

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Do you think blogs are better than magazines? What are your favourite mags? Are you excited about the shift in print media?

 

32 thoughts on “Weekend Rewind + Why I like blogs better than magazines

  1. Rachael says:

    Do love Collective Mag but think it because of the same reason I love reading blogs… It’s all about the sincerity and the truth of another persons journey shared which is always a worthwhile read. Lovely to meet you!

    • Robyna says:

      I love hearing Lisa Messenger speak about how the other magazines are looking at the Collective, shaking their heads at its impressive growth and saying “it shouldn’t be working”. I think it took someone outside magazines with a fresh perspective to challenge the status quo and what “should be working”.

  2. Alyson says:

    I hadn’t thought about it, but you’re right…I rarely buy a mag now, and when I do it often goes only partially read – and your reasons are spot on, I can find blogs about women my own age that doesn’t pre-suppose we want to wear sensible shoes and pearls, or make me feel weird because I am…a little weird! I like it! Great post! X

    • Robyna says:

      Thanks so much for popping by – and I am not really a fan of sensible shoes and pearls either. Weirdness, though, I always welcome.

  3. Sandra Kelly says:

    “Good blogs feel like an invitation to sit with the blogger inside their (imperfect) home and share a cup of tea together. Looking through a magazine feels more like pressing my face to a window and peering inside at some impossibly perfect dream.” I just love this Robyna! Says it all.

    You know, I was just saying to someone the other day how I use my pc like one huge magazine via blog hopping. I can feed any mood, any attention span, any connection or sense of engagement and feel inspired or supported all through blogs. And you are right, that doesn’t happen within the pages of one magazine.

    CONGRATS on hosting… you rock! Happy dancing 🙂 Xx

    • Robyna says:

      Thank you lovely – it was a bit exciting to be asked! I guess magazines can’t quite compete with the range and breadth of blogs. Now, how can I read a blog safely in the bath is the next thing to ponder 🙂

  4. JodiGibson (@JFGibsonWriter) says:

    You’ve really nailed it. Blogs deal with real issues that affect real people and good bloggers invite you in with a warm, open armed virtualy hug. I do though love a good mag still, but they are very few and far between these days. Thank goodness for The Collective, Good Health and Mindfood!

    • Robyna says:

      I haven’t tried Mindfood, but I have been tempted many a time. That and Womankind have both caught my eye as the kinds of magazines that won’t leave me filling like I have stuffed my brain full of mush.

  5. Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid says:

    Howdee! I totally think blogs are better than magazines. For a start, they’re free (as are all the best things in life,) there’s always new content, they’re environmentally friendly and we can read them at our convenience. Best of all, I love blogs because of the wonderful connections and beautiful sense of community. These days I don’t read mags because I’m too busy having fun reading all the blogs!

    • Robyna says:

      Exactly! I didn’t even think about the environmentally friendly party – feeling altogether good about my blog addiction versus old mag addiction.

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  7. Kim @ Land of Zonkt says:

    I couldn’t agree more. I actually quite dislike magazines & very happy Tessa opened my world to mags like the collective. Like you said though it’s $. But I’d rather spend on that the the same on 5 crappy gossip mags.
    I love blogging, doing it & reading them. I feel like I know the person and there is a trust and a kinship you don’t get with a mag.
    The only mag type this doesn’t apply to for me is food mags. I love love love buying food mags for recipe ideas and changing up ingredients to suit my style or ideas.
    So I guess I draw to creative media, be it blogs or mags, it has to feed my interests.
    Ps… I’m. tight arse too. Lol

    • Robyna says:

      Hahaha, I am SUCH a tight arse. Cooking mags are great because they have no used by date – I think that’s the other thing about fashion and gossip mags – they have a very limited shelf life when you think about the investment.

  8. Min@WriteoftheMiddle says:

    Congrats on guest hosting Weekend Rewind Robyna! I adore reading blogs too and don’t buy any magazine except the occasional Women’s Weekly! With blogs I can find ones that suit my interests and I get to know the blogger and can interact. I get soooo much inspiration from other bloggers. It’s community! It’s awesome! 🙂 xo

    • Robyna says:

      Thanks Min – very grateful to be here. I love the community aspect as well – just adds a depth mags can’t touch.

  9. I'm Sarah says:

    To be honest, I never read many magazines and I don’t read an awful lot of blogs. Having said that, I do agree with you – blogs offer more of what I am looking for, especially that sense of community, than a women’s magazine ever could. Blogs are just way more intimate, real and help me feel more connected and less alone. Exceptions to that rule are Womankind and New Philosopher Magazines, both of which I adore. Great post thank you xx

    • Robyna says:

      Thanks Sarah – I have been meaning to check out Womankind. It looks great and I am so happy to see titles like it making an appearance.

  10. Tash Marie says:

    I love the freedom that blogs bring. They are there, get updated, keep me interested, I can pick and choose what I like… but I also would never give up my Country Style magazine lol xx

    • Robyna says:

      I think there are some magazines that are too good to give up. It’s just so nice to have a great alternative these days!

  11. Lauren - Gold Coast Mum says:

    I agree! I used to work in magazines & would read a variety during my commute each day. But now (that I’m busy with children & love blogs) I can’t remember the last time I bought a magazine!
    That feels like a crazy thing for me to say. Saving a boatload too 😉

    • Robyna says:

      Blogs are something quite special I think. That said, seeing my name and writing in a magazine (not that it’s a regular occurrence) is still a huge buzz.

  12. Sonia Life Love Hiccups says:

    Oh I totally agree – and that says a lot considering I have a real soft spot for home magazines. I also have a huge pile of unread home mags sitting on my coffee table because I am too busy reading blogs haha. Thanks for playing along with us this week hun – it has been awesome having you join us xx

  13. Lisa@RandomActsOfZen says:

    I’ve done exactly the same with my magazine reading, Robyna!
    I used to have to have them all, but now my only must-haves are Collective (most favourite, awesome!), Frankie and Peppermint. They all have different things I feel I need in my reading.
    Blogs have taken over all the rest, and I love the diversity available to us. The community is definitely something that is unique to blogging.
    So glad to have found your blog via WR, and have happily subscribed x

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