To set the context, my brand/work website is called Packted.
I really liked the idea of putting the * real * me out there and talking in a way that is not restrictive. I post content on LinkedIn 5-7 times a week. And even though I have posted a lot of personal stories there, it doesn’t feel like a place where I can be myself and talk about all the random things I have to say.
The trap of social media
Every social media has its own rules, and the reasons why people visit it. For instance, LinkedIn is considered to be the most professional platform ever. You must have seen the meme where this guy was proposing to his girlfriend and how it taught him about B2B sales.
In this post, he was “trying” to relate between his engagement and B2B sales. It was a very cringe post and the comments confirm this. Funnily enough, there is also a Subreddit called r/LinkedinLunatics that features all the cringeworthy posts.
I can’t say for all social media platforms, but LinkedIn is a place where everyone will try to place themselves in a good light. They either want to get jobs or get clients. Everyone expects you to be professional, and sharing personal stories or selfies might make people shout at you in the comments.
Similarly, Instagram is considered to be the shiny place where people post about how awesome their life is. They post only the best side of themselves with all the filters and the glamour.
I myself have tried to be the best version of myself on LinkedIn. But as time passed, I realized how bad it was to pretend to be someone I was not. This is when I was like fuck it, I will do and post what I want to. I still try to be as professional as I can.
Another thing that is not-so-good about social media is that your account is at the mercy of social media companies. They can shadowban you, restrict your account, or even delete your account at any point, and without any notices. I personally have experienced this on Twitter where they threatened to delete my account.
It’s scary to lose an account that could be your biggest asset, and you must have worked hard to get that audience and the followers, likes, and engagement that comes with it.
This can be one of the reasons why I like Mastodon. It is not regulated like regular social media, and people don’t expect a certain type of content. I posted all my random thoughts there and made some cool friends.
I have also heard people say that you own your email list and you should invest in it, and get people to subscribe to your email list. I am working on it, and I would love to also have a newsletter someday. But the thing about email is that people expect value (at least I do). They expect to get some sort of tip, hack, or information that they didn’t know before.
And I am not in a position to do that right now, given all the things I do as a solopreneur that has no people to help.
Does this mean that this website will not provide any value? Well, it can if you choose to take value from it. This website is just me sharing my personal thoughts and opinions.
Work, work, work, work, work, work
(It’s the lyrics to Work by Rihanna)
When I started Packted, I never thought of it to be a boutique agency. I always thought it to be my place to write about SEO and make a place that is packed full of SEO information (hence the name).
As life happened, I took the plunge to become a freelancer. This made me convert my SEO blog website into a work website where I will list my services and make product-led content. This naturally means that I can’t talk about cats and vegetarian recipes.
So when this happened, I thought to go all in on Packted to write the work stuff. And I thought that I will someday get a personal website that will serve me as my internet diary. So now I have it, and I am super happy 🙂
My website. My rules.
One of the reasons I wanted to have a personal website is because I wanted to have an Internet diary. I wanted to write whatever the fuck I want to. Contrary to the work I do (which is SEO), I will not “optimize” this website to get more visibility in search results. You can also say that this is an experiment where I want to see if this site will ever rank or get traffic from Search lol.
The idea of my internet diary is that I have a TON of things to talk about. I want to talk about how much I love chocolates, how my life experiences have changed me as a person, how I have learned the power of work and whatnot. This website is not intended for an audience. This website is my safe place to say the things I want to say without being afraid of being judged, and without the fear of getting banned by a platform.
If you’re reading this, I hope this serves as a reminder that your voice matters. You matter. You are unique and you have a ton of things to say.
<3
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