I have always started a new year with positive thoughts and goals and this year is definitely no different. I shared with all of you my 2017 Goals last week and wanted to take the time to really elaborate a bit on a personal level while sharing with you my thoughts and direction for Honeygirl’s World. You know, when I started this blog 10 years ago, I started it as my creative outlet, sharing a piece of me while documenting my life as a busy mom maneuvering my way through the Corporate America world and now, 10 years later, I have made so many changes to my personal and professional life, that the outlook of this site has changed gears over the years as well.
Here’s the deal – Honeygirl’s World is going back to what I love… documenting my life’s journey. I love reviewing products whether purchased with my own hard-earned money from my own pocket or sent from PR companies for consideration, but I miss what this site used to be. Does that mean that I’ll be providing a lot less reviews in the future? Well, I’m not sure… but my goal is to develop the range of posts you see here and incorporate more of what this site originally was aimed towards – My Life! Whether you are a company reading this post to decide if I am the right fit for your product or brand or someone who stumbled upon my site looking for a mother’s or wife’s perspective… let me break it down for you and share with you what you can expect here.
Let’s talk product reviews… I love love doing them. Over the last 10 years I have been given the opportunity to try a plethora of products I probably wouldn’t have tried to begin with. My family – husband, sons and fur baby – have also been given great opportunity to try products for themselves. I don’t think I’ll be eliminating those types of posts here, but I do have a strong opinion on those types of write-ups and want to be honest here so you know what to expect. Whether the post is sponsored or the products are sent for consideration know that my view point will never change here. I am 100% unbiased and truthful in my thoughts for any product you read about here… if I don’t like it, you’ll know about that, if I do – well, you’ll know about that too. No sponsored post will be biased in anyway – that has been my thought process for this site since the beginning and it will continue to be. If I do not like a product and cannot say so in my post – I will not take on the task of writing about it. Yes, my blog pays my bills or forks out spending money for me… but that will NEVER change my opinion and I will never obscure my integrity, my word and reputation for a product that I feel is not up to my personal standard. This can be a downfall in who I may work with, but that will never change who I am. I grew up being taught that your word is golden in life and I teach my children the same thing so I would never go against that for a quick monetary pay. Know that when you read a review here, it is truly my own word and that will not change. Not all products will receive a 100% pass from me and some may work for me while not for others.
I just turned 37 a few days ago and I’m reminded with each waking moment that blogging and YouTube are so much more different than when I started posting videos and write-ups 10 years ago. When I started YouTube, many of us filmed in a closet or at our desks, using a webcam or rickety point and shoot camera and just going with the flow. You know, while I do have my favorites that I still watch – I find myself back to basics, watching and enjoying YouTubers that offer simplistic videos. Call me cheesy, but I find myself watching YouTubers that provide videos like I do… chit chat and talk story type diaries that are laid back and personable. YouTube has turned into a cookie cutter type of platform and I’ve lost interest in so many I’ve watched over the years. Same with blogging… at 37 years old I find that I do not fit in the stereotypical blogger, that 18 – 25 year old range. Hey, nothing wrong with that, right; but because of this, I find that the beauty industry I have loved for so long is no longer where I want to be and I want out. Don’t get me wrong… I LOVE beauty, makeup, nails, skin care… but I’m not going to sacrifice my own identity to please those around me. I realized in 2016 that I miss the type of videos and posts I used to do when I was in my late 20s and I want to go back to that place again.
Ugh… I’m so tired of the stigma of “Oh – she does YouTube videos and does it for free shit” or “Oh, she’s a blogger so she can get free stuff.” Um, no and no! I never started my blog or YouTube channel that way – but it’s been so nice that these companies have been so gracious to share their products with me and my family. It’s wonderful to be able to be paid for something I enjoy doing too. But rest assured, all of that – the free stuff and money, it has NEVER changed me… so you can continue to expect the same type of content whether organic or evergreen or whatever term you would like to use, all while I share a little piece of me. Honeygirl’s World is my indeed – my World, wrapped up into all the pieces that I am proud of.
What can you expect here? Well – more lifestyle posts, of course. Back in the day I used to write a series on my site called: Dear Diary or Sunday Letters, all of which were popular and fun and documented my life in a different aspect than what you see online. Documentation of my weight loss and “back to healthy” journey which will allow me to hold myself accountable for success. I want to share my Thirsty Thursday episodes and elaborate more on the subjects here on the blog then I do on YouTube and plan to have more Q&A and FAQ posts for those who are always asking me questions. Since I have an “Ask Honey” segment on my channel, I would like to definitely incorporate that here as well and my overall goal is to post more on my outfits (I’m not your typical fashion lover) and of course share my recipes, food choices and ideas here. There is so much more I have to list… but this post would be much longer than it should be.
Changing up my role in the blogging and YouTube community is never a bad thing. I think that while I’m making changes in my presence in the online world, I’m actually enhancing who I really am and what I’m about. Hey, let’s be real here for a second… does that mean I will no longer talk about Beauty here or on my channel??? Um, have you been listening? Of course I am, but it will not define what Honeygirl’s World is all about. If you are looking for product reviews, yes – you shall still see them here and find them here, but you will certainly see much more of who I truly am moving forward. Those that have followed my blogging and YouTube journey since the beginning – you will see a lot more of the “old Honey” that you were probably accustomed to. I’ll still continue to put the same amount of time and effort into any of my posts and I’ll still offer you the variety of content you have been seeing over the years – but now, it will include so much more. I plan to up my game with more lifestyle posts and share a little peek into my world. So – if you’re willing to stick around for this ride, then hang on tight and have some fun with me.
Wishing you all a wonderful 2017 and years beyond. It’s going to be a great year and I’m looking forward to sharing it with all of you!
Check out my 2017 Goals if you haven’t already read it.