Over the past few years, I have intermittently chosen to share some of my journeys through the internet. I do this primarily when I feel like doing so and without any great regularity, sometimes posting multiple times a week, sometimes posting once a month or less. It’s a hobby that is motivated largely by the online connections I have made and the messages that I have received over the time that I have been sharing.
When you are out on the road however, there is a great conflict between taking the time to share your experiences and simply going straight ahead and doing them. For the most part, I don’t take too many photos or videos unless I am on a journey that I think is worth sharing. What is a journey (or content) that is worth sharing?
For me, content is worth sharing when it provides value to others in the form of entertainment, inspiration, or practical application (even if it only provides value to one person).
I like to focus on accessibility, promoting journeys that are accessible to many, and require little expertise or finance. I was inspired to do this by a wonderful talk I watched by Alastair Humphreys and still continue to follow his posts. I appreciate his regular postings and also appreciate the times that I have been asked for more content – I just don’t feel obliged to post regularly.
The main problem with sharing content while on the road is that is takes a bit of thought to do so. You need an internet device, an internet connection, internet hosting which costs money (if you are posting on your own site), and a connection to power to charge your devices. If you choose to make videos, you need a semi-decent laptop and the time to sit down and play around with the footage. All in all, it accumulates to quite a bit of work and quite often, I don’t feel motivated to share. Until this year – when I have been working in Australia and attempting to save a little bit of money – I was posting from a seven year old laptop that had to be propped up on sticks with an airflow beneath it in order to prevent it overheating. And for each journey, carrying a laptop, cameras, and charging devices adds extra weight and extra concern.
If you are thinking of journeying and sharing, I would address the following points:
- What are you sharing? Blog posts, photos, videos? And through what mediums?
- Why are you sharing it? Who will care? What is your angle?
- Is the sharing making your experiences less enjoyable?
For GBSW, I share a mixture of blog posts, videos, and photos, but only what I feel like sharing and when I feel like sharing it. I share to my own site, Instagram, and Facebook primarily. These are quick and easy to use, meaning that I never feel the sharing is dominating any journey I undertake. I enjoy the interactions I get with people, thus making my sharing a positive experience, but I do not feel obligated to document everything I do. Occasionally, connections I have made from this site have led to small opportunities to support myself and my way of life through writing for other companies and selling a few of their products that I use myself. This isn’t my main focus however and if you look across this site, I hope that you notice that their are no banners or advertisements, and what I do sell is done quite subtly – except with my books which I would love for you to buy!
If you are thinking of using your sharing to support your adventures, maybe think hard about this. It takes time and work to get to a position where a website alone can support you, and there are very few who are able to do so. It’s much easier to explore in a very low cost way than make lots of money on the internet. I choose to explore in a low budget way and to work when I have the opportunity, meaning that I control and create all content on my site.
Everything in life is a balance and I hope that you can find what works for you. I will continue to post when I feel like it and will try to post a few more videos because I think it is a fun medium that can connect with more people than text as, sadly, many people choose not to read anymore. If you have made it to the end of this 700+ word post, you have a longer attention span than most.
If you wish to make your own website, I put together some helpful step by step instructions, here.
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