My Online Community Graveyard
Abandoned but not forgotten
Come with me on a journey through my online community graveyard—a digital cemetery of sorts, filled with the remnants of niche brands, blogs, social media accounts, and communities that once held a special place in my heart. Each one represents a fleeting passion, a momentary obsession that consumed me, only to be laid to rest when the spark faded and new interests took hold.
Though they may lie dormant now, these online ventures were more than just passing fads; they were important chapters in my life, each one a testament to my ever-evolving curiosities and the power of connecting with like-minded individuals in the digital realm.
I don't regret being part of these communities or leaving them. They all served their purpose. They sparked joy and gave me a much-needed platform to connect with others on a favourite topic I obsessed over at that moment in time. Hopefully, others shared in some of that joy too.
Now, be warned, some of the content in these examples maybe a bit cringe - in an odd and quirky kind of way - but I digress and lay myself out bare for your passing judgment.
As I reflect on the walking dead of my online history, I realise that I tend to gravitate towards obscure hobbies and interests that drift away from the norm. It's as if I've made it part of my personality to be different and to enjoy unique things. But have I made that part of my personality or is that just who I am?
Blog: Rowdy Fairy
I got right into the blogging trend back when Blogger and Bloglovin’ was a thing. Yep, I'm an authentic Millennial. I shared my interests and travels and connected with other bloggers along the way. I even created a ‘Colour my September’ photo challenge that I encouraged other bloggers to get involved in on Instagram.
Why I did it: I've always had a passion for writing, both creatively and through journaling. When I discovered blogging, I found the perfect outlet to combine my love for writing and photography with my desire to share my thoughts and experiences. I learned how to craft compelling posts, optimise them for search engines, and I experimented with various content types to see what resonated with my audience. I soon realised that writing and creating content was my calling!
Outcome & reason I stopped: That slapped-together little blog landed me my first job that complimented my marketing degree - Content writer/marketer for an SEO agency. Win! But once I was firmly planted in that job, my interest in keeping up with my blog died and I moved on to something else.
Sims Gaming Youtuber - Sims Wishes
I always loved playing the Sims ever since I was 12 years old. My love for that game never wavered over the years, even into adulthood, so when I came up with an idea to create videos where I would mix the genetics of two popular sim versions of celebrities to see what their children would look like, I knew I was onto a winner. Not only had the Sims 4 just come out (so the game itself was trending hard), but I had not seen any other simmers on YouTube creating this type of video.
Why I did it: My idea was unique, it involved doing something I loved which was playing The Sims and I was able to connect with other Simmers who also enjoyed playing the game as much as I do. I figured it was something I could invest in and sustain.
Outcome & reason I stopped: So that YouTube channel EXPLODED! I was a fully-fledged Sims YouTuber for a few years. I had 80,000 subscribers, 15 million views, and dedicated fans (called wishlings) who defended me in the comments section when I got hate, and joined me on live streams, EA Games sent me Sims games for free, and I made money off of it. What a dream right!?
Life happened and my priorities shifted. I moved house, got married and had kids. Family and my day job came first and I simply didn't have the time or capacity to continue anymore. And to be honest, I no longer enjoyed making the videos. Making the same type of content over and over again became monotonous and boring to me, so one day I stopped and moved on to other aspects of my life and new adventures.
Website & Blog: Cute Nerdy & Nostalgic
I created a website and blog that I hoped would be a resource for collectors of all things cute, nerdy and nostalgic. So think Barbie, Hello Kitty, Lisa Frank and the like.
Why I did it: I always liked the idea of collecting nostalgic items that reminded me of my childhood. As a kid, I had a Barbie doll collection, but I didn't have the money or space to establish an enviable collection of the nostalgia I enjoyed. So I found nostalgia collectors on Instagram and shared their stories on my blog to share in the joy of their collections.
Then when COVID hit and I lost my job, I buried myself in learning how to transform that website into an e-commerce drop shipping storefront to sell 'cute, nerdy and nostalgic' items.
Outcome & reason I stopped: I didn't get much engagement on my website or Instagram. No one seemed to care about the collector blogs except for the collectors that were included in them. I also had trouble creating content to promote it as I had no collections of my own to draw from.
When I knew that idea was dead in the water, I was excited to learn about the drop shipping and e-commerce side of things as a new skill set I could add to my belt. It also kept me sane during lockdown. I made one sale from my sister, proving that what I created worked, and then I lost interest in the entire thing. Mainly because I got rehired in a new work-from-home marketing role and I also fell pregnant. All my energy and focus turned to answering questions like 'How much will giving birth hurt?' and 'How do I keep a baby alive?'.
These are probably the three biggest highlights of my digital community-building and content-creating niches I enjoyed over the years. However, they only scratch the surface. I have many more digital side-quests shall we call them and I'm sure I'll have many more in the future too.
But as you can tell, since I'm here writing this post for you, creating content in one shape or form and sharing it with the world is something I enjoy doing. I'm always drawn to it and I feel like I've come back full circle into blogging by starting this Substack.
But how good is Substack!? I am loving it here! The stories people share are real, interesting, engaging, authentic and like nothing I've experienced before on social media. I hope you feel the same and stick around :)
Do you have an online community graveyard? Social media accounts that are abandoned but not forgotten? Please do share!
You've had a fascinating journey too! Glad you found your way to Substack ☺️
I love the idea of a digital graveyard! I was chatting to a friend last week about my followers on my blog, and she was shocked they were so low, and I told her how I lost literally 90% when I changed domains. That very first blog is like the mausoleum at the centre of my graveyard, but there's plenty of cadet branches of the digital family tree, and obscure third cousins twice removed buried nearby, ghosts of ideas past, once visited and now long forgotten.
On the other side of the graveyard is my Feedly, full of now-defunct blogs I still miss, my Bloglovin' haunted by followers who have probably forgotten their log in.
I myself am the eccentric old lady who wanders the graveyard in. the dark, laying flowers by headstones no-one will see, speaking to the ghosts, holding unheard conversations.
It's nice to see your thought processes and reasoning behind the shift in your examples; "The Rowdy Fairy" is an excellent name for a blog and sounds like one I would add to Feedly if I came across it today.