From the Mailbag: Mallory writes, I found your site from your post on Ree “The Pioneer Woman” vs Heather “Dooce”. I pretty much agreed with everything you said. But I was wondering what you think of Ree’s blog now. In my opinion, it seems like she’s turned herself into too much of a bland brand. I used to think her site was fun and interesting. Now it seems to be too many throwaway posts about Charlie, her basset hound. What do you think?
Mallory, I suspect what’s happening with Ree Drummond over at The Pioneer Woman is that she has gotten her fingers into too many pies too quickly. A blog. Then dividing that blog into several other blogs. Then a cookbook. Then a memoir. Then a children’s book. And another cookbook. Intersperse that with several book tours, including television interviews. Add a new cooking show. Never mind being a wife and mother. Yep, that girl is definitely workin’ it!
But there are only so many hours in a day and something had to give. Seems that on her unstoppable meteoric rise to fame, her blog was the thing she felt most comfortable letting slide. No, she doesn’t post every day anymore. And her posts in general mostly take a path of least resistance — photo contests on Photography, items that she likes in the Home and Garden section, guest bloggers on Homeschooling, and, yes, Charlie and now Walter on Confessions.
That said, she has been blogging for five years, offering up several posts a day. That’s pretty impressive by any blogger’s standards. So if she’s slacking off a little, it may be as much because she’s written all there is to write about the Disney-esque slice of life she shares with the public.
My guess is that she’s moving toward a television personality a la Rachel Ray or Paula Deen, and that the blogging may eventually go the way of Marlboro Man’s old hay bailing truck. Though, on second thought, I imagine she’d think twice before giving up the reported one million dollars plus in annual ad revenues she rakes in. As for a revival of varied, fun, and interesting posts in the future? I guess Ree fans will just have to stay tuned. :)
I’ve seen several of my favorite bloggers get too dispersed/commercial…they become so much less interesting to me as I do not wish to follow them to their new big money sites. One exception I’ve found is Alphamom that has several bloggers contributing, but remaining interesting (to me).
While I’m always happy for any blogger that makes it to the big time, I agree — all too often the quality that made me want to read them in the first place tends to get lost. I’m not familiar with Alphamom. I’ll have to check her/them out.