I’ve been lurking since the Shoeperwoman era, I’m just not much of a commenter 🙈 FWIW, I did notice your absence and came to check Substack to see if I’d somehow missed a newsletter but then I figured you probably were on holiday. I was really glad when I got the notification about this one!
Honestly, never worry about sounding stalker-y - I'm always just delighted to know that people are reading: especially ones who've been around long enough to remember Shoeperwoman!
I’m interested too. I know what you mean about missing it all - it’s just different now. I’ve been reading your posts for well over a decade and I wanted to let you know that I’m still here!
Ah, thank you! And readers like you are exactly the kind of people I miss connecting with - there are so many people I feel I got to "know" over the years, and now so many have just disappeared!
I felt this happen on Twitter a long time ago. I checked out for a few years while I was raising kids and when I came back the algorithm didn’t like me (why didn’t I get verified when I was a journalist?!) and a lot of real life friends had abandoned the place. I am just talking to myself over there (and I don’t think I’m actually very good at Twitter which doesn’t help. But yeah, I really sympathise. Your blog was always a source of much joy and amusement and I remain in awe of your commitment to getting a great photo. I do think Substack will come good for you eventually. I know I see a lot more from you than I have in a while now you’re on here. Maybe it’s just a case of shouting about it a little louder. I’m amazed by how many new follows I get from friends any time I bleat about mine on Facebook.
I definitely think I need to get better at promoting myself... I have links to the newsletter on my blog, and I used to occasionally mention it on Facebook/Insta, but that's all kind of fallen by the wayside lately... I need to just get over the cringe factor and tell people about it!
Nice pics! Incidently your IG posts have popped up on my feed over the last two weeks,so I've been able to envy the sunshine. I've been reading since you helped me self diagnose myself with Tokophobia, which I think must be at least 5 years ago, if not slightly longer. Still reading 😊 I mostly relate to being an introverted mum of a little boy, but I read most things except some of the beauty stuff. Hope you had a lovely holiday 😊
Lol, I did realize your newsletters were missing and I was sooo close to commenting last weekend about wondering where you are. But then if felt intrusive, because as a well educated blog/newsletter reader in 2024 I am aware that bloggers have the right to take a break (even without announcing it) to keep their own sanity. But now, I kind of wish I had been rude and annoyed you about not posting. :D
Oh I hear you on the losing engagement and the sense of community, Amber! It's such a shame that that's been lost with the whole throwaway notion that is social media... blogs were definitely where it was at. But I was a bit confused when you mentioned that your blog comment section is like tumbleweed - I thought you hadn't posted in months so went and checked: yes you've still been posting on the blog but I've not been receiving email notifications?! I'd assumed you'd simply moved everything over to Substack :/
So are email notifications no longer going out, or have I unsubscribed myself without knowing, or is it something else? Maybe that'd be why you're not getting comments if I'm not the only one not getting emails anymore about new blog posts...? Pleeeeease help I desperately want to read everything written by you! x
So, this is 100% my fault, and I'm so glad you mentioned it, because it had completely slipped my mind 🙈 Basically I had to get rid of Mailchimp last year because I couldn't afford it any more, so I moved the mailing list over to Substack, with the intention of sending out an email every time I updated the blog... then I just didn't do it. To be fair, I've been using the blog mostly for 'useful'/SEO content that people might find on Google/Pinterest, and reserving the more chatty stuff for here, so you haven't missed much, but thank you for the reminder - I really need to have a think about how to manage that side of it better: I don't think Substack is particularly suited for the kind of short updates I used to send to the mailing list, but everything else I looked at was just so expensive!
Ahhhh that makes perfect sense now: I honestly thought you had moved everything to Insta [Edit: not Insta - Substack!! As soon as I moan about anything I immediately type "Insta" 😂], that's my bad for failing to check your blog!!
I TOTALLY hear you on the Mailchimp cost... it's absolute fortune when you've got more than 5 subscribers, isn't it 😱?! I'm still using it, but every now and then I do some research into alternatives and to be honest I can't find one that's a reasonable price that doesn't look like crap either.
If anyone is reading this and can suggest a fully customisable one that's less than £50 a month for about 3,000 subscribers please let me know...!
Have you looked at Zoho? I use Zoho Campaigns for a charity I work for and it was definitely cheaper than Mailchimp, but I can't remember how much now!
I'm also a bit of a lurker, less of a commentator. I've been reading avidly since about 2016 - your post on styling two tartan skirts, one with a green leather jacket came up when I was googling, and been subscribed ever since.
I think I'm always a bit socially anxious about commenting on posts in case it's misconstrued or I don't explain myself well enough, but I always love reading the posts! Hope you had a great holiday!
Don't worry Shoeperwoman, I think having holidays is probably covered under the Geneva Convention on Authors' Rights - every blogger is entitled to them. (under: "creative types who need to break and refresh their spirit")
I think you are absolutely within your rights to just to relax with a complete break..... but I would still love to hear about the holidays at a time that suits your schedule :)
P.S. I particularly enjoy seeing sunshine images from programs like "Death in Paradise" when the weather is even colder than it is this July.
Your holiday looks fabulous, and I am so jealous as I sit here listening to my kitchen being plastered.
I started looking at flying to Tenerife for a long weekend, then my Mum rang me and told me that apparently they don't like tourists in Tenerife any more and they just found a German tourist in a suitcase with his limbs all cut off, so I decided to stay here instead.
I do really feel everything you say about the old blogging days. It's weird to be like the old lady of the internet, ah, back in my day we did blogging and outfit posts. I still do it sometimes for the same reason, because I want to. But then I remember spending ages getting the perfect photo and I really can't be bothered to keep that up! So I just keep documenting whether anyone is reading or not!
Never forget that there are still people who care and who enjoy whenever you share a part of yourself. I'm one of those people who has followed you through many of the eras that you describe and I want you to give yourself more credit for your writing, your photography, and your ability to share what means something to you in the moment. Your content across the years shows that you are a wonderful person, mother, and partner!!
I’ve been lurking since the Shoeperwoman era, I’m just not much of a commenter 🙈 FWIW, I did notice your absence and came to check Substack to see if I’d somehow missed a newsletter but then I figured you probably were on holiday. I was really glad when I got the notification about this one!
Also, your stories usually pop up on my IG and I always check them (and appreciate them) ☺️ (and now I hope this doesn’t come off too stalker-y)
Honestly, never worry about sounding stalker-y - I'm always just delighted to know that people are reading: especially ones who've been around long enough to remember Shoeperwoman!
I’m interested too. I know what you mean about missing it all - it’s just different now. I’ve been reading your posts for well over a decade and I wanted to let you know that I’m still here!
Ah, thank you! And readers like you are exactly the kind of people I miss connecting with - there are so many people I feel I got to "know" over the years, and now so many have just disappeared!
I felt this happen on Twitter a long time ago. I checked out for a few years while I was raising kids and when I came back the algorithm didn’t like me (why didn’t I get verified when I was a journalist?!) and a lot of real life friends had abandoned the place. I am just talking to myself over there (and I don’t think I’m actually very good at Twitter which doesn’t help. But yeah, I really sympathise. Your blog was always a source of much joy and amusement and I remain in awe of your commitment to getting a great photo. I do think Substack will come good for you eventually. I know I see a lot more from you than I have in a while now you’re on here. Maybe it’s just a case of shouting about it a little louder. I’m amazed by how many new follows I get from friends any time I bleat about mine on Facebook.
I definitely think I need to get better at promoting myself... I have links to the newsletter on my blog, and I used to occasionally mention it on Facebook/Insta, but that's all kind of fallen by the wayside lately... I need to just get over the cringe factor and tell people about it!
You definitely do. Just pretend you’re doing it for someone else!
Nice pics! Incidently your IG posts have popped up on my feed over the last two weeks,so I've been able to envy the sunshine. I've been reading since you helped me self diagnose myself with Tokophobia, which I think must be at least 5 years ago, if not slightly longer. Still reading 😊 I mostly relate to being an introverted mum of a little boy, but I read most things except some of the beauty stuff. Hope you had a lovely holiday 😊
Oh, I'm glad someone's been actually seeing them! Introverted boy mums unite 🙌🏻
Lol, I did realize your newsletters were missing and I was sooo close to commenting last weekend about wondering where you are. But then if felt intrusive, because as a well educated blog/newsletter reader in 2024 I am aware that bloggers have the right to take a break (even without announcing it) to keep their own sanity. But now, I kind of wish I had been rude and annoyed you about not posting. :D
Haha, it's a minefield, isn't it?! For the record, I never mind questions (but equally understand why people might not feel comfortable asking them!)
I’m interested 🙋🏻♀️
❤️
Oh I hear you on the losing engagement and the sense of community, Amber! It's such a shame that that's been lost with the whole throwaway notion that is social media... blogs were definitely where it was at. But I was a bit confused when you mentioned that your blog comment section is like tumbleweed - I thought you hadn't posted in months so went and checked: yes you've still been posting on the blog but I've not been receiving email notifications?! I'd assumed you'd simply moved everything over to Substack :/
So are email notifications no longer going out, or have I unsubscribed myself without knowing, or is it something else? Maybe that'd be why you're not getting comments if I'm not the only one not getting emails anymore about new blog posts...? Pleeeeease help I desperately want to read everything written by you! x
So, this is 100% my fault, and I'm so glad you mentioned it, because it had completely slipped my mind 🙈 Basically I had to get rid of Mailchimp last year because I couldn't afford it any more, so I moved the mailing list over to Substack, with the intention of sending out an email every time I updated the blog... then I just didn't do it. To be fair, I've been using the blog mostly for 'useful'/SEO content that people might find on Google/Pinterest, and reserving the more chatty stuff for here, so you haven't missed much, but thank you for the reminder - I really need to have a think about how to manage that side of it better: I don't think Substack is particularly suited for the kind of short updates I used to send to the mailing list, but everything else I looked at was just so expensive!
Ahhhh that makes perfect sense now: I honestly thought you had moved everything to Insta [Edit: not Insta - Substack!! As soon as I moan about anything I immediately type "Insta" 😂], that's my bad for failing to check your blog!!
I TOTALLY hear you on the Mailchimp cost... it's absolute fortune when you've got more than 5 subscribers, isn't it 😱?! I'm still using it, but every now and then I do some research into alternatives and to be honest I can't find one that's a reasonable price that doesn't look like crap either.
If anyone is reading this and can suggest a fully customisable one that's less than £50 a month for about 3,000 subscribers please let me know...!
C x
Have you looked at Zoho? I use Zoho Campaigns for a charity I work for and it was definitely cheaper than Mailchimp, but I can't remember how much now!
Gemma thank you - I shall go look into this to see if it's a viable option! x
I'm also a bit of a lurker, less of a commentator. I've been reading avidly since about 2016 - your post on styling two tartan skirts, one with a green leather jacket came up when I was googling, and been subscribed ever since.
I think I'm always a bit socially anxious about commenting on posts in case it's misconstrued or I don't explain myself well enough, but I always love reading the posts! Hope you had a great holiday!
Don't worry Shoeperwoman, I think having holidays is probably covered under the Geneva Convention on Authors' Rights - every blogger is entitled to them. (under: "creative types who need to break and refresh their spirit")
I think you are absolutely within your rights to just to relax with a complete break..... but I would still love to hear about the holidays at a time that suits your schedule :)
P.S. I particularly enjoy seeing sunshine images from programs like "Death in Paradise" when the weather is even colder than it is this July.
Your holiday looks fabulous, and I am so jealous as I sit here listening to my kitchen being plastered.
I started looking at flying to Tenerife for a long weekend, then my Mum rang me and told me that apparently they don't like tourists in Tenerife any more and they just found a German tourist in a suitcase with his limbs all cut off, so I decided to stay here instead.
I do really feel everything you say about the old blogging days. It's weird to be like the old lady of the internet, ah, back in my day we did blogging and outfit posts. I still do it sometimes for the same reason, because I want to. But then I remember spending ages getting the perfect photo and I really can't be bothered to keep that up! So I just keep documenting whether anyone is reading or not!
Never forget that there are still people who care and who enjoy whenever you share a part of yourself. I'm one of those people who has followed you through many of the eras that you describe and I want you to give yourself more credit for your writing, your photography, and your ability to share what means something to you in the moment. Your content across the years shows that you are a wonderful person, mother, and partner!!