A prominent YouTube blogger apologized for a long, unexpected disappearance. But should bloggers really owe the audience an apology?
What does a blogger really owe the audience they build? That question came up recently in a story of a YouTube blogger who suddenly vanished for months.
I’ll sketch out the quick scenario for you, but you can read more on time Time website. In the interest in full disclosure, I’ll say upfront that I’ve never heard of this person. I don’t tend to watch YouTube “vlogs.” I prefer an actual written blog like this one.
In any case, Time explains she’s been a fixture on that platform since 2009. She began a series called “Revealing Your Secrets” back in 2018 or so that eventually inspired a podcast. She amassed a subscriber base of 1.7 million.
That’s impressive no matter how you look at it. I’m in no danger of beating her subscriber count. I can say with great confidence that I’ll never reach a million subscribers here. But I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.
In any event, a funny thing happened on Dec. 16, 2022. She went silent across all of the social media platforms. Her subscribers didn’t receive any explanation for her absence. She just seemingly vanished.
Weiss suddenly returned to her social media channels on April 30. Four-and-a-half months after her sudden, unexplained hiatus, she posted a 40-minute video to explain her absence.
Should bloggers actually owe the audience an explanation in such a case?
Among the reasons, Time reported, were burnout and stress over her podcast’s cancellation. Then, it adds her comment that rumors about her disappearance got “out of hand.”
I’m not sure how anyone could see how there wouldn’t be at least some questions and some gossip in this day and age. Particularly when you leave 1.7 million people hanging.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not out to knock her. She went through a tough time and had to find a way to deal with it. If she has returned in better shape mentally and emotionally, that’s very important.
But if you serve an audience, you need to keep your audience in mind. Life happens. It always will. But if life is going to happen in such a way that it keeps you away from the routine you get your audience accustomed to, you should let them know.
I’ve talked in the past about the importance of scheduling posts and having a backup plan. If you can schedule posts ahead, you can slip away for a vacation without your audience even realizing it.
If I were one of her subscribers, I would been very concerned about her.
When she came back months later with the apology, no matter how heartfelt, I would have been angry. I would have felt cheated. Worse, I would have felt disrespected.
You never want to disrespect your audience.
Never.
So yes, bloggers, you do owe the audience a little notice when you’re going to be away or at least a heads-up if a big change is coming. Whether you have a million subscribers or just 10, those are people who’ve made it a point to tell you they’re interested in you and what you have to say.
The least you can do is show them that you value them enough that you appreciate their time.
