Spanking Blogs: Myth and Reality

The following is a guest post I wrote for the February 7, 2012 edition of WellRed Weekly, the electronic journal of the Library of Spanking Fiction. This article has never before appeared here. It provides an interesting time capsule, but a lot of the information is still relevant.

I've published a spanking blog entitled My Bottom Smarts for the past six years. My experience has been tremendously fulfilling, both in terms of being a blogger and as a dedicated spanking enthusiast. When I began this journey, I didn't even know what I didn't know. The purpose of this article is to share some of what I've discovered along the way and introduce our community of spanking blogs.

In my time as a blogger, I've answered over 2,000 reader e-mails. Many casual readers and beginning bloggers find the blogging world strange and sometimes a little intimidating at first. By demystifying the subject, I hope to encourage spanking enthusiasts of every stripe to join in the fun.

Myth #1: Blogging is a largely solitary activity. I imagine one person sitting in a small room and typing their lonely words out into the dark universe.

Reality: This was my first surprise upon arriving in the spankosphere. I didn't anticipate meeting and becoming friends with so many interesting people so quickly.

We have a large and vibrant community of spanko bloggers. My blog provides links to almost 500 like minded blogs. We grow together, gain strength from one another, and share our ideas. We are diverse in our preferences, but unified by our common interest in consensual adult spanking.

You can stay in that lonely room if you prefer, but there's a whole lot happening elsewhere.

Myth #2: Spanking bloggers are so different from me. They are much more experienced and therefore, I have nothing to say to them.

Reality: Most spanko bloggers are regular people who you'd never pick out of a lineup as being different. We are young, middle-aged, and old. We have years of experience and we've never been spanked. We look like fashion models and we look like cookie-baking grandmothers. We are male and female, straight and queer. We come from every country. In short, we are a microcosm of the greater world. You'll definitely fit in.

Some of my favorite bloggers are those who are just beginning their journey. They are always surprised when I tell them that there are readers who are striving to reach the place where they are. For every person trying to figure out how to arrange their first spanking, there are two more wondering whether they would like to be spanked. We all have someone we can instruct and inspire. Likewise, even long time spanking enthusiasts can learn from others. No one has tried everything.

Myth #3: Spanking bloggers all know each other. It seems like a cliquish club sometimes.

Reality: We love new readers, and especially, new bloggers. Approximately every two weeks, I publish a post entitled "In with the New" where I introduce and promote new spanking-oriented blogs and bloggers. In addition, one day each autumn, the entire community celebrates those silent readers known as lurkers.

It's only natural that bloggers befriend other bloggers. After all, we have at least two things in common, and frequently, quite a few more. So, yes, we have many great friends in the community. But there is no absolutely reason why you cannot be one of them.

Myth #4: There are so many excellent blogs already that I don't know how my little blog could even make a dent.

Reality: It takes a while to develop a regular readership. But blogs offering interesting content that is regularly updated can and do find big audiences.

Then again, maybe you don't need thousands of readers. Some blogs pursue more of a boutique strategy that attracts a small core of very loyal followers. This too qualifies as successful blogging.

Myth #5: All of those confusing acronyms and labels seem impossible to navigate.

Reality: I start with the assumption that no two relationships are the same, and that is as it should be. Every person and couple have different interests and aspirations. We can use labels as a convenience to classify people and blogs, but it's never an ideal fit.

With that said, I divide the blogs I link as follows: General Spanking, Photos and Videos, Models and Industry, Domestic Discipline, Authors and Stories, and BDSM. I have no illusion that everything appeals to everyone. By color coding the links, I seek to make it easier for readers to find other blogs that they are likely to enjoy.

Myth #6: Spanking blogs are almost exclusively written by straight submissive females.

Reality: I happen to be a straight submissive female and there are admittedly quite a few of us who blog. But our community is a lot more diverse than that. We have a strong group of female-dominant blogs as well as some truly excellent lesbian authors. Even within blogs published by straight submissive women, you will find an incredible domestic discipline sub-community. We love to read men's perspectives and we can always use a few more. But our chorus is comprised of many different voices.

Myth #7: A blogger needs to know a lot of HTML and other technical web stuff.

Reality: Most bloggers never write a single line of code. Modern blogging platforms like Blogger, Wordpress, and Tumblr hide most of the technical details (unless you particularly like to fiddle). This arrangement allows the blogger to concentrate on their content - text, photographs, and video.

Myth #8: Blogs offend me with explicit photos and I never know when I'm going to see somebody's privates in my face.

Reality: This phenomenon is real, but not as widespread as the myth would suggest. There are literally hundreds of active spanking blogs that never display genitals. Many have no skin at all. If you dislike a blog's content, then don't return. There are plenty of others that feature primarily text.

Myth #9: So many of these blogs are mostly dopey memes and cat pictures.

Reality: Please look again. While those features exist, you'll more often find insightful analysis, clever humor, meaningful debate, brilliant fiction, thoughtful journals, and helpful advice. This is a very bright, literate community, especially when compared to the internet as a whole.

Myth #10: I think some of these people would rather write about spanking than do it.

Reality: Of the 1,500 posts on my blog, a good portion were directly or indirectly inspired by trips over my dear husband's lap. I love everything about spanking, and I love to talk about it. It's not practical to discuss our latest bottom-warming adventures with vanilla friends or coworkers. But a blog provides an ideal outlet. Most of the good people who frequent My Bottom Smarts enjoy spanking or being spanked as I do. Our mutual interest creates a connection among us.

I know I speak for most of my colleagues when I say that if I had to choose between the paddle and the blog, I'd have to hang up my keyboard. Fortunately, both are still going strong!


I hope this introduction has enticed you to visit spanking blogs and perhaps even try your hand. In any case, please know that you are always welcome at my blog. Do stop by and ask a question if you like, join the conversation, or just read and enjoy. That's what spanking blogs are all about.