I created a Tumblr for critiques on my graphic design work when I was twelve years old. As of today, my blog has about half a million active followers, including people that submit their own original artwork for review. The popularity of my blog has also trickled onto other social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter, and I have about ~20k active followers on each. I own a graphic design company, design all of the print publications and branding collateral for my school (yearbook, alumni magazine, business cards, etc.) and have regularly freelanced web/print/identity design since the seventh grade. Would this be a strong enough extracurricular to warrant listing it on my application? Thanks in advance!
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Definitely! but I would emphasize the content over the followers…
Also describe how the graphic design, the blog, and the graphic design company all work together.
@bopper Thank you for your help!
Great advice from @bopper . Of course you should include this info. I do think that you should make clear that you have 500k followers because that gives your site credibility. But you need to emphasize the other things related to it. Bloggers are a dime a dozen these days.
agreed… so don’t say “I have a blog with 500K followers!” But “I have built a blog on graphic design criticism and have run it for 7 years. It has grown from a method to get feedback on my own work to a blog that is known world-wide as a source for critiques on designs from over 500K followers.”
^^ Yes. ^^
I feel like the way I initially phrased my question cheapened this, but I figured that if I was going to include my blog on my application at all it’d have to be content + community over just numbers. Thank you all again for your help, I really appreciate it! @Lindagaf @bopper
I’m looking to do this, how are you doing it? Photoshop?
@UndauntedStudent It depends on what you’re aiming to create. Initially I used Photoshop, but I eventually expanded my skill set to include all of Adobe’s Creative Suite. The programs I use most frequently for still-2D works are Illustrator, InDesign (a must for print and editorial design), and Photoshop, but it all depends on what your goals are. For example, if you wanted to start a career in branding and identity design (business cards, branding collateral, etc.) I recommend purchasing InDesign, which is a layout design tool used for commercial publications (like magazines). It’s great that you’re starting now - there’s actually a discount on CC for students that reduces the cost of all applications from around $150 dollars a month to $19, so it’s a pretty great way to take a hands on approach to learning while dodging the price tag. For 3D design (game design, artwork, movies), I recommend Blendr and Maya (Maya is a lot more forgiving to beginners). For the audience, I recommend just being a nice person and creating an atmosphere that encourages constructive criticism (because you are going to be criticized - it might hurt at first but always remember that it’s going to make you a better artist at the end of the day). Don’t get hung up on trying to increase the size of your audience or making a profit because people will see right through that (and you won’t grow), but if you genuinely enjoy what you’re doing and care about your community, the growth will come naturally. Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you have any questions! 
Thanks a lot!