46 Blogging Observations So Far
Blogging, Family, Just Good Stuff | Posted by Jannie on 7 August 2009 @ 7:22 AM 62 Comments
1967: Me, Brother Joe, Brother Harry & Tom the cat (See # 36 below.)
During the course of my extremely long blogging career — almost eleven whole months now, I’ve learned a thing or 46 I’d like to share …
1. Blogging can take up a LOT of time.
2. Blogging can be addictive.
3. Bloggers need just as much sleep as non-bloggers. Sleep — right up there with oxygen for humans.
4. I will not die if I run out of time to read every single word of every single post of every single one my blogging buddies, it only feels that way. (I hate getting behind.)
5. It’s okay to post on my own schedule.
6. Since I can’t do justice to ALL 137 social media sites, I’ve picked a couple favorites to learn inside-out — Stumble Upon and Twitter. Facebook I use more for long-lost cousins, whom I’ve found 296 of so far! (Long Canadian winters and no tv for my grandparents made for lots of bouncing Funster babies.)
7. The wild beast of Efficient Twittering can and hopefully will be tamed by me. (I’m up to page 177 of “Twitter For Dummies” at this writing.)
8. Bloggers are a super nice bunch of peeps.
9. Bloggers are a supportive bunch of peeps.
10. I can go from laughing on one friend’s blog to crying on another’s to laughing again on another’s in the space of minutes.
11. Blogging connects souls.
12. I care as deeply for some bloggers as I do for real life friends I’ve known for years.
13. My blogging buds often, if not usually, know more than I do on topics I post about. I never cease to be amazed.
14. I am surprised there are still psychotherapists around with all this blogging love and wisdom to be had for free.
15. It’s great to share helpful things on blogs. Why hog the good stuff?
16. Being controversial for the sake of pageviews is not something I’d ever feel comfortable doing.
17. I must be kind, I never know how my words will affect someone.
18. I must be sincere, I never know how my words will affect someone.
19. Commenting is fun, free and easy.
20. Linking a great blogger up is fun, free and easy.
21. People like me to be ME. (Go figure.)
22. Commenters appreciate the gift of shorter posts once in a while, or maybe more than once in a while.
23. If I write a long post I think is compelling, I don’t feel the need to inwardly apologize for “taking up” so much of my readers’ time.
24. Sometimes writing a post, letting it sit, then trimming the fat is good.
25. My best posts are usually the ones that bubble up and write themselves quickly.
26. I catch inspiration when it hits for rainy-day post ideas.
27. Sometimes I wonder “Why the heck am I even blogging at all?” But those moments pass and lead to moments of “I LOVE blogging — it’s the best.”
28. Blogging enthusiasm ebbs and flows.
29. When blogging growth stalls I keep going.
30. It’s good to be patient with blogging, to keep moving optimistically forward and making connections.
31. Blogging cream rises, but good blogs must be promoted.
32. SEO can bring a ton of traffic.
33. Using stats can be very helpful to draw traffic, maybe even loyal traffic. By poking around in my Google Analytics a lot has been revealed to me. (Google stats are free.)
34. I still don’t know how to write a proper About page. And I keep hearing About pages are important.
35. Getting away from the computer into the wilds of Real Life is a wonderful thing.
36. People love photos in blog posts, especially ones from my personal life.
37. I love photos in posts, especially ones from bloggers’ personal lives.
38. Commenting on an A-List blogger’s post can bring in traffic, but there is a way to overdo it.
39. Some blog communities are not so much communities as cliques.
40. I never want this blog to become a clique and will continue to be aware of that.
41. As to content, the mind’s the limit. One can never get TOO creative in blogging.
42. Once in a while I’m a little fearful before I publish something weird or potentially that people might not approve of, like what may or may not be a funny photo session,) but as Bold Tess says in her Inspirational Book, your successes are usually preceded by fear.
43. I CAN be bold — do reviews, guest posts, put ads on my site, switch to a crazy background color, etc.
44. I wonder if I’ll ever reach a satisfied place as I strive for bigger and better blogging things?
45. The more I realize just how deeply I can get into blogging and the promotion thereof, the more I realize just how deeply I can get into blogging and the promotion thereof — which leads right back to point #1 … TIME.
46. I’ve got a whole heck of a lot more to learn about blogging.
Any observations on my observations or ones of your own to add?
