Introduction
Well, I can't seem to stop making comments about my blogging experience, so maybe I should just make a post about it. In fact, I've decided to move some of what I've said earlier on the subject over to this post, so that my comments on the subject can appear all in one place and I can better evaluate where I'm at on the subject.
Perhaps what I say can help some who are already blogging or those who might be considering starting a blog to evaluate their priorities and I'm also hoping for a little help from those who have found solutions to some of the things mentioned.
My Goal
My goal was to make a post about once every 3 to 4 days. Occasionally, I'm late. For awhile, one of my commenters was telling me that I should just post when I want to, yet there are reasons why I keep pushing myself. One is that I, at times, can have motivation problems and I've found that if I wait until I feel "Moved", sometimes this results in me never getting anything done.
Another reason is because I desire a certain result, for sometimes we do things because we want to, sometimes we do things because we have to and sometimes we do things because we are hoping for a certain result. The result I desire is to give my readers some level of consistency so that the ones who have decided to follow my blog will know what to expect and will not lose interest.
I suppose that I'll always have a few followers who are really loyal no matter what I do and for those I am truly grateful. Thank you.
Indecision
There have been times in which I have found my blogging experience to be a little frustrating. I've discovered that this is because I have trouble making decisions. I don't want to pick and choose. I just want it all.
Deciding what to post has not always flowed as nicely as I would like it to. I've always got several options to choose from and the indecision in itself can cause a delay and then when I do finally decide on something, I start doing it and realize that if I really want to do this particular post right, I really should look up something in a certain reference that I don't happen to have here at the house.
Dealing with Stress
I keep thinking about these people who have these programs that count hits. Their goal is to get as many hits as possible and they post DAILY, at least in part because apparently this increases the number of hits. That sounds really neat, but I don't think I'd have the energy for that.
It's not just the continuous posting that seems hard for me, but I also think that I'd have trouble keeping up with all the continuous comments. I'd be on the computer for hours and hours a day and probably wouldn't even find the time to leave my own blog and visit anyone else's. I don't know how you guys do it. I guess I just have to learn to ignore some of the comments until I can get a few other things done.
I've got a number of impossible goals that I seem to feel the need to keep striving for. There is a part of me that wants to read every post, on every blog, of all my friends. Another even more impossible goal is to respond to every comment, on every blog, of all my friends. Is it any wonder that I feel stressed at times, but God says, just wait on Me and I will show you what's important to do and what is not.
I guess I could just put the blogs I visit on a schedule. For example, if I have 7 blogs to visit, I could assign each one a different day of the week. Unfortunately, it doesn't flow quite as neatly as that. Instead, I seem to go through blog phases in which I'm particularly interested in one of the blogs for a period of time over all the others, yet I don't want to let too much time go by in which I'm ignoring anyone. It's weird. Oh well.
A Few Questions to Find Answers to
In a few of my previous posts, I've been combining my comments about blogging with other thoughts and inspirations, such as a Word Picture or a Prayer. I've done this instead of creating two separate posts mostly because I realize that as I do more and more posting, some of my earlier posts will eventually disappear onto an additional page and may not be read as often. When I think of this, it makes me feel just a little reluctant to keep posting because I really do like some of my earlier Posts.
I've noticed that some blogs include the ability to Categorize the Posts and this keeps more of the Posts on the first Page, depending on what Category the reader is interested in. I'm not sure how to get this "Category Option" to work on my blog, or even if such is available to those who use blogspot.com. Another thing that I may need to do soon is add some kind of a feed. I don't know how to do this either. Perhaps some of my readers can help. Thanks.
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17 comments:
I commend you for setting goals and having a specific purpose for your blog, I suppose I never formally did so, I just post things that get stuck in my head (like how songs get stuck there).
As for indecision, my suggestion, flip a coin. No, really, it works.
As for wanting to read and comment on all your friends' blogs, I do do that, so I am not a good role model for you.
Tech questions, I don't know those answers, never understood feeds myself. I only know about bolding and italics, lol.
I just about always have several things stuck in my head, not only one, yet if I was to post all of it, I'd be on the computer far too many hours, so it is important for me to prioritize. I think that sometimes what overwhelms me is the over stimulus that occurs inside my own head. For me, there are usually several internal stimulus' to every external stimulus. Too many things move me and this creates indecision and confusion.
If I wait, it's only a matter of time before one of my options rises to the top of the others. Often it is something that is said by one of my commenters that triggers the final decision.
As to wanting to read and comment on all of the blogs, the reason why this is an important thing to consider and keep in check is because it is easier to keep the peace with my husband if I can limit the things I do to reasonable hobbies, whether than obsessions.
Here's a stupid question that I know you can probably answer. What does lol mean?
lol = laughing out loud
Oh! That makes sense. I sort of had a hunch that it was laughter, but now I know for sure and understand the logic of it. Thanks. I'm so dumb sometimes. lol.
LMAO = Laughing My Arse Off
ROTFLMAO = Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Arse Off
;-) = rotate that 1/4 degree to the right and it's a smiling face winking
:-) = that one is just a smiley face
TTFN = Ta Ta For Now
There are probably a whole host of others too (check with your local area teeny bopper for the latest).
I used "btw" in an e-mail to our PTA president, and she didn't know that means "by the way".
Another is "imo" = in my opinion, or a variation "imho" = in my humble opinion.
Soapster, I was hoping you'd explain "feeds" to us.
Thanks for all your wonderful information, you guys. The BTW one, I was able to figure out. When someone wrote once "Oh and BTW,...", well, what else could it be. I've actually used that one a few times.
I actually did a Google Search on "feeds", but the type of feeds I found were not the type I was referring to.
On one person's blog, I saw 2 RSS Feeds. One was labeled "Entries RSS" and the other one "Comments RSS". If you clicked on the links, you saw a whole bunch of the titles listed for the posts on his blog, or a whole bunch of the most recent comments that had been submitted on different posts. The main thing that impressed me about it was that there were a lot more titles mentioned than the ones normally showing on the right that have not yet been archived.
This same guy also had a Category list on the right that could be clicked on to bring up the posts relating to that category. I haven't been to this person's blog for awhile, but will go back to it and inquire about these things if no one else tells me first what I want to know.
write as you are inspired to write, lista. writing for just the sake of posting something will say nothing nor mean anything to you or your readers.
blogging was meant to be enjoyed not work.
as for catagorizing when you go back to this guy's blog check out if he is using "blogger" like us.
He's with wordpress.com.
Thanks, Griper. I will consider what you have said in relation to posting when I feel inspired, though I just about always have something in my head that could be posted. Time and priorities are my main issues, not lack of inspiration.
My blogger friend, Z-man, jokes that he has a refrigerator full of stuff to blog about, keeps it fresh in the Tupperware for whenever he might need it. I joked back how it can get moldy in Tuperware.
Anyway, have a good weekend, Lista!
The other thing too is that while it is most times preferable to have a nice and well thought out and grammatically correct blog, the reality is that it's not always possible.
That's why sometimes it's best to just get it out there for the sake of discussion by keeping it short and sweet (Beth is good at that sometimes). You can always go back later and elaborate on it.
then i would suggest using a word processor. that way you can sit down and just write a bit each time then copy and paste it to your blog when finished. no need to sit and write all at once. that's what i do. besides using a word processor allows for easier editing too.
Thanks Beth,
You have a good weekend too.
Soapbox,
You know, there are times in which I reread something several times and still miss stuff and then what really gets me is when I lose something in cyberspace and have to retype it and I'm so frustrated and tired that I just don't care if there are typing errors in it any more. You've pegged me right, though. I'm a perfectionist and this contributes to stress, so I need to stop it.
For me, sometimes writing something short is more effort than writing something longer. What's quickest for me is to just put it out there the way it first comes to me, however short or long that might be.
Griper,
I do use a word processor sometimes and sometimes I even print out entire comment threads, turn off the computer, sit in an easy chair in the living room and read while writing on note book paper.
As to posts, I save stuff as a draft and than come back to it later. I've realized, though, that when I do that, I have to change the date and time just before publishing it because the program actually publishes the date and time that I started something, whether than when I finished it unless I tell it otherwise.
Yes, most of my postings are short and sweet, just like me, lol.
Maybe you could go the route of Kerry Russell's character on that show "Felicity". She would always dictate her thoughts into a hand held recorder.
Of course you'd have to eventually have someone type it unless you just posted the audio (that would be weird wouldn't it??....an AUDIO blog....hmmm.)
You certainly wouldn't need to worry about spelling and/or grammatical errors that way. LOL
Anyway just a thought.
Well, I'm used to my own crazy handicaps. The perfection part of it could probably be changed if I really tried. Remaining enslaved to perfectionism is at least partly the result of choice. Though perfectionism itself is far from lazy, not putting the effort out required in order to free oneself from it sort of is.
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