I've been thinking about blogging today. And, I'm wondering how some of you are feeling about blogging also. I have questions such as why do you blog; what are you trying to say with your blog; are you interested in who is reading your blog. These are things that I have been thinking about and so I thought that I would ask you, the people that read my blog, to respond if you want to.Above, is a copy of a report that Google Analytics makes available to me. (Click to enlarge) I have had it "in the background" for a couple of years now. I find it interesting to see where people come from that are looking at my blog. I know there are lots of other people who do this also. I have seen small maps or flags that appear in the sidebars of many other blogs, showing where visitors are coming from.
I find it interesting to see, frankly, where people are coming from. It is really insignificant to me why. I blog because I am interested in other people and their interests. I love seeing an article on art, on poetry, on a wonderful dog that is loved or adopted. I love seeing other people's photos and perspectives; where they live, how they live, what they are doing with their families and time. To me it is like looking through a wonderful magazine only I don't have to buy it at the news stand. It is right there, available to me on my computer. And through the process of having "followers" and also "following" other blogs, I have made some connections that I consider "friends". It's a strange world that we live in but I am finding that we are all so much more alike that I previously thought or knew.
In the above photo I don't know if you can see it or not, but under the word SERVICE PROVIDER it says: PG&E. For those of you not living in the California area and not familiar, PG&E stands for Pacific Gas and Electric Company. It is our local utility provider. I find it odd that someone from PG&E looks at my blog. It makes me wonder what I have written here that is so interesting to someone who should be hard at work providing service to those who have energy needs or questions. Where my daughter works there are strict rules regarding "surfing the web" and "personal emails" on company time. I am not in the work force now (retired) so I am not sure what the "rules" are for other companies. Do any of your work places frown on "surfing the web" on company time? And if so, are you allowed to use company computers for personal business at your lunch hours? I guess I should be flattered that this person (or persons) finds my blog interesting enough to keep checking back year-after-year. Thank you for your patronage. It boosts my morale AND my numbers!
I have people I follow regularly who are listed on my sidebar and some of them are not Google (Blogspot) people. Some of them are Word Press users. I often wonder what the difference is. Is it an easier format? Does Word Press offer something that Google does not? I have noticed that there are some blogs on Word Press that are marked "private". You can see an example if you go to: http://twobecomethree.wordpress.com/ There, it says this: "http://twobecomethree.wordpress.com/ is marked private by its owner. If you were invited to view this site, please log in below." Now, for the life of me, I can't understand why anyone would want to have a blog and then mark it "private". That doesn't make any sense to me. Is the point to just journal? If so, why not just write it in a paper journal and keep it by your bed? To me, the whole point in keeping a blog is for feedback. If I wanted just those who were "invited" to see it, why not just call them on the phone and tell them what I felt about stuff rather than having them read it? And, how would I let them know that I had a blog in the first place if it was marked "private"? That whole concept is beyond me. I could just email them the photos I took of my family, of my new house, of the beautiful flowers I saw or the poetry I wrote. Am I the only one that this is lost on?
Anyway, over at thealteredpage.blogspot.com Seth Apter has a post today called: With One Palette" and he also has a survey in his sidebar regarding blogging. One is called "Your Blog Your Way" and the other is a survey about what you do when you go to someones blog regarding commenting or lurking in the background. You can take the survey if you are so inclined.
And some of my other favorites (and reasons I keep going back again and again) are: maggiessecretgarden.blogspot.com where you can find a beautiful picture and recipe for Cherry-lentil salad. And in the same vein a post about Cherry Pie over at 66squarefeet.blogspot.com It's not what you are imagining, I guarantee. Well, maybe. And speaking of feet: go over to M's blog at secretnotebookswildpages.blogspot.com and see a great diagram of some feet and read about Jai Gurudev. I think that you'll be glad that you did! She always has a fresh perspective and always beautiful photography. Brian, over at Way Station One will always impress you (as he does me and many, many followers) with his poetry. Today I see a poem titled: Butterflies with broken wings. It has garnered many, many comments. That wouldn't happen if it was marked "private".
Isn't it incredible how the synchronicity of the blog world happens? We are all connected and I am glad that I have the ability to read all your blogs and that they are not marked "private". I would never have been able to broaden my horizons had that been so. I have always said that it is important to keep learning and growing. The older I get, the more important this becomes. Never stop learning. Never stop searching. Never stop ______________(fill in the blank, including BLOGGING!) I may not have found you yet but I am searching!!
I blog for two reasons.
ReplyDeleteOne, this used to be my husband's blog for many years. Every post before June 3rd 2011 is his. There's a lot of history in it. Stuff that was written for me, stuff that was written for others before me. A lot of love was poured into it. I'd like it not to end. It doesn't matter if no one else reads it. As long as I know he continues on.
Two. In some ways it will keep my memories intact. I blog about little things that I remember now. In many years from now, some of these memories might fade. Hopefully this blog will help me remember those things.
smiles. i have found some of the most amazing people through blogging. i never would have thought that. my friend had to twist my arm to get me to start...i have learned much as well...would not trade it for the world...
ReplyDeleteI'm a terrible blogger, really. In the past I have tried several times to keep a blog but have always gloriously failed because it's felt either too public or too useless - or because I have completely forgotten about the existence of my blog. I have now started blogging more "seriously" because I finally know what I'm writing about and what kind of things/subjects I want to share with people (and which ones I don't). 99% of the content I put in my blog is bookbinding/art related, and thus the blog works as a place where I archive all my projects etc. so that I can come back to them later and see how I've developed and what kind of things I've done, but at the same time I want to keep the contents of my blog inspiring and interesting so that other people might enjoy it too. I do of course also like to offer information about the products I make for sale, so I occasionally advertise my work a bit, but the main purpose of my blog is to archive and to inspire.
ReplyDeleteI don't blog about my life very much, because I've never liked to share my personal life or feelings with billions of random people: For the past seven or eight years I've had a private / friends only Livejournal account which I still keep because I want to share my inner life and ponderings with my closest friends and no-one else. I do have a physical art journal/diary too, and in it I put all the things I don't bother to put in a coherent form in order to share them with other people. My friends only journal isn't very coherent or easily accessible either and I really like it that way. I've never fully understood blogging (as in Blogspot, Wordpress etc - not in LJ) because it often seems to be about openly sharing everything with everyone - that kind of concept doesn't really suit me at all.
blogging for me is a bit of an online journal, a bit of therapy and a whole lot of "oh my gosh, i just love people and what they do and what they say and what they share"
ReplyDeleteTeri,
ReplyDeleteFabulous post....with so many things to think on. Blogging has become an obsession for me...and in it I have found friendships that have enriched my life in so many ways. I learn so much from my blogging friends, but mostly that we are so humanly alike, though we come from so many walks of life. I blog with people that are so much more educated than myself, and yet have never felt any condescension that I might have thought of getting in the real world I walk in. It has helped enrich me spiritually, developmentally, and with new perspectives on life. It has broadened my horizons in many ways, especially with encouragement from YOU and other blogger friends. We are building a better world one blog at a time. A network of people with heart and soul to care about each other in simple ways each day with just a few short words in a comment section. We share our families, our work, our hopes and dreams in an environment that is seemingly without judgment. It is for me a tool for enhancing the quality of my life. I am introduced to places online I would have never had the chance to see in my real world, and yet feel I have learned more from shared photos and descriptions of these far away places just as much as if I had been there in person. But the real skinny on blogging is the love passed around in big scoopfuls in each post. People pouring their feelings out on the keyboard for all to see...and with that it allows us to see how we are so similar as humans in development toward a new earth shift.
My blog is just so so....what i have to write about is not that earth shattering. But I hope that in each post I present, it conveys how much I love and truly care about people. With all the negative vibes out in the media...here is a place where we snub that and come together in massive numbers to find the positives of our existence. And for that I'm grateful. There are compassionate people in the world...and i find them here...okay so to some this might sound a bit over the top...but at least I was able to say it out loud through my keyboard and no one will fault me for it...unconditional love? You bet!
Thanks Teri...you're awesome! xxoo
Thanks for sharin' the love!!
Why do I blog? I love the feedback I get. I use it as a journal and to document my photos. It makes my feelings become real to post it and to have people give me feed back.
ReplyDelete