It is maybe three years since
To Blog or not to blog?
I began blogging and over that time my vision has evolved. Originally, I was focused on politics and expressing my feelings about various events in the political world. It was all about me. I finally got so incensed and frankly burned out that I withdrew completely for a time. It was clear that I had no insights of a unique nature and was not adding to the general level of discourse. My following was among others with the same perspective. We were reinforcing out own points of view but not changing minds or adding to the dialogue. It was mildly satisfying but ultimately more work than I could justify and, of course, I didn’t build a big following.
My next level of blogging activity converted my blog to a report of what was going on with my garden. I discovered some fantastic garden bloggers who did everything wonderfully. They have beautiful gardens. They take fantastic pictures and they write interesting posts about their gardens and related topics. My efforts were clearly marginal against this competition and gradually I stopped my regular weekly updates.
It was about this time that I discovered the world of Web 2.0 and the idea of developing a web presence. The introduction was from people that I had discovered in my quest to build income streams using web marketing. So I started a new blog, this time using my name. I didn’t have a clear vision of what my blog should be when I started, except that that it would avoid politics and be as relatable as possible.
Posts were random in content to begin. I looked for things that I thought interesting, unusual or clever interspersed with personal commentary, mini book reviews and even garden updates. I quickly discovered that it requires a lot of time to assemble content even if you you are reporting content from someone else. I also learned that just because I thought the format and content interesting did not mean that others would – or more important- that they would discover it and me in the vastness of the World Wide Web
It is maybe three years since I began blogging and over that time my vision has evolved. Originally, I was focused on politics and expressing my feelings about various events in the political world. It was all about me. I finally got so incensed and frankly burned out that I withdrew completely for a time. It was clear that I had no insights of a unique nature and was not adding to the general level of discourse. My following was among others with the same perspective. We were reinforcing out own points of view but not changing minds or adding to the dialogue. It was mildly satisfying but ultimately more work than I could justify and, of course, I didn’t build a big following.
My next level of blogging activity converted my blog to a report of what was going on with my garden. I discovered some fantastic garden bloggers who did everything wonderfully. They have beautiful gardens. They take fantastic pictures and they write interesting posts about their gardens and related topics. My efforts were clearly marginal against this competition and gradually I stopped my regular weekly updates.
It was about this time that I discovered the world of Web 2.0 and the idea of developing a web presence. The introduction was from people that I had discovered in my quest to build income streams using web marketing. So I started a new blog, this time using my name. I didn’t have a clear vision of what my blog should be when I started, except that that it would avoid politics and be as relatable as possible.
Posts were random in content to begin. I looked for things that I thought interesting, unusual or clever interspersed with personal commentary, mini book reviews and even garden updates. I quickly discovered that it requires a lot of time to assemble content even if you you are reporting content from someone else. I also learned that just because I thought the format and content interesting did not mean that others would – or more important- that they would discover it and me in the vastness of the World Wide Web
I find my blog meanders out, about, and all around, even if it might be classified as a “garden” blog. I write about what pleases me, and then it’s not work – it’s fun! Good luck in your social media adventure!