I have become less and less regular about posting at Out of My Hat.
But if you read regularly (or irregularly as my posts are irregular), you already know that.
Oddly enough, in a couple of weeks I'll be standing before my writing club to talk about ... blogging.
Over the course of the next few days I'll be re-examining why I chose to start this blog, how it has evolved over the past few years and why I continue to publicly rant/preach/write/share about whatever might come to mind.
I know that many of my readers are also fellow bloggers (or former bloggers). Perhaps you'll share why you blog by leaving a comment.
A quick scan of the "Blogs I Frequent" list in the right column shows quite a number of blogs are are no longer being written. I guess I need to update that list. I think that the quick tweet or slightly longer Facebook status update has replaced blogging for a lot of former bloggers. I recently read (and I can't remember where to give the source) that serious writers don't blog, the write to be published.
I assume they meant that they write to be published by somebody else or to be published for pay because even a simple blog like this one is "published."
So for my little fifteen to twenty minute session, I plan on sharing some sites that offer to publish your blog, some tips to publishing to get hits or build your following, some of the many different types of blogs that are out there.
If you were going to talk for fifteen minutes on why you read blogs, what would you say?
What do you, the reader, look for in a blog?
(Is it cheesy to solicit my readers for help with my presentation?)
If I look back to my first post, I can read some of the reasons that I started blogging (and no I haven't written one additional word to that book!) and see that they pretty much still work for today. Perhaps I should be more purposeful about blogging. As it is, Out of My Hat is just a sort of catch all kind of blog with random posts at random times about random subjects.
I guess it is appropriately named.
John <><
John, I find it hard to come up with things to say in my blog also. I try to have at least one entry per week, at least. I hope it's a kind of discipline.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your talk and your nice blog.
John, I started this whole thing as a kind of "diary" for me. A place to put my thoughts and things that were happening in my life. A electronic place to be able to come back to and see what went on. Well I did not talk about it, because it was for me...then a friend of mine found it because I commented on hers and used my sign in...duh!! Anyway..I think knowing others might read it changed the way I wrote..less personal in alot of ways. I still occasionally do posts that I don't publish. Things I don't want to share. It is not like I have a ton of people reading my blog...but still some things are just for me...I am old -so used to do the journal thing and occasionally enjoy going back and reading some of where I was then.
ReplyDeleteOkay - I am just so wordy today.....I read blogs because I like to be inspired....goofy maybe. I really like blogs that make me think about things. I have several favorites..many by friends. Many times I will read a blog and comeback to it a few days later to comment...I liek to "chew" on things for a while....
ReplyDeleteLike Fran I too started blogging as a diary. I was recently divorced when I started and I blogged to organize thoughts and to stop talking to all my friends. When you divorce things change dramatically in your life.
ReplyDeleteI was hooked on blogging when someone responded. I didn't know them. It was a positive comment and it was the affirmation I needed.
I have made many friends through blogging. I have more than one blog, and have recently had a renewed interest in putting my thoughts out there again.
My real thought is that facebook is ok for keeping in touch with people, but blogging is a way to touch people you don't know and may never meet.
I am glad that you and I became friends on my blog.
Ciao