How To Blog Better: An Interview with Blogging Guru Mitch Mitchell

        Today my special guest is blogger extraordinaire Mitch Mitchell.  I've been following Mitch's blog I'm Just Sharing for over a year now and have found it to be not only entertaining, but also extremely helpful and informative.   Mitch stays on top of the news about social media so he's become one of my go-to guys to help me get educated about the subject.

         I asked Mitch to join me here on Tossing It Out to provide a sample of what he does on his blog and give my readers a mini-lesson on becoming better bloggers.

       I always enjoy reading your blog, Mitch.   My audience at Tossing It Out is varied, but I think most of us are interested in how to blog better. You provide good insight to things we might want to consider in relation to our blogs.  Today I'd like to ask a few questions that I think might be helpful to my readers:

Arlee:     Writers are often told that they should have a platform that includes a blog. What should writers be most focused on when it comes to blogging?

Mitch:    All bloggers should realize that the purpose of blogging is one of these 3 things: inform, educate or entertain. Once you get past that then the thing to focus on, in my opinion, is honesty. I see so many posts that look just like what someone else wrote, and in my mind it's not honest and the person didn't really give anything of themselves. In essence, they're being phony and dishonest in their presentation. One can let others learn a lot about them without giving up everything, and when we make people comfortable, they respond positively. And who doesn't want more positivity in their lives?

Arlee:    Time is limited and greatly limited for many of us. How do you recommend that bloggers get the most bang for their buck when it comes to blogging activity?

Mitch:    If you have problems with time but still want to blog, I recommend scheduling the time to blog into your calendar. Even one post a week will give your blog some benefit and if your content is appealing, people won't mind that kind of schedule, even if they're clamoring for more. Schedule an hour a week, if you need that long to put a post together, even if it's over the weekend, and get it done if you really care about blogging to begin with.

Arlee:     Can you tell us the nutshell version about SEO (search engine optimization) and why it should be important to us? Is it important to all of us and how do we determine this? 

 
Mitch:      SEO stands for search engine optimization, and it's the process of setting one's website up in a way that encourages search engines to come on a regular basis to determine what it is you do so that you can compete online with others that do what you do. You can get a brief lesson on it here: http://www.seoxcellence.com/searchengineoptimization.html.  

 Its importance to blogging depends on what your purpose for blogging is. If it's business then it's really important to think about SEO; if not, it should still be on your mind, but your first consideration should be your writing. Actually writing should always be your first consideration since that's what helps to set you apart from everyone else. You can check out this link to tell you what the 3 most important parts of SEO are:   http://www.seoxcellence.com/blog/a-websites-first-3-seo-tips/

Arlee:    Recently on your blog you've been talking about alternate media approaches such as video blogging, podcasting, etc. Who should consider doing this? Why would we want to do this? How do you recommend a person get their feet wet without a big investment in equipment?

Mitch:      There are a number of people who are more comfortable speaking than writing and have a message they want to convey to others. Those are the people I'd recommend to at least look into doing this type of thing, though it comes with limitations, such as the fact that there's no real way to do SEO for either of them and, for people like me who speed read, it can slow us down to the point where, if there are too many videos or podcasts, I might decide to skip a lot of them. As far as a recommendation based on price I bought my webcam in December and only spent $35 for it. Sure, it's limited to staying on top of my monitor, but it gets the job done. I believe a camera that's a bit more mobile can still be purchased for less than $100. Very few of us need to buy really expensive equipment to get going unless you're looking to do some really fancy stuff with it. Video is a nice way to add something new here and there to your blog as well.

Arlee:       Why would writers and others want to read your blog?

Mitch:      I talk about blogging often and writing here and there as well. However, I think people might like to read my blog because I try to be conversational and a storyteller, no matter what it is I'm talking about. You never know what I'll say or how I'll say it, and it's not a bad technique. Those who are interested in styles of writing might be interested in how I go about it, and if they look at some of the comments will possibly see other posts they might enjoy as well. It's a safe place for all, even if a topic might be deemed controversial. Luckily, I'm rarely that; or am I? :-)

           Controversial sometimes, but he's always nice about it.  My thanks to Mitch Mitchell for this teaser about what awaits on his blog.   I strongly encourage you to check it out and subscribe if it looks like a place you will want to revisit.  I'm there often and after you've stopped in I think you might be too.

You can find Mitch at the following sites:

http://www.imjustsharing.com

http://www.ttmitchellconsulting.com/Mitchblog
http://www.medicalbillinganswers.com

http://www.servicesandstuff.com/sales.html

Blog TV

         Things have been getting tossed my way so quickly of late that it's been difficult to keep juggling without dropping.  Last week an unplanned trip to Las Vegas came my way, which becomes the inspiration for my blog posts later this week, so I hope you'll come back to hear some of my thoughts on Las Vegas on Wednesday.  Then on Friday I'll tell you about what was my trip highlight.

          So in the interest of keeping this post relatively short, I wanted to toss something out to you and get your thoughts.

        Call it what you want to--vlogging, vidblogging, vidding, or what have you--I'm sure you've all run across the blogs where the blogger is actually there before you talking.  Sometimes the blogger compiles a narrated tour of something or even acted out scenes.  Usually the blogger speaks directly to us via the vid cam about a topic pertaining to their normal blog theme.   You yourself may have even made a video for your blog.

          I have so far made one video specifically for my blog which you can see here.  I have posted several YouTube videos, but I guess that's not the same as something unique to my blog.  There are a number of things I could put on video.  Some have mentioned that I should do a how to juggle video.  I could do a video tour of my work space--something I have seen other bloggers do.  I could talk about favorite books, music, movies, or the like.   Or I could just make a fool of myself and yack away.

         Sometimes the video blogs are nice because we get a feel for what the blogger is like and it's the next best thing to actually meeting them in person.  However, I find that typically they are too long.  I have a difficult time spending more than five minutes on a video and if the video is over ten minutes it better be incredibly interesting to keep me watching.

         Anyhow, this is a contemplation that I've been having and I thought I'd toss the idea out to you to see what you think.  I would hate to spend time making a video that no one watched.

         How often do you watch videos when someone has them on their site?   What kinds of videos do you like to see?  What is the maximum time you are usually willing to devote to watching a blog video?  Do you have any direct experience with posting videos on your own site?




-----

Blog Boggled

           From the beginning of my blogging career I have considered myself a student of what I have termed "Blog Science".  In my quest to become a better blogger by learning from more experienced bloggers and by sharing the knowledge I have gain from my own blogging experience, I began a series that I called Blog Boggled.  Since that first Blog Boggled post appeared I have continued the series on Mondays in tandem with a series called Persnickety Penman, which deals with writing topics.

           By no means am I an expert on blogging--far from it.  But I remain a student of the subject as do many of you.  If you are blogging seriously you are undoubtedly curious about things like how to bring more followers to your site, get more comments on your posts, and increase your search engine presence.  These are some of the topics I explore on my Blog Boggled series. 

           During April my Monday posts won't be so concerned with topics about blogging since in a sense the entire April Challenge is a sort of blogging experiment.  After the month of April be sure to come back for my articles on blogging if you'd like to explore this topic a little further.

           By now most of you have undoubtedly increased your followers and have seen more visits to your blogs.    If you haven't done so in the past, I hope that this month will instill an increased awareness of what is happening on your own blog and the blogs of others.  It's my hope that this April will be a time when you learn how to blog better and smarter.

           Have you seen an increase in followers since you've signed up for the challenge?  Are you following most or all of the other blogs signed up for the Challenge?   Do you have any special approach to visiting other bloggers during this Challenge?



======

The Final Countdown

         This is it folks!  This is the week that the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge 2011 begins.  This past weekend I've watched as sign-ups for the Challenge surge toward the 700 mark.  Does anyone want to give us an 800?  Do I hear 1000?  You know at this point at the rate we're going it's very possible.

          There have been some great posts with tips on how best to approach the Challenge and ideas on how to make the experience easiest for all of us.  Please consider some of these great suggestions that others are making, and if you're doing something that you haven't seen anyone else mention please let the rest of us know.  Watch the blogs of all of my co-hosts this week for any other last minute ideas or words of encouragement.

          Soon we'll see who has what it takes to finish the Challenge honorably.  From last year's experience I think it will be most of you. 

          Some of the blogs signed up may have no intent in participating or will have decided to drop out for some reason--this is the nature of any blog event on this scale.  If you happen to run across a blog that is not actually participating in the Challenge or is only added to the list for show, please let me know so I can contact that blogger first to see what's happening, and if necessary drop them from the list.  We don't want any of us to be wasting our time clicking on blogs that have misrepresented themselves as part of the Challenge--I hope there are none like that.

           Also, let me remind you to follow blogs that you are not yet following.  No blog should end this Challenge without having at least 100 followers.   For those of us who already have a large number of followers this may not be such a major thing, but to those new blogs with only 5, 10,  or 25 followers, to reach 100 would be major for them.  Remember when you were just starting out?  Believe me, I will never forget.      

            Some of you have sent me some great ideas on how to make the Challenge better.  I truly appreciate these innovative ideas and I hope you will keep them coming.   For most of these suggestions it is too late to act upon them, but I will be definitely keeping some of these in mind for next year.

             Whoa!  Did I say next year?  Have I gone mad?  From the looks of things this year, the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge of 2012 will be massive with more improvements to make it even better.  But first things first--this Friday is April 1 with 25 more days of blogging to follow.  Have fun!

            Are you ready for the start of the Challenge?   Do you have any ideas that might make the Challenge easier for others?   Do you have any plans to post anything special this week about the Challenge?

Nicki Elson scored another online news article.   This one surprised me as it popped up on my "Google Alerts".  Thank you Nicki.   Check out the link.



---

Let's Get Real!

That's a Lotta Blogs!

          As the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge roster nears 300 sign-ups, some of you may be looking at the list and thinking, "How am I going to visit that many blogs each day?"

          The answer?  Truthfully?  You won't!   Not unless you have some super fast computer and have nothing to do all day but visit blogs.  Very few of you have that luxury and even if you did, would you be actually spending much time on each blog and leaving decent comments?



Spending Quality Time

         We have often seen it in the other blogfests, challenges, and other events.  In one day or two we feel obligated to whiz through a list of blog participants and leave abbreviated stock messages on the level of "that's nice".  Of course, I do see many fine and fun comments, but I'm just saying and I think you know what I'm saying. 

          The beauty of a month long blog event is that you can face the reality that a daily grind of trying to visit every single blog in the challenge and leave your rote response can be a grueling ordeal that would be difficult to sustain for too many days.  Diffusing the networking over a month long period allows you to settle into more of a blogging as normal mode except with more choices involved. 


Getting to Know You

           Since we still have a few weeks ahead of us we can start visiting the blogs on the list and see who's going to be doing this.  Get out there and mingle a bit and see what others do.  You'll still have your favorites, but now is a great time to get to know some bloggers whom we have heretofore missed--some of these may be the types of blogs that you have been looking for.

           Check out a few new bloggers each day and don't forget to follow them.  And if someone new stops to visit and follow your blog, be fair and visit and follow them back.  It's not like you've made any major commitment.  If you find out later that you absolutely can't stand a blog that you have followed, you can always unfollow later, but that's a post for another day.

Try a Blog Workout

           Think of the April Challenge as a marathon.  You don't want to just wait until April 1st and just dive in.  I highly recommend that you start warming up with stretches and calisthenics.  Run through the A to Z sign up list and see how many blogs you can realistically visit each day. 

           One weekly event that I've tried just to see how fast I can go through a number of blogs and leave short reasonably inventive comments is a weekly feature on MizB's Should Be Reading called Teaser Tuesday.  Some of you already participate in this one.  Participants leave a two line teaser from a book they are reading.  If I have absolutely nothing to say about the teaser I just move on, otherwise I try to come up with something clever or unique to say.  If the blog looks interesting enough I may linger  and I may even follow it. 

          You can find many of these blog events and probably have your own favorites.   Many of you are currently honing your networking chops with Rachael Harrie's Crusade.  This is a excellent opportunity to get a blog workout. 

          Another event coming next Monday February 28th is DiscConnected Super 8 Debut Albums Blog Hop.  In fact, I'll let you sign up below.  Come on music lovers --how about jumping in on this one!
Here's the list:



          
You Can Handle the Truth!

           The truth is that the April Challenge is going to involve some creative thinking on your behalf.  It looks like it may be an impossibility to post six days a week and visit all of the other blogs.  And what if there are 300, 500, 1000, or more blogs?  How can you possibly do that?  Well, that's why it's called a challenge.  You can do it if you set your mind to it.  Don't let this intimidate you.  Meet the challenge head on, and if you start preparing now it will probably be much easier that you thought.

            Today Alex J Cavanaugh will be featuring fellow A to Z Team member Jeffrey Beesler with some ideas and encouragement that should be useful to you in the Challenge.

           In the coming weeks, the A to Z Team members will be offering posts to help you blog better, write better, and to get you revved up for the April marathon.  We want to help you get into shape.

            We also want your input on what you recommend.   What are you doing ahead of time to prepare?  Do you have any favorite types of blog events?  Do you feel intimidated by the April Challenge?  If so why?  Is there anything special you would like help with?



****

   

Practical Prompts

              The above photo shows four of the many boxes I have stored in the closet in my writing office.  There are many boxes in this closet, and in the office there are additional files of materials that I have accumulated over the years--mostly for the purpose of providing inspiration for my writing or as a record of things that I have written.

              There is probably little of any real monetary value stored in this room, but there is a wealth of ideas and thought provoking information to be found here.  News clippings and magazine articles, photos, scribbled thoughts, odd objects, and items of personal memories are all parts of my treasure.  Whatever I have kept because it somehow made me think of something to write, I have filed in a special place or tossed into a box or a drawer to be filed away at a later time. 

            The way I see it is that in my lifetime there is no way I could ever possibly run out of writing prompts.  If I find myself saying that I cannot think of anything to write about, what I really should be admitting is that I'm too lazy or not motivated to write at this moment.  Everything is a potential prompt for writing.  You just have to use your imagination and ask some questions.

            Let me try a little exercise to illustrate how prompts are everywhere.  I'm at my desk and look to my left where I see a burgundy stapler.  Reaching over to pick it up, I realize it is a heavy metal stapler that could potentially kill somebody--there's a murder mystery here.   I look at the bottom and see it was made by the Bates General Binding Corporation.   I wonder what else they make and what is the history of this company?  Who designed the stapler, how is it made, and who made the decision to use the burgundy color.  This company is in Northbrook, Illinois.  What's it like there?  What is the history of this city?  The stapler was manufactured in Taiwan.  What is the factory like?  Who are some of the workers who handled this stapler while it was being manufactured and what are their lives like?

Potentially deadly stapler with a  long and complex history.

         These questions and contemplations could go on and on--I think you get the idea.   You could write an entire book about this stapler or come up with countless articles and stories about it.  And that was just the first thing I saw on my desk.   As cluttered as my desk tends to be, I potentially have a lifetime of writing at arms reach.

          Writing prompt exercises are fine, but where do those come from?  They come from another writer's imagination, that's where.  What are you doing to stretch your own imagination?   Look around you, pick common things up and examine them in detail.   Think about them and ask questions.  There are stories in everything, in everyplace, and in everybody.   It's up to the writer to make those stories come to life in an interesting way.
          
          The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge often elicits comments like, "I don't know if I can think of that many ideas for a whole month".    This is why it's a Challenge!   It's impossible to run out of ideas, though it's not inconceivable to run out of steam.  Last year I began to get a bit weary at the midway point of the challenge.  When I reached the letter "n" I decided that I could think of nothing to write about.  That's when the light bulb came on in my head.  I wrote a bit of flash fiction called "Nothing" that was rather well-received and this recharged my motivation.

          If writer's block is causing you to stumble, stop and take a breather.  Think.  Ponder.   Ask questions about why you are experiencing this barrier to progress.   Take a walk, listen to music, watch a movie, or talk to a child.  And if you need to do some exercises with writing prompts then let me suggest going for the practical prompts that are right there in your life.  What you write about is an extension of who you are.  Why shouldn't the writing exercises you do be a part of who you are as well. 

           How do you overcome writer's block?   Do you sometimes use prompts as writing exercise?   What are some of your favorite prompts?




--

Blog Boggled: What If You Weren't There?

            Of late some of us, myself included,  have taken blogcations or have gone on special holiday blog schedules.  Most of us probably announced our intent beforehand.   But what if someone whom you read regularly and who often commented on your blog just disappeared from blogging.

            If you have been blogging for any length of time, you may have already seen this happen.  In my early days of blogging when I had few blog contacts, I would often find blogs that just stopped being active and had lay dormant for several years lost in blogger's limbo.  I would even leave comments on some occasions hoping the blog owner might respond--I don't remember it ever happening. 

            Does a dead blog mean a blogger is dead?  It could.   I was once following a blog and then there was a post from a relative that the blogger had passed away and the blog would have no future posts, but the archived blogs would remain.  I hadn't ever met the guy and he wasn't somebody that in the tangible world around me that I could call a friend, but when he passed I felt sad as though he were my real friend.

          Blogger friends are just as real as other kinds of friends.   I look at my Facebook page and receive all sorts of information about my Facebook friends.   But do I really know all of these people?  And do I really need to know about their Farmville activities or whatever other time-consuming activity in which they are involved.  I do like the tidbits of news I get from some of the friends that I remember knowing and from family members.   And I really enjoy some of the photos people put up.  But I swear I don't know who most of these people are.

        Bloggers can be an anonymous bunch in a sense, but many of us are opening up with our writings.  We will often hint about various aspects of our lives and sometimes bare our deeper thoughts and concerns.  Though a reader can never be absolutely sure about the person in the page,  I think most of us are pretty honest about who we are and what our intents are. 

           I think I can claim my blogger friends are real friends and hope they see me in the same way.  We may never pass on the street, or meet in church, or talk on the phone, but there is some sense of caring, sharing, and positivity.     I am thrilled when I read the comments that you've left me and I enjoy leaving my thoughts on your blogs.  

            There are a lot of blogs that we follow.  We may not always get around to leaving comments on every post and may sometimes not even get around to reading.   It can be a difficult thing to do and I think we all understand that.   But if you weren't there--not on your blog, my blog, or anyone else's blog--I'd miss you and wonder what happened.

             Have you ever found a "dead" blog and wondered what happened?     Have you ever followed a blog that ended with no explanation or because the blogger died?   Do you think of blogger friends as "real friends"?



                                  *****

Stats Status

 Trip Stats:

       On Thursday January 6, 2011, I returned from my Christmas vacation from Los Angeles to New Jersey and points south.  Here are some trip stats:

Days gone:  20

Time spent driving:  94 hours (or about the equivalent of 4 solid 24 hour days).   Since we were actually only driving an average of 8-12 hours per day, the driving was spread over about 9 days.

Miles traveled:  6059 --This was the total actual miles traveled from home departure to our return.  We drove less than 200 additional miles of driving in the places where we were since most of our time at our various destinations was spent just hanging out with family. There was another 200 or less miles of riding with others who were driving us around to other places.  For the most part we were pretty content on being housebound when we weren't driving.

States Visited: We passed through 20 states, but only actually stayed in 9.

Motels Stayed In:  10 nights in 7 different motels at a total cost of $454.60.  All motels were Marriott, Radisson, or Best Western properties with 3 nights "free" due to redemption of points.

Highway Tolls:  At least $40--I didn't get receipts for all of them and lost track of the precise amount.

Gas:   $708.55

Restaurant Meals:  ????   -- We ate in many restaurants during the trip.  I won't venture to even add them up, but I'll estimate that we splurged about $600 on food during the trip.  There was a lot of fast food, but several quite nice restaurants as well. 

CDs Listened To While Driving:   67-- I like to have a soundtrack going to accompany my driving.  I brought an array of listening ranging from Vivaldi to Eels to K.T. Oslin to Manhattan Transfer and on and on.  I would start the day with something classical and then a mix after that.  We drove all Christmas Day and listened to Christmas music the entire time.  We actually had 86 CDs with us, but since we also listened to the radio some and had some quiet drive time we didn't make it through all of the CDs we brought with us.  I love listening to music while driving.

Amount of Fun:   A whole bunch!

         This gives you a rough idea of what it might cost two people to make a lengthy cross country trip.  Certainly it can be done much less expensively, but I think we were in line with a certain element of frugality without being absolutely Spartan about it.   I highly recommend a road trip of this nature if you don't mind the hours in the car and the time away from home.  If you get the opportunity, go for it!

Blog Stats:

            I noticed that some of the WordPress blogs that I follow had received an assessment of "Blog Health" with an assortment of statistics and the blog owners posted their reports.

           In the past I have tried to make some sense of my Google Analytics reports, but have never really gotten overly serious about it.  When I changed my blog page template my Google Analytics stopped working and I just ignored it.  I notice now that on the Dashboard page there is a tab labeled "Blog Stats" that seems to provide the same information as Analytics did.  Someday I really need to study this and make some sense of it all.

           Have any of you studied your blog stats and made sense of them?   What conclusions have you come to from the information that is provided?     Where is the best place to go to find out more about how to interpret blog stats and put them to work?

The Perils of Writing While Traveling

        When you're laptopless like I am, writing and especially blogging become a challenge.  Sometimes I have a hard enough time when I'm at home with my own computer, but when days are filled with driving and visiting it becomes doubly difficult to fit in the time I manage for the computer when I'm living my regular old life.  It all gives me a greater appreciation for those of you who work regular jobs and manage to squeeze in time for blogging and writing.

          The composition book that I brought with me on my trip remains blank as my mind overflows with ideas for future writing projects and blog posts.  A small voice recorder could be a workable solution for me while driving, but it also might become annoying to my wife who would have to listen to my prattle.  Besides, my past attempts at saving ideas on a recorder rarely have been productive.

           Then there are the borrrowed computers.  Forget actual writing projects.  Blogging is possible, but can be very difficult.  Sorry that I haven't been commenting on many of your blogs of late.  I try to hop on hotel computers or borrow those of family members.  Thirty minute doses of computing get something done, but my 200 or so new email messages each day make me feel like it's a losing battle at times.

           I can certainly see some value in blog vacationing when I'm away.  And I still need to get my own laptop someday.

Any suggestions about making blogging and writing work better when you're away?   Do you try to keep up your writing work during vacation times or do you just leave it at home?

Blog Boggled: To Blog or Not To Blog

           So how's your holiday season shaping up so far?  Are you going to be blogging away like normal or do you have a special holiday schedule in store?

It's a Busy Time I Know!

             Last year I had a wedding to attend and a lot of travels and visits.  My blog was still relatively new and I was committed to a daily posting schedule.  Before leaving for my vacation I prepared daily bits of business to post automatically.  During the time away I was fortunate to have access to computers so I could check my posts and reply to comments and even comment on a few other blogs.

              This year I have a new grandchild to see and even more travels and visits.  I no longer post daily.  So far I have prepared nothing to post while I'm away.  Now I know that computers are usually available in the hotels where I tend to stay and I can always find access most of the time if I'm not in a hotel.  I still haven't gotten the laptop I had on my Christmas wishlist last year, but I'm not left computerless while I'm on the road.

              The question that remains for me is how am I going to handle my blogging this holiday season?   So using a method that often works best, let me look at the options and see what has worked best for you.

Pre-scheduled Auto Posts:

             This works if you allow enough time to do it properly.  Since I've not yet begun I could probably still whip together enough to put something up on my scheduled days.  I do like to stick to my announced schedule.  Posts would be shorter since I have limited time. 

              Quotes, pictures, videos, and other short easy to compose posts--do you think they are worth it?  Generally speaking do you enjoy these types of posts?

Reruns:

             I haven't tried this myself yet, but I have seen it done on a few other blogs.  Television of course does it all the time.  The advantage to the blog poster is obviously the shortcut of not having to come up with something new.  The followers have the opportunity to read something they may have enjoyed in the past or something they may have missed.

             Do you ever post blog reruns?   How do you feel about reposts?

Blogcation:

              I've never unplugged yet.  I'm hesitant to do so since the advice on creating a successful blog usually indicates that blog content should be scheduled, consistent, and predictable.  It's not that any of my readers will forget me--I hope--but since I do have a schedule, I prefer to stay with it.

                Have you ever unplugged for a blogcation?  Do you find that it has any negative effect on your blog?

The Kamikaze Approach:

            What about some randomness?   I could pre-schedule some off-the -wall posts, toss in some reruns, and if I get a chance during the vacation, post updates about what I'm doing or whatever comes to mind.  This is the direction that I'm leaning since it fits my personality.  Besides this is almost what I do anyway.

             How random do you tend to be in composing blog bits?  Do you tend to keep a lot of unposted compositions waiting in the wings for eventual posting?

What Are You Planning For Your Holiday Blog Schedule?

             Are you going to take a break?   Do you travel during the holidays?   Are you expecting a houseful of company?    What will you be doing with your blog during this time?

Blog Boggled: What's the Blogging Idea Anyway?

         When I first started blogging last year and rarely received any comments, I was absolutely thrilled when I received something similar to the following:


Anonymous has left a new comment :
Sorry for my bad english. Thank you so much for your good post. Your post helped me in my college assignment, If you can provide me more details please email me.



         I was so pleased that my blog had actually touched someone. Not only had what I had written been read by somebody, I had also helped them with their college research. Then it dawned on me: What kind of college research would this particular blog post had helped? And how was I going to email this student when I didn't have any email address to which to respond.

        Eventually I received other comments that thanked me for my impressively scholastic blog posts that helped other students with their college papers. And it was not only me. I began to see that many of your blog posts were of invaluable aid in college research. I wonder if they are giving our blog posts proper citations in the references for resources used.

        Then there was the very official sounding "anonymous" comment:

Anonymous said...
Thanks for sharing the link, but unfortunately it seems to be offline... Does anybody have a mirror or another source? Please reply to my post if you do!
I would appreciate if a staff member here at (your blog address here) could post it.


Thanks,
Peter

        Alas, once again there was no link or address that I could use to help these people out. And to think this could have gotten my blog out there to a wider audience. I was a bit in the dark about the technical jargon used in this message. What did they mean by "mirror"? But they clearly thought that my blog was something big since they asked for a "staff member" to assist them. Why, sure, let me see if I can get someone on my blog staff to help.

         Soon I realized that this message was coming from a larger internet corporation as well. I began seeing this same message on many of your blogs, but the thank you always came from a different person. They must have a lot of people on their staff. What did you think when you received this message?

            When I began to receive comments in other languages--especially the ubiquitous Asian characters--I knew I was reaching the world. There were messages like this one:

モバゲー has left a new comment on the post "your post name":


モバゲーが遂に出会いをプロデュースする事になりました。今まで禁止していた事も全て解放で皆様の出会いをお手伝いさせて頂きます。

          Which when translated by Google means:

Now I finally met Mobage to produce. We will help you to meet everyone in the past is to be freed up to now ban

         Actually this is not the best example since it actually translates into something. Not something I needed to know, but somebody must have thought I should know it anyway. Then of course there are the ones that give information that I never needed to know. The ones I like the most are the ones that Google cannot identify as a legitimate language. I've concluded that those messages are from intergalactic sources. At last! Contact from space aliens and right here on our blogs.

         Then there are the comments we've been seeing all over the place lately that provide us with a list of what somebody must think are helpful links:

cheap Adobe Premium
buy used software
order cs5 adobe
order Adobe Creative Suite
oem download software

or:

microsoft downloads (link):
lipitor for sale
lipitor contraindications
lipitor commercial
lipitor thyroid
lipitor drug assistance
lipitor commercial script ( links)
buying lipitor online
costco lipitor price

Or =

          Some other listing of links that someone, somewhere thinks somebody will click on for more information. I have not included the links here, so if you're interested in more information you'll have to wait until one of these messages appears on your own blog or a blog near you. No way I'm going to click on these--they might be a gateway to some intergalactic invasion. Do any of you shop through these spammy blog links?

        Sometimes the comments are cryptic shorties that just leave me saying, "What?" Things like:

fioricet imprintsfioricet 100
Becoming the gardening in 1991, the self-administer reputation went the hasty people for public of sprawling areas from broad into english.

         What?


          Then my real favorites are the long literary comments that are haughty in style and ridiculous in meaning. I'm sure you've all seen many variations on this one:

Having already mastered the artistry of menswear due to the fact that decline, it's time to judge the most modish way to bundle recompense when temps go apropos south. Fortunately, you won't have to look much farther than your closet to wrap yourself in in goodness.It's like they were saying, we be aware you procure to exhibit your [url=http://www.uchristianlouboutin.com]Christian Louboutin shoes[/url] a variety of dissimilar ways, we recognize these be struck by to useful to a practicality in your survival for the weekend, when you're with your kids, when you're at work, when you're prospering senseless at night,So here's a way you can get the most abroad of something that you have in your closet. And if you look at it like that, it's like, 'wow, this is gonna astonish hip memoirs into how I attrition everything.


There are no rules suitable now in fashion. You can be glamorous morning, high noon and night. You can mix prints. You can show sequins in the sun. The alone declare is to try to look your excellent and to comprise game of and pet honourableness there what [url=http://www.uchristianlouboutin.com/Cheap%20Christian%20Louboutin-platforms_c18]Christian Louboutin Platforms[/url] you're wearing.

Or this Variation:

Having already mastered the adroitness of menswear due to the fact that tackle, it's time to consider the most elegant parenthetically a via to bundle in requital for when temps leave rightful south. Fortunately, you won't take to look much farther than your closet to wrap yourself in with it goodness.It's like they were saying, we be aware you make to exhibit your [url=http://www.uchristianlouboutin.com]Christian Louboutin shoes[/url] a breed of different ways, we recall these be struck by to deal out a practicality in your living exchange for the weekend, when you're with your kids, when you're at dispose, when you're present senseless at gloaming,So here's a personality you can leave a mark on the most abroad of something that you accept in your closet. And if you look at it like that, it's like, 'wow, this is gonna astonish contemporary memoirs into how I clothes everything.


There are no rules well in the present climate in fashion. You can be bewitching morning, noon and night. You can mix prints. You can show sequins in the sun. The exclusively rule is to try to look your excellent and to be subjected to fun and judge honourableness back what [url=http://www.uchristianlouboutin.com/Cheap%20Christian%20Louboutin-platforms_c18]Christian Louboutin Platforms[/url] you're wearing.

        Thank you, Christian Louboutin for that extraordinarily high brow message. You have added class and an air of incomprehensibility to my comment section. Oh, and sorry--delete.


        Or how about this for a surrealistic experience in literature:

Jerky motion can lead to serious muscle when they find ?That pin signifies that she has a special relationship with President Reagan. Pitch, I dreamed a dream that millions of other kids had religious people, and then they come after you with them about it two or three times a week for several weeks. After we got off the stage trying to get them interested in a song impression created by the cover was: Sure Miami can save itself. Make the house look racing around, gathering up the broken pieces of his life and shrieking garbage everywhere, and if you really concentrate, you can actually see them giving off smell rays, such as you see in comic strips. Trained sheep will that has the system we have now. Innovative idea she has ever thought of, which is which is easily the most dangerous all realize they quit smoking, so they?ll spontaneously sit back down. Healthy economy in the form of people squatting on the sidewalk tax system is going to be mighty like a water bed salesman, but hey, I?m just a talent. Probably why you see so few of them around any dog can presidency had been a remarkable parade of hanky-panky, comical incompetence, and outright weirdness, and the country.
[URL=http://bitmix.tk/art.php?n=351254]Weight loss with levothyroxine medication[/URL]

         I'm sure those of us who are writers can learn much from this passage. Who wrote this anyway--Hunter S. Thompson? Seems like something gonzo to me. If taking this weight loss medication makes your mind think like this, then coherent thinking writers beware.


         Recently Stephen Tremp mentioned on his Breakthrough blog that someone had offered him to leave 20 quality comments on his blog for $5. I wonder if they would be the types of comments that I have illustrated in my post for today? For that matter I wonder if anyone does pay to have comments put on their blog?


           As for the types of comments I've mentioned above, does anyone know anything about them? Are they something that we bloggers should be concerned about? I occasionally mark them as spam, but usually I just delete them and that's it--unless there is something particularly amusing about them which there rarely is. I don't trust these anonymous visitors who are not really commenting on my blog posts, but are trying to leave messages for somebody. Can anybody shed some light for me about this mysterious world of blog spammers and what it all means? I'm just curious--are you?

          Talk about lead-ins: Since I've mentioned Stephen Tremp and mysterious worlds and beings, be sure to join me here tomorrow (Tuesday November 9, 2010) as I host Stephen Tremp on his Breakthrough Blog Tour. Stephen will be presenting some very fascinating stuff about other dimensions, worlds, and beings that are not quite of this world. I don't know if he'll shed any light on my blog mysteries, but I think you will find his topic of interest. See you then!








.
























 
 

Blog Boggled: New Blogging Schedule

             Readers have spoken.  For the past few weeks I have had a poll on this blog site to see which of my daily features were the most popular.  The results were as follows--with day, topic, and percentage of votes for the favorite topic:

Sunday Bible Study (20%)
Monday Blogging and Writing Topics  (68%)
Tossing It Out Tuesday  (50%)
Wednesday Human Interest stories and memoirs  (31%)
Thursday Debate Day  (31%)
Friday Mystery Topic  (43%)
Saturday Review and Preview  (11%)

         Percentages are over 100% because I had asked readers to pick the top three favorites.  I may have skewed things by including the day of the week since the percentages correspond with the most active days on this blog.  Still the numbers are pretty much what I had expected based on my analytics stats.

         The new schedule for Tossing It Out will eliminate the Saturday preview and review since that was pretty much of a throw away day anyway.  As I mentioned this past Saturday, there will still be occasional special Saturday posts for awards or whatever else special comes along.   These days will be unscheduled surprise days.   Also, the Sunday Bible Study will be taking a break as I re-evaluate what to do.  Alex J. Cavanaugh suggested that I might want to collaborate with other bloggers to create a separate Bible study blog where we can all contribute.  I'd be happy to discuss this with any interested parties.

         Here is the new schedule for Tossing It Out:

Monday:      Mostly Writing Monday is a day that may include Blog Boggled or Persnickety Penman features, reviews, or stories and poetry on some occasions.  And every now and then I might toss out a top favorites list.

Tuesday:   Tossing It Out Tuesday will continue with a mash up of Debate Day, my continued effort to get rid of stuff, and any other thoughts I want to toss out to readers to hear what you have to say.

Thursday:   The Thursday Mind Excursion will combine my current Wednesday human interest and memoirs with fiction and strange stories like I have been presenting on Fridays.  I might even experiment with Bible studies in a totally different way as suggested to me by Stephen T. McCarthy--I'll have to think on that one.

      
         I'll try the three day a week schedule for a while to see how that works and provide feedback to readers after the first month or so in case you're thinking about making your own changes.   And this is not to say surprise posts may occasionally pop up on other days. 

          Currently, I already have a couple of Wednesdays scheduled for book tours.  On Wednesday October 27 I am scheduled on Marvin Wilson's book tour for Beware the Devil's Hug.   Later, on Wednesday December 8 I am scheduled on Tamara Hart Heiner's book tour for her book, Perilous.

          As always, I would appreciate any comments or suggestions you can offer me.  And as the weeks go by, if there is anything you miss or would like to see more of, please let me know.  I do enjoy your ideas and you may have noticed that I do often use some of those ideas.

          I've tossed out my plan to you for your consideration, now how about you tossing me back your thoughts on anything I've said here.

Blog Boggled: More Comments About Comments

            I have often indicated that I am a student of Blog Science--the study of how blogs work.  It's an analytical approach I like to take when I start doing something that interests me.  I like to know how things work and how I can make them work more efficiently.  And as any scientist has a tendency to do I like to experiment in order to test the theories I hear about or come up with myself.  In this first year of blogging, Tossing It Out has been my blog laboratory.

            The first thing that captured my curiosity when I started my blog was how would I get people to read.  I also recognized that having followers sign up would mean the greater likelihood of potential return visits by readers.  Also the attractiveness of numbers of followers on a site often makes others want to linger a bit to see why that site is so popular.   Let's think psychology here:  If you see a business with an empty parking lot you might be inclined not to go in, whereas a crowded parking lot might make you want to find out why the place is so popular.  It's not always the case, but overall, popularity attracts more attention.

         So how to get the visitors?  My first step was to contact friends and relatives.  Perhaps a cheap shot, but why not?  Wouldn't they be interested in what you have to say?  I called people I knew and sent out emails.   I asked them to tell all of their friends and relatives to read and follow as well.  I posted an announcement about my blog on Facebook and LinkedIn. These methods got the word out, but it was also the toughest sell.  Most of these folks weren't bloggers and didn't understand the process.   I got most of  my first twenty or so followers this way, but I still wasn't getting many comments for the first month.

        The first step I took to get commenters was to go to my Blogger Profile and find others with similar interests.  I visited their blogs, left comments, followed, and invited them to visit my blog as well.  As most of you know these visits will reap a pretty good return rate for acquiring followers to your own blog. 

         Before long I was getting daily comments for my posts.  This is where an important part of the process enters the picture.   First I would try to leave quality comments as much as I could and leave an opening for continued dialogue.  I subscribed to the comment sections so that if I saw that anyone responded to my comments I could comment back if it were appropriate.  I would also follow the comment thread in order to  find and check out other bloggers with interests similar to mine--poaching as Elana Johnson referred to it.  Time consuming?  Yes.  Productive?  Sometimes.  If nothing else I was establishing blog presence--check "ARLEE BIRD TOSSING IT OUT" on Google.

           A few of the bloggers who I have seen notably use the subscribing to the blog technique are Stephen T McCarthy, Larry of DiscConnected,  Judy Harper, Gregg Metcalf,  Dezmond the Hollywood Spy, Sig of BeadedBear, and Trish and Rob MacGregor .  Sometimes they argue, sometimes answer questions, and sometimes it's just pleasant banter, discussion, and conversation.  Whatever it amounts to it's meaningful relationship establishment and building. 

          The other thing that I did was respond to any comments I received and attempt to give a quality response as much as I could.  When I look back over some of my earliest comment threads I see actual discussion going on between me and commenters.  To me this represents a healthy exchange of ideas and a good potential for learning. I try not to leave any question unanswered and any comment unaddressed.

           Still another approach I took was announcing special posts to certain people that might be interested.  For example, when I did a series of interviews, I would go to my Blogger Profile and add to my interests and favorites a number of things that might relate to my topic.  I would then find other bloggers who were interested in those things, visit their blogs, and leave a comment which would include an announcement of the blog post that I thought might interest them.  As a result I would get some good comments for that post and often new followers for my blog.  

             The Blog Events-- such as the lists of favorites that bloggers like Alex J Cavanaugh have hosted; the BBQ hosted by KarenG, or the recent Great Blogging Experiment hosted by Elana Johnson, Jennifer Daiker, and Alex Cavanaugh--can all reap many new followers for those who follow the etiquette and visit, follow, and leave comments.  Any of these bloggers will probably agree that hosting a successful blog event probably gains the most followers in the shortest time, but it involves a lot of work.  When I hosted the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge, I gained over 100 followers, but at a great investment of time and effort. 

          What it boils down to is how badly do you want followers and readers?   They are probably not just going to come to you unless you have something very special going on with your blog.  You've got to work at gaining and retaining your followers and you've got to give them something that they will want to come back to read.  It can be a lot of work.  What you need to do is figure out why you are blogging and what you want to get out of your efforts.

If you have hosted blog events, what was your return and was the effort worth it?   Do you use the Blogger Profile to find others of similar interests?   Do you encourage conversation in your comment thread and if so how do you go about it?     Do many of your family members or friends follow your blog?   How do you get non-bloggers to be interested in following and reading blogs?  If you are one of the commenters who regularly subscribe to a comment thread and I did not include your name in the above list, please add to the comments here--I know there are more.

             

             

A Blog Blossoms

......continued from yesterday.

       I was now writing every day.  Blogging had begun to feel like a part time job that I wasn't getting paid for.  I was taking this job seriously.  When I wasn't writing my blog post, applying for jobs, or tending my Craigslist offerings, I was researching the art of blogging to learn what I needed to do to make my blog work best.  I did not have any schedule or particular plan.  I would just write something related to Halloween and post it sometime during each day.

         By my fourth post I signed up as a follower on Stephen T. McCarthy's blog and left him a comment so that he would know that I now had a blog.  He in turn became my first follower and left my first blog comments on my post of September 23rd.  Comments and a follower!  I was thrilled.

         On Sepember 28th I received my first unsolicited out-of-the-blue comment from Jennifer Hudson Taylor.  It was one of the most helpful comments I have received.  She suggested that I develop a blog schedule themed according to each day of the week.  I decided I would take her advice after my Halloween posting was finished.

          I soon began racking up followers and getting more comments on my blog posts.  My blogging enterprise was taking off.   However, I checked my AdSense request each day and still no approval.  I could not figure out what the problem was and my inquiries to Google went unanswered.  I did not understand, but I was starting not to care either.  It was becoming more about the writing and the potential that writing held for me.  Perhaps ads were not something I wanted on my site.

          My research was starting to indicate to me that AdSense did not really yield much income at all, if any.  Would I really want advertising on this blog that had become more about the writing than anything else?  I was faithfully composing articles that often involved a great deal of research at times and at other times were personal observations and memoirs.  The latter were the posts that seemed to elicit comments whereas the more informational posts were typically ignored.  I was starting to get a feel for the type of subject matter that was most likely to gain and retain readers.

          I was also becoming a part of a blog community that mostly consisted of writers, which was helpful to my writerly pursuits.  Having learned about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) that would be occurring in November I decided to sign up and attempt to fulfill a long time dream of writing a novel.  The discipline of daily writing and corresponding with other bloggers was taking hold.   I was exerting a writing discipline that I had never had before in my life.  
        On Halloween, October 31, of 2009 I announced my new blog schedule which I would be working on concurrently with writing my novel, A Desert Place.  I became regimented with blogging and writing.  By the end of November, I had completed the 50,000 words required to "win" the NaNo competition and had successfully posted and commented on a daily basis.  In a two month span, I had passed the fifty follower milestone and was getting comments on a regular basis.  I set a goal of 100 followers by the New Year.

        What happen to AdSense?   Who knows.  It didn't matter to me now.  I was more concerned with blog integrity.  Now I had a writer's blog and I felt that ads might convey the wrong impression.  I was more concerned about getting readers and having a presence on the internet.  The all important platform was now my quest.  I needed to establish my name and my reputation.

 .......more of the story later, but first.......

        Tomorrow I'll be joining Elana Johnson's Writing Compelling Characters Blogfest.  If you haven't signed up yet, you still have an opportunity.  Most of you probably are well aware of the great potential in increasing the follower count on your blog by joining one of these blogfests.   This one should be a doozey since as I write this the sign up count is already at 151 participants. 

          My contribution to this blogfest will be in line with my One Year Blog Anniversary as I discuss how I have used "compelling characters" in some of my blog posts.

           Next Monday I will complete the history of Tossing It Out in a Blog Boggled installment which will describe the techniques I used to gain followers and encourage readership.  It's more Blog Science--some strategies you may have already heard and some ideas that may be new to you.  I hope we get some information interchange going where we can all learn something about blogging that will help us to blog better.

Blog Boggled: Where Does Tossing It Out Go Next?

            Blogging, as many of you have found out, can take a tremendous amount of time.  On September 20th,  I will have been blogging daily for one year.  The complete year of daily posting had become challenge that I wanted to fulfill, but I have come to realize that continuing this schedule would take up much time that could be devoted to the writing that I need to be doing. 

             My current plan is to reduce my blogging schedule to 3 posts per week.  Many of you have been doing this all along, while others have gone from daily posting to just a few days like I am planning to do.  Now I am asking for your advice.

             If I were to reduce my number of weekly posts, then I would have to eliminate certain features.  For the next 3 weeks I will have a poll at the top of my page.  I hope all of you will give me your input so I can decide with blog features I should keep. 

             When I look at my tracking and my comments, I can see that my Sunday posts are the least popular.   Mondays over all are the most highly frequented posts.   Tuesday has seemed to have picked up since I started the Tossing It Out Tuesday series.  The response for Wednesday features normally drops.  The Debate Day topic has often done well.  Then there is a drop in visits on Friday and again on Saturday.

          Another possible alternative would be to repeat older posts on certain days since many of those had low or maybe no readership.  I could also do wordless days with just a picture or days when I'd offer a short prompt or a quote.  Have any of these worked for you and do you like to see blogs that use these?

          In your opinion, what is the best day for reading blogs?   What number of weekly blog posts do you think is best?   If one reduces blogging to less days, do you think it is better not to limit oneself to a limited number of topics or themes?   Do you think posting less days would hurt Tossing It Out?

          Please answer the survey I am offering at the top of the page.    Thanks!

Blog Boggled: Is Blogging Work?

            On my Blog Boggled series, as well as on many other blogs in blogdom, we have looked at many aspects of what it takes to make a blog better and to make it more successful.  Since today is Labor Day for many of us, I would now like to examine the question:  How much work do you put into blogging?

             Let's start with a definition of "work" as I am using in the context of this question.   One definition put forth by the Oxford English Dictionary is "activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a result".  That is a pretty adequate description of work as it applies to blogging.

             How much we enjoy what we are doing is not really a factor as to whether one would consider blogging to be work.  Some people enjoy cooking, auto mechanics, or drawing as a hobby.  The fact remains is that there is work involved in even hobbies.  After all, no matter how much you are enjoying yourself, you may still be working in your garden, woodworking, or even doing housework.  One person's drudgery may be another person's idea of a good time. 

          The bottom line is that no matter how you view it, an activity that we perform to accomplish an end or reach a goal involves an investment of time, thought, and energy--and that is work.   Blogging certainly fits into this description.  The following is a list of the duties entailed in creating and maintaining a successful blog:

1.    Building and Maintenance--The first thing you do is to establish your blog site.  This may be more work for some more technically challenged bloggers like me.  Fortunately Blogger makes it pretty simple by providing templates, codes, etc.   Some of you may have gotten designs from professionals or even designed your own site.  It all requires learning, practice, and application.  Then after a blog has been established there can be the ongoing work of tweaking your blog's appearance, adding new features, or even upgrading or redesigning the appearance.  The work on a living, growing blog is ongoing.   How much work do you put into the way your blog looks?

2.   Purposeful Posting--Once you've got your blog page set up you need to keep some kind of updated content up there in order to make people want to keep returning to your site.  Keeping the content interesting, cogent, and accurate requires some thought.  The work of research may be necessary.  If you have a writing blog, you should be taking time to proofread and edit your work.  Each posting takes time to enter and refine before putting it out for the public.    Do you do much research for your blog posts?  How deliberate are you in producing a quality product?

3.   Adding the fancy stuff--Thinking only of the posts themselves, to make your blog bits more interesting you may be adding pictures, links, and other add-ins.  It takes some time to find these and some know how to add them to your page.  When do you usually resort to these extras and do you have any tricks to make this easier?

4.   Fishing for followers -- So now you have a blog page and you've added the interesting content.  How are you going to find someone to read it?  Here's where the real time consuming work begins in my opinion.  You may have to resort to social networking tools (facebook, twitter, etc), which I rarely have done.  There are also other devices and communities that I've heard of but have not really researched to understand them (StumbleUpon, Yahoo, Google placement, and so on and so on).   These are probably very effective for those who have taken the time to learn how to use them.  Then there is the one I resort to the most:  going to comment on other blogs.  This is how I and probably most of you got people to start coming to visit your blog.  I 'll follow you if you follow me.  The blog etiquette of reciprocity.  How often do you go trolling for new bloggers that you think might be interested in you?   How much effort do you go to in order to keep them as regular readers?  Do you use any of the other methods for drawing readers to your blog?

5.    Responding to comments--This one is pure etiquette in my book and in the interest of maintaining blog relationships.  This one is directly related to how many readers you have commenting on your posts.  We've been discussing this one in the past weeks, but in a nutshell the blogger's response is an acknowledgement that the visitor has been heard and it is a part of the blog conversation which usually ends at this point.  Are responses to comments an important part of blog work to you?   Do you work at creating any sort of relationships with those who visit your blog?

6.    Visiting back--This is another aspect of blog etiquette.  If a blogger took the time to visit your blog then it might be respectful to see what they are doing and acknowledge that you were there.  If we look at the cyberworld of blogging as a neighborhood, it's as though today you brought me homemade soup and tomorrow I'll bring you fresh baked cookies.  If a blogger visits you and leaves a comment, do you usually visit them and leave a comment on their blog post as well?

7.    Finding more followers--Some bloggers just want as many followers as they can rack up.  Others, like me and probably most of you who consider yourselves writers, want as many readers as you can find.   It's a numbers game which equates to the more followers the greater the pool of potential readers.  This is another activity that can become a lot of work.   Blogfests, challenges, contests, and the like attract many who like you are looking for new  bloggers to check them out.  This can be a time of tremendous activity, i.e. work, as you read comments and leave your own calling card on the blogs of others.  When I hosted the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge I added about 100 new followers, but for over a month I was also working about ten to sixteen hours a day blogging, which is really quite impractical.   What kinds of blog events do you like participate in?   Is it worth the work you put into these events?

8.    Blog higher education--There is work in learning.  I, and I would imagine most of you, could spend a great deal of time reading and researching how to become a better blogger.  We can learn a great deal from other bloggers.  There are several websites, publications, and books that offer information about improving blogging skills.  There are seminars that we can attend.   It can take a tremendous investment of time, energy, and finances to pursue this education.    To what extent do you go to learn more about blogging?  Have you attended any conferences, seminars, or classes?   If so, were they helpful to you and were they worth the time and money you invested?

            Blogging can be fun and it can be very interesting.   But no matter how you look at it, blogging is also work.  All bloggers do not put in the same amount of work.  And not all bloggers are equally serious about their blogs.  For some it may be something to play around with and show off something about themselves and their lives.  Others may be using their blog to establish a platform for whatever else they are trying to achieve.  The amount of work that is necessary to maintain a strong active blog depends a great deal on how important your blog is to you.

            Hopefully you'll find some questions above to answer in the comment section.  Perhaps you can think of some other information that might be helpful to the rest of us.  What is your main reason for blogging?  What are you doing to accomplish your goals?   For you, is blogging hard work, a pleasant adjunct to your work or aspirations, or something that you just do and it's not particularly important to you?