Archive for » April, 2008 «

23
Apr
Blogging – Year One – Lesson Six
Barbara Swafford

62339054 c45fbc1ed9 m Blogging Year One Lesson Six

Blogging helps us to share information with the world.

With hands perched on the keyboard, we wait for the words to travel from our heads, to the screen, via our fingertips. Like magic, they appear. Upon completing our “story for the day”, we hit publish and send our thoughts, opinions and life’s lessons into cyberspace.

Today’s Lesson

When I started blogging, I didn’t know what to expect.

I posted on a regular basis, got a few comments, but my computer had an invisible pull on me, and everyday (almost), I would sit and continue writing. I often wondered if I would run out of things to say, but it was rare that my creativity dried up.

As much as I knew a blog only grows with visitors, the joy of writing overtook me. At times I didn’t care if someone commented, or if my visitor counts increased.

In one sense I felt I was addicted to blogging, but it was more than that.

Blogging became a form of therapy. Typing what I had learned in blogging, was reinforcing the information in my brain.

Some days I typed, just to type. I didn’t have a post to publish, but I had lots of words, and I saved them. Typing on my blog also gave me an outlet. A way to vent the frustrations I was experiencing during the learning process.

I had no friends or family members who blogged, so I had no one to share my (blogging) thoughts with.

Cyberspace became my best “friend”. She listened, never disagreed and would always nod her head in understanding. My blog was good for the ego too. How often do we see our names and writings “published” in cyberspace? How many people can Google themselves and find dozens of pages?

I soon realized why so many bloggers are classified as lonely people.

It’s not that they are lonely, it’s that they want to be heard. In our daily lives, everyone is so busy, little time is spent really listening to others. Those that are quiet and reserved, often don’t stand a chance.

Writing in a journal is not the same. A journal is private. Blogosphere has a world wide audience. When we hit that publish button, we believe (hope) someone will hear us. Comments will validate it, but comments are not essential.

Lesson Six Blogs are more than an online journal. Blogs are the voices of people who have a desire to be heard. Blogs are an outlet and the topics we write about, are also topics we’re passionate about.

As bloggers, we want to voice our opinion, (and often it’s a strong one). Blogs let us do all of that.

Blogging gives us a chance to be heard. A chance we may not have in the real world.

Today’s Assignment

Are you passionate about your blogging topics?

Has blogging become therapeutic for you?

Do you feel your blog gives you a voice that may otherwise not be heard?

Photo Credit Jaime Olmo’s photostream
Category: Archives, Blogging Lessons, Lessons Learned  Tags: , , ,  15 Comments
22
Apr
Midlife Motivates NBOTW To Share
Barbara Swafford

442332146 64d6949b0a o Midlife Motivates NBOTW To Share

Anyone who has been following my New Blog Of The Week (NBOTW) series, knows I started this feature as a way to pay it forward.

Shilpan, who held the title from 4/15 to 4/21/08 has paid it forward by nominating a favorite blog of his.

This blogger is another non-traditional age female blogger who has chosen to share insights on subjects that not only affect women, but men alike. She has also visited BWAB and commented several times.

To quote her most recent post titled: “Navigating Your Midlife Crisis“, she writes:

Women often assume the role of helper but too often we feel uncomfortable with the idea of asking for help. Try it, you might be surprised at how willing people are to give you a hand.

She also wrote a great post about the art of listening in which she shares 6 rules for active listening. To quote her:

Listening actively, when we are able to do so, is a gift to those who have something to say and to ourselves as well. Relationships with others can only be made better by good communication skills.

On the subject of finding a “better way”. In her post titled “Journey Into The Brain – A New Take On Nirvana?” she says:

Happiness isn’t to be found in hobbies or new occupations, although those things can bring joy at times. As much as I do still believe that ridding ourselves of burdens and making room in our lives for the things that we enjoy is part of the path to happiness, I no longer believe that it is sufficient. Trying to rearrange the exterior landscape of our lives without first redesigning the interior is doomed to failure.

The author of this weeks NBOTW is Lori, and her blog is Between Us Girls, with a tag line of “Sharing the knowledge we need to grow”

Join me in congratulating Lori.

Drop by her blog, read her writings and take time to say “Hello”.

Welcome (again), Lori!

Photo Credit cambodia4kidsorg’s photostream
Category: Archives, New Blog Of The Week  10 Comments
21
Apr
Blogging – Year One – Lesson Five
Barbara Swafford

2105596399 a27bf57642 m Blogging Year One Lesson Five

Blogging can eat up a lot of time.

Today’s Lesson

When I first started blogging, most of my time was spent on researching, writing and publishing.

Being technologically challenged, the rest of my free time was spent learning “blogging language”, techniques, and behind the scenes maintenance (e.g. adding/removing plugins, html, ads, etc…).

When I added statistical programs, more time was spent watching my numbers (hopefully grow), and analyzing how the statistical data could help me get found.

I submitted several posts to blogging carnivals, and added my blogs to directories.

It didn’t help that I changes themes often, trying to find my “fit” in blogosphere.

I read that submitting articles to Digg would help my traffic counts, so I engaged in that option too.

Answering my comments, reading and then commenting on other’s blog posts soon became a favorite pastime.

Although I had joined StumbleUpon, I didn’t participate in social networking, but did use the SU toolbar to stumble through varies articles and photos. Later, I got caught up in the Stumble craze, but quickly found it to be addictive and extremely time consuming.

Although I’ve read articles how joining additional social media sites, can gain a blog popularity (and traffic), due to time restraints, I’ve chosen to refrain from signing up.

With a full-time job, family, friends and other activities I enjoy, blogging quickly began to eat into life’s activities which were important to me. What started out to be a part-time “hobby”, soon became a full-time activity that was competing for my attention.

I continually walk a fine line with regard to the time issue, constantly reminding myself to stay grounded and not get caught up in looking at blogging as a means to an end.

Lesson Five Blogging can easily become addictive. It can eat into time that could be better spent focusing attention on job, family, health, and “physical” social networking. Blogging can isolate you, and hinder your development as a person. Sitting at your computer blogging and/or social networking can make you lazy and unmotivated, resulting is weight gain and/or a lack of desire to interact with people.

Although blogging is a new found passion for me, I don’t make a living blogging and learned my blogs are not a replacement for living life.

Today’s Assignment

How do you balance blogging with life’s activities?

Do you find blogging becomes addictive?

Does blogging result in isolation for you?

Do you do less social networking (physical) since you started blogging?

Photo Credit: jonboy mitchell’s photostream
Category: Archives, Blogging Lessons, Lessons Learned  Tags: , ,  17 Comments
18
Apr
Blogging – Year One – Lesson 4
Barbara Swafford

439096927 da78262685 m Blogging Year One Lesson 4

Like a roller coaster ride at a carnival, checking our blog statistics can take us on highs, lows, twists, turns, make us come to a screeching halt, and even turn our life upside down.

But with blogging, in order to know if we’re “being found”, or to find out if our blog is growing, it’s essential to install statistical programs to track our numbers.

It’s what we do with and about those numbers, and the other facts provided in statistical programs that will determine if we put ourselves back on that roller coaster, or if we learn from the information that’s provided.

Today’s Lesson

With five statistical programs installed , + Feedburner, I can easily spend an hour or more each day stat checking. In the beginning, I did. I don’t know exactly what I was looking for. Maybe one more visitor. But if the numbers didn’t change, I would often feel a sense of disappointment.

I quickly realized I needed to utilize my time more effectively.

With different stats producing different information, I started digging past the actual numbers. This is what I find:

1) How are others finding my blog, (referrals, search engines or direct)?
2) What keyword phrases are they using to find my blog?
3) What links do they click on?
4) Are advertising links paying off?
5) How long are readers staying on my site?
6) What are my most popular posts?
7) Which posts are not being read?

I also learned, the numbers are fickle. No two statistical programs report the same results.

Lesson 4 Having statistical programs installed on a blog is important. Much time can be wasted checking stats. The growth of a blog is determined by comparing months of information (numbers, averages), not days.

However, the numbers do not dictate whether you’re successful as a person. If your writings have helped just one person, it has served it’s purpose.

Footnote: If your goal is to make money with a blog, high numbers are vital.

Today’s Assignment

Do you spend an excessive amount of time checking your stats?

Do you look past the numbers and analyze other pertinent information?

If your numbers don’t increase, do you get disappointed and/or lose motivation to blog?

Photo taken at Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, Ca. by: KateMonkey’s photostream
Category: Archives, Blogging Lessons, Stats  Tags: ,  19 Comments
17
Apr
Blogging – Year One – Lesson 3
Barbara Swafford

34661788 5587ad89ab m Blogging Year One Lesson 3

You’ll often read, “blogging is easy”. And, in some aspects it is.

But to be successful with blogging, it takes a little more energy than just writing and hitting the publish button.

Today’s Lesson

I tried to fight it. I really didn’t want to learn it. But I realized early on, in order for me to succeed in blogging, I would have to learn, or at least understand, the mechanics of what goes on behind the scenes of a blog.

Some sites would say “you don’t need to know HTML“(HyperText Markup Language).

But if you don’t understand how something works, and have a problem, you won’t know how to fix it.

I came to the realization that learning HTML would be a huge benefit for me. I went to W3Schools and began pouring over their lessons. I did their “tests” and slowly learned what was happening behind the scenes. As I made changes, added or deleted plugins, and/or added code for advertisements, I witnessed the end result. It actually became rather exciting.

I learned how tags had to be closed, and how to open a link in a new browser.

Admittedly I am technologically challenged (to a degree). but I did know in order to produce a site that I could maintain and change by myself, I would have to step out of my comfort zone and learn something new.

Lesson three Make time to learn what takes place behind the scenes of your blog. Although it can be intimidating, with a little practice, it will soon become second nature.

Today’s Assignment

Do you understand the mechanics of a blog?

Do you feel comfortable making changes to your blog format, adding/removing plugins and/or ads

Are you technically challenged or a whiz when it comes to coding and formatting?

Photo Credit: From the side of an old railroad car by: CarbonNYC’s photostream
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Category: Archives, Blog Maintenance, Blogging Lessons  Tags: ,  16 Comments
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