Digging Close To Home

Posted by Barbara Swafford on Wednesday, September 10th 2008   
Filed in: Archives, Blogging Lessons, Linking, Writing Tips    Tags: , , ,

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Some of our best posts are buried in our archives. Some will never get to see the light of day.

Today’s Lesson

I love to dig through the blogger’s archives I have in my reader. It’s there where I find some of my favorite posts from the past. Posts I have previously read, but forgot about.

Listed below are a just a few of my favorites:

I laughed at this one Chris of WatDaWat wrote. The title is Drive-Thru Kids: Hold The Tantrum Please. It’s hilarious, but has a little bit of truth written between the lines

David’s blog is named “Be Playful.org”. A favorite post in his archives is: Aspects Of Playfulness: Deliberate Delight

Marelisa’s (of Abundance blog) post(er) How To Be Happy would well be worth making of copy of and hanging in your office.

When Karl (of Work Happy Now) wrote the post 7 Awesome Lessons From Bill Gates - Love Him or Hate Him, He Is A Genious, it reiterated how we can learn from someone who has “been there” and succeeded.

J.D.’s post titled: Ken Blanchard Speaks At Microsoft, is a great read for business owners or those who want to advance in their career.

When Natural, of Thinking Out Loud, let her daughter write a guest post on her blog, it became obvious humor runs in the family. It is titled: From The Mouths Of Babes.

This post written by Rebecca of Writer’s Round-About moved me so much, I remember writing a post about it. It is titled: Where Do Ideas Come From.

Mark of Creative Journey Cafe inspired creative ideas for me with his post Why Doing Laundry Is Good For Your Creativity

Tears filled my eyes when I read JEMi’s (In My Heels) post When Your Husband Dies. It’s a beautifully written article that undoubtedly helped many who have experienced death of a loved one.

Today’s Assignment

What about you? Can you think of a post from a favorite blogger that moved you?

Do you have a favorite post in your archives you would like to share with the BWAB readers?

Looking for a post idea? Dig through your favorite blogger’s archives and share the findings with your readers, too.

Photo Credit: billjacobus1’s photostream

Tags: Blogging, Blogs, building community, Writing Tips

25 Comments

MarelisaNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

Hi Barbara, I haven’t read most of the posts you mention here and the titles sound really captivating. Right now it’s 1:48 a.m. and I’m fighting the urge to go read them. I really need to go to bed . . . I’ll stop by to visit these posts tomorrow. And thank you for mentioning my happiness poster. I’ve actually posted a listing on elance to turn it into a poster and sell it on cafepress. I hope to choose the winning bid over the weekend. Good night :-)
Marelisa’s last blog post..30 Tips for Getting Along With Others

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Cath LawsonNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

Hi Barbara - I’m hopeless at finding old posts to reread. I was saving them in SU - bad move since I got banned.

As for my own old posts, it’s funny you should mention it. But I’ve been reading through some of them and rewriting them - some of them are really that bad.

I remember the one Jemi wrote - it was moving and like you, I’m betting that it helped a lot of folk in the same boat.

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Barbara SwaffordNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

Hi Marelisa,

You’re welcome! I love the idea of turning that post into a poster. It’s so motivational. Keep me posted!

I hear you about late night reading. I’ve had a hectic day, my eyes are getting tired, so am turning in, too. Good Night to you, too. :)

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Barbara SwaffordNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

Hi Catherine,

You were commenting the same time I was responding to Marelisa.

Rewriting old posts is actually a great way to have new content. They are great for sparking new ideas, aren’t they?

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Sunil PathakNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

Hi Barbara

like you love digging archives of other blogs
i do it often on Problogger.net and Chrisg.com (they have lots of gold buried in their archive)

@Cath re-writing old post is a good idea, but instead of polishing your old post i would suggest you to write new post with new detail and sources (of course with reference to old post)

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LanceNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

What a nice way to pull some things out of the archives and share here Barbara. You’re right, sometimes we forget about some of that “good stuff” we read a while back.

Here’s one:
http://staceyshipman.com/2008/07/21/stop-dipping-your-toes-and-jump-right-in/ — by Stacey, of Let It Flow — about jumping in and doing something instead of continuously testing the waters — only to find it too cold to really jump in. Sometimes we’ve just got to jump in.

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NaturalNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

this post made me laugh a lot:

http://idothings.info/i-had-a-colonoscopy-so-you-dont-have-to/

this one of mine makes me chuckle as well

http://valeriemorrison.net/blog/i-wish-i-had-duck-feet/

It’s not only good to dig through the archives but if you can, read the comments as well…I have gotten a few ideas to write about from reading what other people wrote.

Thanks Barbara!

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Ulla HennigNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

Hi Barbara,
thanks for sharing those posts. I on the spot discovered two posts which I immediately clicked on. One of them was titled “When your husband dies”. My husband died in February last year and so the title captured my attention.
As for sharing a post from my archives: How do you archive rss feeds? I am sure this is a stupid question, but at the moment I am trying to follow my feed and read them as they come.

Ulla Hennig’s last blog post..What I learned from a good friend

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Karl Staib - Your Career HappinessNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

What a great list of articles! I’ve read a few of these and I’m always impressed by the blogger friends that Barbara has in her circle. They always have something positive to say and give readers a new angle to enjoy life.

Thanks for the link love! Bill Gates is an extraordinary man. Not everyone likes him, but he deserves everyone’s respect.

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Urban PantherNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

I have to admit to a very short attention span. There are very few movies I’ll watch again, and very few books I re-read. It’s the same for reading posts. I read them, enjoy them, and move on. I will go back to someone’s site and search for a post, if I am writing a similar post and want to credit them with the inspiration.

P.S. make sure you head over to the Lair and vote on how the Lion and I should redesign our websites. Your input is greatly valued. Thanks!

Urban Panther’s last blog post..Sugar and salt, it ain’t my fault!

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Writer DadNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

I was actually planning on cleaning out my reader this weekend so that I could have more time to read the archives of all the sites that stay. Time spent more wisely. If I really like someone, I’ll probably really like the yesterdays before I knew them too.

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Ajith EdasseryNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

Barbara,
Unfortunately, I do not have any such post. I, somehow, want my table to be always clean and keep only the recent stuff…

Though digging through the archives is not a bad idea, saving interesting stuff regularly to one of the social bookmarking profiles is my preference. Something like Del.icio.us is handy here.

(I should, though, admit that I am never regular with it LOL)

Cheers,
Ajith
PS: Btw, thanks for the three word description :)
Ajith Edassery’s last blog post..Blog Innovation and sustainability - Take a leaf from Apple

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Bamboo ForestNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

When I come across a post that I feel I may want access to in the future, I add it to my Delicious account.

Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..The Stain Demon Can and Will Taint Your Life

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RitaNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

Barb,
Honestly, the ONLY blog I keep returning to is yours - particularly your interviews with Lorelle. I am constantly going back to them as I try to uphold a “learning curve.”
As to my own archives, the posts are all so new, but it’s a blast when once a month I get a comment on a blog from the prior blog owner’s archives. I then direct them to her new site!

Thanks,

Rita

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Barbara SwaffordNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

Hi Sunil,

Problogger is another great one to dig through. His early posts are superb.

Hi Lance,

Thanks for the link to Stacey’s site. The post does sound fascinating. And yes, sometimes we do just need to JUMP!

Hi Natural,

You’re welcome.

Ah yes, your duck feet was another great one. I’ll have to read that again, and will check out the link you provided.

I agree, comments are great to read. They provide tons of ideas.

Hi Ulla,

I’m sorry to hear about your loss. I think you’ll enjoy the post by JEMi. It’s very moving.

Re: your question. I use Google reader and it automatically archives the feeds from the past. If I want to read an old one, all I need to do is click on it.

Hi Karl,

You’re welcome.

I agree, Bill Gates does deserve respect. He started at the bottom with an idea, and look at what he created. It’s awesome.

Hi Urban Panther,

Referencing (linking) a older post of someone else is a good idea. We do want to give credit where credit is due.

I visited and voted and left you a comment. I say, “WordPress”. :)

Hi Writer Dad,

Cleaning out our readers does free up more time to read those older posts. Even though the posts are buried, I will often comment on them, too.

Hi Ajith,

You’re welcome!

I have tried using bookmarking, but then my bookmarks get so full I “lose” stuff. There’s just TOO much good stuff out there. :)

Hi Bamboo,

See my reply to Ajith. I think I’m just a sucker for saving too much stuff. I’m glad the Google reader keeps the archived posts.

Hi Rita,

Yes, the interview with Lorelle has tons of valuable information in it. I go back to it, too. Can we every know enough? I don’t think so.

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Vered - MomGrindNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

I always find it strange that blogs highlight recent posts while burying the old ones. I’m sure we are missing out on lots of great stuff by only focusing on what’s new.

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Home Safety Tips - LauraNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

hi I’m Laura a SAHM. Being online is one of my favorite pass time and this include reading blogs. I also love reading archives of my favorite blogs. I learn a lot from reading and at the same time I was able to share my thoughts and communicate.
Here is one of my favorite post. It really helped me
http://www.familywebwatch.com/a-parents-guide-to-online-safety

Home Safety Tips - Laura’s last blog post..5 Common Knee Problems and How to Prevent and Treat Them

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Shilpan | successsoul.comNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

Barbara - I seldom visit archive of all the blogs that I visit regularly. Now, I need to digg some old goldies from your achieve first.

Shilpan

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RobinNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

Hi Barbara

I remember various posts fondly, but realistically wouldn’t look for them again - I already spend too much time in the blogosphere for my eyes!

Only when I’m looking for something I might use - eg. in your archives for plugins! ;-)

(Barbara - I was wondering if you have your CommentLuv off by default intentionally? I’ve missed ticking it a few times, and I notice other people have, too)

Robin’s last blog post..Feelings Are There To Be Felt

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Linda AbbitNo Gravatar said on September 10th, 2008     

I wish I had time to read archives!

I can barely keep up with my reader now. I’ll search archives if I’m looking for an answer to a blogging question, but I don’t have time to read them for pleasure. I’d love to read the ones you’ve listed Barbara, but it’s doubtful.

I still like to read the newspaper (post ideas abound) and real books as well, plus I try to get some sleep! :-)
Linda Abbit’s last blog post..Inspiring Quotes for Caregivers

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J.D. MeierNo Gravatar said on September 11th, 2008     

Some posts really put time in a bottle. I love how an old post can rekindle a feeling, an idea, or a dream. Some posts are like that hair cut you forgot you had in your yearbook.

I remember reading JEMi’s post too and how she reminded us of what matters, who our true friends are, and to stand strong when tested.

One of my favorite posts of yours is Stubborn Blogger Wouldn’t Ask for Help (http://bloggingwithoutablog.com/stubborn-blogger-wouldnt-ask-for-help/). It seemed like an “ah ha” moment and a transition.

Thanks for the link love!

J.D. Meier’s last blog post..Social Loafing

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Debbie YostNo Gravatar said on September 11th, 2008     

I need more posts and blogs to read like I need another hole in my head and then you go and post a bunch of the best! What are you trying to do to me? I have got to read that Drive Thru one.

I have a couple favorites of mine and I have them listed in my sidebar. I don’t know how much people click on them, though.

Hope you’re having a great week. Sorry I’ve been hit and miss these days. I’m still reading though. Now I have GOT to go to bed!

Debbie Yost’s last blog post..Teacher Appreciation

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Barbara SwaffordNo Gravatar said on September 11th, 2008     

Hi Vered,

I agree, we do miss out on lots of great reads. The random and favorite/popular plugins are great for bringing some of our old writings to the surface.

Hi Laura,

Welcome to the BWAB community.

I checked out the post on Family Watch. That is superb. I can see why it would be a favorite. They did a fabulous job on that one. Thank you for sharing!

Hi Shilpan,

Hey, I know you have some great ones in your archives too. Time to do some self promotion?

Hi Robin,

Like you, I don’t have a lot of time to dig through archives, but the ones I listed are some I did remember and wanted to share them with all of you.

Re: CommentLuv. I do have it off by default - intentionally. I’ll have a post on that as soon as Lorelle has time to answer an ASK question for me (regarding “default checking”). She brought up an interesting point about “checking boxes” awhile back and I’m asking her to elaborate.

Hi Linda Abbit,

I hear you. My reader is SO full right now and with work keeping me busy, I’m having a hard time catching up. Newspaper? Book? Sleep? Oh, if we could only add more hours to our day, hey?

Hi J.D.

You’re welcome.

I like how you put that, “Some posts are like that hair cut you forgot you had in your yearbook”. They can be timeless, can’t they?

I forgot about the “stubborn blogger” post. That seems so long ago. :)

Hi Debbie,

You’ll love Chris’s drive thru post. It’s funny!

Like you, my week has been BUSY. I’m scrambling to catch up, so hopefully by the weekend, I’ll feel like I can catch my breath. Thanks for continuing to read. I’m reading you, too, but not always commenting.

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Alex Fayle | Someday SyndromeNo Gravatar said on September 11th, 2008     

I just found one on Men with Pens today that I loved. It’s…

http://menwithpens.ca/bloggers-that-fake-it

Cheers
Alex

Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome’s last blog post..Our Lives Are Full of Stuff

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Barbara SwaffordNo Gravatar said on September 11th, 2008     

Thank you Alex, I’ll check that out.

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