Saturday, September 15, 2012

Two Year Blogiversary


Two years ago today, in hopes of getting more involved with the writing community, I took up blogging. And promptly proved I had no idea what I was doing. Maybe this is all in my head, but I think I’ve learned quite a bit over the years (yes! It’s plural now!) and while I’m no blog maven, I’m comfortable with the system. Here’s what I’ve picked up, in case someone who’s just started out stumbles into my blog and is as clueless as I was.


The top five things I learned about blogging:

1. Each and every post has to offer something. I often fall into this trap, usually posting long opinions about something that may be interesting to read, but don’t really give much except what I think. While it’s good to illustrate points with stories, if you want to interest people you have to engage with them. Sometimes this means teaching a lesson. Others it means sharing information or tips on a subject.

2. Just because you’re on the internet doesn’t mean communication isn’t a two-way street. If you want to make friends, you have to interact with people. Respond to their comments, visit their blogs/webpages.

3. There will always be people out there who disagree with you and are jerks about it. These may be people who wouldn’t say boo in real life but have no trouble belittling you when they’re enveloped in the supposed anonymity of the internet. It’s why most sites come with a “block” button.

4. It’s important to write posts that are both concise and well-written. Face it, the internet lowers attention spans, and if the writing isn’t interesting right off, people will probably jump on to the next post in their reader. Which is probably why my etymology posts don’t get more hits.

5. If you want an insta-hit post, put up cat pictures. In that vein…

Tell me that's not the cutest thing ever and I'll know you're lying.


She collapsed under the weight of her own stomach.

Cuuuuuuute!

8 comments:

  1. Happy anniversary!

    And now I want a kitten!
    My blog post today does not have any cat pictures, but it does have you tagged in The Next Big Thing meme! :)

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  2. Yes, cat pictures always work! We have one cat. He looks exactly like the one in the film Alien. We named him Jones, too. He hasn't spotted any aliens as of yet, but I keep a pretty close eye on him just in case he does. *grins*
    Congratulations on your blogiversary, and have a good weekend.

    -Jimmy
    http://jamesgarciajr.blogspot.com/

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    1. If you ever get in a situation where an alien is stalking you, remember to keep the cat in his carrier. You don't want to go through that mess.

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  3. Happy Blogiversary!

    One of the other blogs I follow had a problem with someone who needed to be blocked. This poster made a point of launching nuclear war temper tantrums against the blogger.

    And kitties always do the trick in drawing people in. Aren't the little superior life forms so adorable?

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    1. They are adorable. That's why we serve them. The weak serve the cute.

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  4. happy blogiversary! i have a great contest on my blog right now - that's my contribution to the writing community!

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    Replies
    1. And a fine contribution it is :) The writing community is the best community.

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  5. Happy Blogaversary! Cats always pull in readers. Too cute.

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