- Blogs take a LOT of your time. This first one was a bit of a surprise. I didn't think it would take up quite so much time.
- All the work involved in photography for the blog is as time-consuming if not more so than the writing. This was also a surprise. I had no idea how long it would take to get the photos--sun, neat place in the house-- or tweak them in some editing program. I don't know about the rest of the world, but it also takes a while for my photos to upload on Blogspot. That's not so bad for a photo or two, but for tutorials and such, it can seem like forever.
- You start to feel guilty if you don't do something blog-worthy to post about. This was a total shock. I thought this would be fun. I figured I would post when I had something to say which would be about weekly. Instead, I started listening to all the advice of semi-professional bloggers who insist that one should to have a specific area of interest, not write too many off-topic posts, include some but not too many near-professional quality photographs, post often, keep paragraphs short, keep posts short, and on and on. The pressure!
- Approximately one-half of one percent of people who visit my blog will comment. Okay, to be honest I'm exaggerating. It's actually less than that. It's one-fifth of one percent. I did the calculations. In addition, most of the comments turn out to be from people saying thanks for commenting on their blog or joining their link party rather than actual comments on the post. As a commenter, I just assumed others left comments as well and that blogging would be a sharing experience. When I read someone's blog post, I read the comments, too. People often share additional ideas that expand on the content, offer alternate suggestions, provide new sources, bring up points I've missed or even misunderstood. Comments are opportunities for the writer and readers to learn and grow.
- Some people view blogging as, well, crap. This fifth bit of enlightenment came through a few conversations with people about blogs. This usually begins with me saying I like reading blogs and, in fact, have one. For some reason people who I normally consider polite seem to feel that insulting blogging is perfectly acceptable. I have zero interest in sports. When the topic comes up in conversation, however, I don't say sports are nonsense and a waste of time. One anti-blogger particularly zeroed in on mommy blogs which is ironic in that she reads mommy blogs to get ideas for her online business relating to children. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!
- If you move away from your original intent in blogging, it will become too much of a chore. So for my second year of blogging I shall be blogging about what I want when I want! To that end, the following photo is here because I feel like sharing it not because a post SHOULD have a photo. It is my lovely husband at one of the many beautiful hiking spots he finds for us. If this task were left to me, we would be hiking up and down the aisles of a fabric store. He is away on business for a few days and, even after 27 years of marriage, he is dearly missed.
(Love you tons, Mr. Easton!)