This morning as I was reading a blog by JoDee Luna http://jodeeluna.wordpress.com ; her words caught my attention and made an emotional connection as well.
She said, “Have you ever felt like your life ambitions extend beyond your expiration date? Full days leave little time for working towards those projects you want to finish.”
Blogging: Time vs. Benefit
What is motivating me to continue blogging? Finding the words and pictures for the blog each day takes time. When I started blogging in January it was just a challenge for me to see if I could actually set up a site and teach myself how to upload text and pictures to the site. I’m not that computer savvy. When I graduated from college we were still using electric typewriters for our papers. We added carbon paper if we needed a second copy.
I didn’t have any preconceived ideas of grandeur of a widely read blog. I just wanted to try something new to challenge myself. I really didn’t understand how blogging worked or an idea of what I would write about, but I started. This morning I left for work without posting on my blog because I was thinking about the amount of time vs. the benefits of blogging and were the scales tipped in a direction I could live with given my limited amount of discretionary time.
Benefits of Blogging
1. Learning Something New
As I said earlier, learning something new was my original goal for blogging. I have always said, “Any day that you learn something new is a good day!” Sometimes you have to learn it the hard way but you still learn it. I have been able to apply some of the things I have learned in WordPress in other areas at work.
2. Capturing a Moment of Time
When my husband and I were talking about blogging last week he said he would have loved to read what his parents, grandparents or other relatives had to say about living in their place in time. I hadn’t thought about my descendants reading what I have written some day in the future. I haven’t even shared with my four children or any other relatives besides my husband that I have a blog.
3. Seeing Glimpses of Other People in Their Worlds
Someday I hope to travel more extensively than I am able to now. Until then, I can learn about other places in the world by reading other blogs. Each person blogging brings a part of themselves and their worlds to share with those of us who take the time to read. I especially love reading blogs like Sunshine in London http://sunshineinlondon.wordpress.com/ She is from South Africa and now lives in London. She blogs about places that she finds interesting while living in London. I can’t wait to travel to London someday and visit some of the places she has highlighted in her blog. It’s like having my own personal travel agent telling me about what to see in London.
4. Writing Styles
One of the most important benefits for me has been the ability to read so many writing styles. I love reading Herding Cats in Hammond for her unique writing style. My favorite post in the past year has been her post titled, ” I’ll Take Drooling for $750, Alex…November 9, 2010 by writerwoman61.” It is a post about having dental surgery done on her daughter but written in a very unique way in the format of the Jeopardy TV show.
Another blog I enjoy reading for his style and sense of humor is http://TEStazyk.com. He writes from New Zealand so I get the opportunity to learn about another part of the world while reading his blog. Thomas, through his blog has introduced me to a new and expanded vocabulary. I love the creative banter of his regular readers while commenting on his latest post. It’s a fun place to visit!
5. Improving My Writing Skills
This would have been the last benefit that I would have written for blogging 11 months ago when I started. I never thought of and still don’t think of myself as a writer. The more posts I read and write I find myself wanting to do a better job in my writing. After reading posts from another of my favorite blogs, Joe Clarks’ Blog, http://joeclarksblog.wordpress.com/, I find myself looking up things like passive voices. A year ago I would never had looked up that topic. Joe inspires me to learn new things both in aviation and writing through his passionate writing on many topics.
6. Renewing Old Passions
Photography and quilting are two passions that I have had in the past. I never thought that starting a blog would re-ignite those passions. The process of writing the blog and incorporating photos have me seeing everything through the lens of a camera. Back in my early college days I was interested in photography but I was discouraged because of its cost. Now with the new digital cameras there are so many more things that you can try and only pay to have the pictures that you truly love.
Quilting is something that I have been passionate about for nearly 25 years and there are so many sites that give hints to make the process easier. The ideas for quilts, tools, and hints are endless and have me exploring for the next best project.
Blogging has taken a place of priority in my discretionary time but I think the benefits are well worth the time spent.
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