The Guardian discussed whether blogging was going out of fashion this week. What a horrid thought that already I’m wearing the flares of technology. And just as I was getting the hang of it. It seems that many people who start a blog never keep it up and those that do get distracted with the ever growing forms of networking via the internet. Facebook and Twitter seem to be the key culprits.
I’ve tried to keep more than one blog on the go. In one instance, the technology confounded me. It locked me out and a writing project with some friends never made it off the ground. I also tried keeping a blog for professional development – a way of me having to keep up to date by reporting on what I’d learned. Time and motivation confounded me on that one even when the technology was a success. I simply didn’t choose to use what time I had available on keeping a professional development experiment going.
So I guess that puts me in what the Guardian called the long tail of blogging.
After those trials and errors, I’m happy to stick with blogging here at Domestic Executive. I’ve got a Facebook Page and signed up for Twitter but I find the whole thing exhausting as I don’t entirely understand how they would work for me. Facebook is a great way of connecting with people you may have lost touch with but as for twitter what I could tweet about that would be of the remotest interest to anyone else. Having said that, there are some people I know who don’t find what I write on my blog of remotest interest to them either.
As with all things in life you’ll not please anyone all of the time so best that you just please yourself. And your husband. And your parents. And your closest friends and relatives. And your bassets. And after that people can take it or leave it which of course they do.
I started this blog as a way of keeping in touch with family and friends. I know that people who read my blog aren’t the originally intended audience but fellow bloggers or blog addicts who like to read about other people’s interests and lives. I’ve made some new online friends through a common interest in blogging. We read each others blogs and share our views on what they say.
There are blogs out there on any imaginable subject. So if you’re looking for a recipe, knitting pattern, solution to some problem. You can almost be guaranteed that someone out there is writing about it on the blog. And what’s so marvelous is that you can access it from the comfort of your own home. For me blogging is just starting as a true communications art – now the technology is easier to understand and use – real experts, people who know stuff, are willingly sharing what they know and can do. And it’s free. That’s true community spirit.
Whilst there still is community spirit there’ll be blogging. As long as the attention span of humans isn’t eroded too far through things like Facebook and Twitter that we fail to be able to hold a conversation that is longer than a few hundred characters!
Here’s my blogging tip of the day.
I manage my blog reading through a really user friendly blog reader www.bloglovin.com If you’d like to keep your blog reading under control, sign up and get your blog lovin done in an organised and easily managed way.
And I thought I was all up to date and modern being a ‘Blogger’. I think it all depends on why and who you want to communicate with . I haven’t bothered with Facebook and Twitter as I see my friends everyday at work for that type of chat or I bend Peter’s ear when I get home. M blog keeps my distant family and friends up to date with things here and is also a good reminder to myself of the things I’ve been up to. I do actually enjoy looking back through my old posts. I’ve made blog friends and gained an insight into other people’s lives. Not a bad thing I think. Bloggers of the World, Unite ! and keep on blogging.
Hi DomEx – that has a certain racy ring to it, don’t you think? 🙂
Having observed Fiona writing for her blog over the past three years, it occurs to me that if blogging is becoming a dying art them maybe that’s because it is simply hard work.
Writing as a hobby is fun, better still if you also get paid for it. But adhering to a rule of “one post per day†soon becomes a slog. It could easily slip to one every second day, one per week . . month . .it’s a slippery slope. Then it’s not fun any longer. It’s lonely too, unless you build up a following who encourage you to continue, but that can take months and month to gain momentum.
It helps that Fiona and I are a partnership. She writes. I edit and do the techie stuff like maintain the server, enhance the blog software etc.
Anyhow, I wanted to chat about your adventure in NZ. Fiona’s bro lives in Fielding. Whereabouts are you (approx)?
Doing what you did is something we have all thought about, if not dreamt about. It’s a beautiful country, no doubt, and the enhanced value for money available in NZ if one sold up in the UK is a big factor. It’s just soooo faaaaaaar awaaaaaaaaaaay !
Thanks for your beautiful photo shoots and well written articles.
Cheers,
Danny
Hi Danny
You’re right – NZ is a long way from anywhere but somehow being further away can bring people closer together. We’re north of Wellington, about 2 hours drive to Fielding. The one thing about NZ is that the roads are long and narrow making even short distances take a long time. We’re heading back to the UK in a few weeks, it will be my first trip back in 3.5 years – I’m excited and a little scared by the prospect. What might I think of going back……!
I love to read Fiona’s blog and your recent contributions have definitely made me smile. You sound like quite a formidable team. I agree with you about blogging, it takes more effort than people might think. It takes discipline and energy which makes it a daily challenge but the responses from people are what make it worthwhile. I love to read other people’s stories and am inspired by what people achieve. I’ve book marked lots of tips and recipes from Fiona – and all because I did a google search one day looking for the secret to ripening tomatoes!
All the best, Julie
I definitely think blogging has a community spirit too it. I was chatting with Mum’s at Charli’s Birthday party this weekend and marveling at how generous people are in spending their time sharing their ideas, recipes and so on. It certainly makes my parenting job a little easier! Most of the ideas for Charli’s party evolved from a quick ‘Google’ search.
As for Twitter and FB – I have to admit to signing up. Twitter I don’t get involved with much and am thinking of giving up on – just not for me. FB, however, has put me in touch with many friends who, after 12 year’s of me living overseas, had become a little lax on the e-mail and letter writing front. I have always been a letter writer, but I appreciate that not everyone is and so was sad to lose touch with people over the years – however, many of those people find it easier to write a few lines on what they are doing each day – and from that I now message them and feel a connection once more – which is wonderful! It’s also an easy way for them to share photographs and events.
As for blogging, I still get so much out of in, in terms of keeping our family in touch with their growing grandchildren. It means so much to them to have a window into their lives. We also love looking back on posts on a rainy day (and are thorough with backing everything up!). I also enjoy making new acquaintances, it is like a modern day equivalent to pen-friends in a way! I’ve learned so much from other bloggers and appreciated their advice and support.
As Ruta says, ‘Bloggers of the World Unite’! Here! Here!
Nice article DomEx. I hadn’t read the Guardian piece but I will now, even knowing the Guardian is a hotbed of Twitterers.
I don’t think bloggging is dead… at all. I just think it’s utillity is being learned and that the masses (if such there were) have realised it is jolly hard work to build a readership and keep it interested. The bulk of bloggers never got off the ground in any case, but the statistics reported in the media were quoting the number of new starters, not the numbers of starters who then stopped.
But newspapers, local newspapers and publications will merge with blogging so that it becomes another publlcation platform… everything’s going online, print will die out, and those bloggers that have built niche audiences with a tight constituency will inherit the periodical-publishing world.
Blogging never existed imho, just online publishing.
Nice to know that we’re leading the way!