Every blogger, it seems, celebrates "Blogiversaries," marking the annual anniversary of starting or maintaining a blog. I also mark other milestones. Today is the 987th post I put up, for example; soon I will do the thousandth. That feels like a big deal to me, not because of what has been read by others, but because of what it took for me to do it on an almost daily basis.
For me and other committed writers, blogging is a discipline. Some make money at it, but most do not. I prefer to clutter my website with something besides ads, therefore I do not participate in that way. The writing life is a discipline with an unusual set of rules for this blogger. My own goals are pretty simple. I value truthfulness and giving credit to others' work. I try to be clear and easy to read. I do not use profanity, though I am very good at insulting my opponents. I strive to present a graphically pleasing post.
Like many bloggers my target audience consists of like-minded people. I am conflict-averse. There are steps to effective targeted blogging, Sweetkenny says, regarding Blog Maintenance. I archive posts. I edit typos, even is I have already published the piece. Tagging is something to which quite a bit of attention is paid, both for my convenience and that of my readers.
Sometimes its personal writing for the blogger, sometimes it is much more objective. Why I blog is different than why you do, but we will probably find more similarities than differences. But one thing we can all agree upon, if we are staying with it, is that it is a psychologially affirming thing to maintain a blog.
A surprising number of bloggers do it as part of their spiritual path. A Virtual Celebration is the disciplined Spiritual Way for a number of bloggers. That has not been the case with this blog which is mostly political. I do occasionally feel a small spiritual tug, however, while writing at my other blog, Making Good Mondays.
Post number 1000 will see a return to the subject of blogging. This blogger is returning to a level of blogging discipline he exercised in the past, and I have always been delighted when one of my favorite bloggers gets back to regular posting. I am one of those readers who checks back occasionally to see if a writer has returned to actively posting. Thus, I have a bookmark list that needs regular pruning. Even then I am constitutionally incapable of deleting a favorite's blog; I move it to an "Archive" folder, unless the entire blog has been removed by the author. Then I am heart-broken.
View my current slide show about the Bush years -- "Millennium" -- at the bottom of this column.
(Cross-posted at The Reaction.)
My “creativity and dreaming” post today is at Making Good Mondays.
Technorati tags: blog blogging blogosphere bloggers writing discipline internet writers weblog
2 comments:
Maybe I could comment on #1,000? That would be an honor!
My blog violates every "rule" of blogging I've ever read. My long time close friend and first ever helper, shakes her head in despair, I'm sure! I don't mean it to be that way, I just set out to be me on my blog, and the results, for all their blemishes, are.:) When people meet me IRL, the first thing many say is "You're just like you are online!" with this voice of disbelief.:) And I am.
The first post I ever made may have been my most polite.:) I definitely overuse profanity. But what goes on in this world is not pretty, and I feel no desire to make it appear so. If I had to follow certain rules, I would quit outright today.
I continue to be dumbfounded each time I come over here, at the depth of research. I wrote to an old grad school prof whom I respect greatly, and who also happens to be one of the premier researchers in our field, and sent the URL to this blog, with the not so gentle jab: "You should be so good!" I can only say he's now one of your regular "ghost" readers who also monitors my comments to you, and upbraids me when he thinks they should be better!:)
I do know great writing when I read it, and I've had the tremendous honor and privilege of reading one of the very best!
For that, I gratefully thank you!!
Dan'l, what generous words from you! I thank you so much, for many things, as a matter of fact: for your fierce authenticity, and for how you try to hide your soft heart, and for your desire to understand what is really true.
Thanks for getting me a ghost reader; I don't remember having one of those before.
You have comment #1 at 1,000, probably because you might read it at the most timely hour.
Have a good day, my friend.
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