Blogging

[Tazzy]

I had a whole post done and poof! it flew away....

I have had a brainwave. I am going to blog about my journey thru agoraphobia, migraines and the impact this has had upon my life. I hope to make it useful and goal oriented for myself. A place to muse, vent, discover, set goals, try new ideas that I've been reading about, heard about, or things that work for me, things that don't. I want to reflect on where I've come, what I have accomplished and how I did it thru this, also discover areas that this has held me back, made me not do things or changed the way I approached (approach) things in life. I have lots of ideas and the more I think about and prayfully consider this, the more it seems to be a good choice for me.

It will be anonymous and I will not let anyone else read it who knows me personally (at this point -- maybe later if there are people I feel comfortable with sharing or who would benefit from knowing my struggles, I'd consider that then)

I've journalled on paper before. I have two journals by my bedside. One is my "Journey to Wellness" where I started logging good things I was doing to benefit my health and soul... like sleep, good healthy choices in food, exercise, friendships, things to make me take care of me better and not to neglect myself.

A second journal "Positive Gratitude Journal" which (obviously) has fallen into disuse and is buried on my nightstand was a daily log of things that I was grateful for, things that I'd read that were helpful, a reflection on the day in a way that helped me see how I was capable and what I was able to accomplish, not dwelling on what I couldn't do or what was hurting me or hindering me.

The online blog I want to do will combine both and add a component of journeying back in my life to discover more about who I am, why I've become so limited and what I've been limited in due to my migraines, past spousal abuse and resultant self esteem issues and agoraphobia in order to make new pathways, new starts, letting go of old patterns, old hurts, old pain ....

Does anyone here blog?

What blog page do you use? Why did you start and did your reasons change along the way? What response have you gotten? How has it helped you or has there been any downside? What tips do you have? Any warnings or strange experiences to share?

I've always longed to be a writer. They say "write what you know about" so I figure why not start here with what I am / have lived and see where it takes me. Plus, I can spare the forum from my processing......

[surfergirl]

HeyTazzy.

I don't know anything about Blogging.

But I do like Poetry & writing some. I have found this to be a release from the crazy side of life. & listening to nice Music is a great out let too.

I get migraines too. But yours sound more intense than mine.

& When I am in the mood I like to draw. I am an amatuer but. It does release the mind from the wows.

When I went to school I found my best escape. Please don't take me the wrong way hear. I would sit & day dream. Think of the many places my folks had taken me to see for Holidays.

& the ones at the meetings that were like my family not just friends.

I have started going back their in some ways. I like to picture myself at the beach. Love the sound of the waves. or a Sound of the waterfalls.

What do you like. Or what places have been to for a Holiday that you would like to go back to if you could?

[rocket]

I do not blog myself but I do follow a number of blogs, most use Google's Blogger.com, one other uses typepad.com

[Dave]

I've been blogging since 2008.

Mine is a blog about gardening and DIY stuff. I use blogger, which Lynn just referred to above.

Here's a link if you want to see my blog: http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/

When I first became enthusiastic about gardening I found it was a great outlet for some of my pent-up stresses and interests. The garden became a place to escape to but it was also a place to daydream about the new system, turning the earth into a paradise starting in my own back yard, being creative in various ways and gaining huge satisfaction in the process. I was learning so much and enjoying it so much I wanted to share it somehow, but I didn't want to drive everyone around me nuts by going on about it all the time. There's nothing worse than someone sounding like a broken record all the time.

So I started a blog. At first I felt invisible, like nobody was interested. But gradually the readership has grown to the point where I'm now getting around 1,000 page-views a month, so I must have done something right.

It's only been recently that I've discovered how blogging can present some interesting opportunities*. I've resisted for a long time the temptation to monetise my blog, in other words selling advertising on the blog to make money out of it. I personally don't like being bombarded with advertising so I've decided not to subject my readers to this. I could change my mind on this in the future if things get really tight. If I do, I imagine a blog like mine might be of interest to any advertiser who sells gardening or home handyman products.

One thing I'm careful NOT to do is give advice. I mainly stick to recording what I do, noting my observations along the way, what I learned, etc. I try to keep it light, using a little humour wherever possible, and don't take myself too seriously. I figure if people can enjoy reading what I've written, perhaps learning something, or inspiring them to have a go themselves, then I've accomplished what I set out to do.

* The 'opportunities' I mentioned above are just a spin off benefit. (I haven't talked about that here as it can get a bit technical) I believe if you're doing it to make money, you'll be waiting a long time before it gets to that. But if you know a lot about your subject and can keep it interesting and fresh your readership will eventually grow.

[boodles]

I have a blog about my life in Mexico. I started it for a lot of reasons: to let old friends and family see what I am up to, to kind of keep a diary of things, to point out the things I learn, find interesting or annoying about living there, and also for something to do. I'm not on Facebook, so I put my pictures on my blog. I enjoy it, it's definitely an outlet and can be therapeutic.

I use wordpress. I think it's good to try to add news posts regularly, every week or month. Some people do every day. Also, shorter sentences and paragraphs might hold people's interest longer. I don't worry about people commenting because they usually don't. But if you want feedback from your audience you can put in polls or ask questions. Those are just some ideas that come to mind.

Have fun with it!

[destiny]

Yes, Dave your blog is very nice!

[Dave]

Thanks Dawnmarie. That's a nice compliment.

[ReadYourBible]

Wow Dave, phenomenal site! I will definitely bookmark it! I can't wait to go back and read it all. Thanks for sharing.

[DLM]

Dave, I read your blog all the time. Of course your gardening and mine are a world different but I still like to read about what you do. Keep blogging. :readbible:

[Dave]

Thanks Dorothy! Your comment has made my day.

I've actually just been out in the garden digging up my potatoes for the year. It's the best result I've had with potatoes so far – they're huge which is pretty amazing considering the drought we're experiencing in NZ. Unfortunately, so much of what I'm doing in the garden never even makes it to the blog because I always seem to be so busy with other things. I don't always have time.

So, I appreciate the encouragement.

[Dave]

By the way Dorothy, what kind of gardening do you do?

[Dave]

Thanks to you too Sharon!

I don't think anyone's ever used the word 'phenomenal' to describe anything I've done before.

[Tia]

Brother Dave,

I absolutely love your blog - Jehovah's people are so beautifully talented! . The pictures are so lovely and remind me of Paradise. - sigh -

Keep blogging! I am working on mine!

[destiny]

Yeah,. bro dave.....I hope you are my neighbor in the New World.......( i can sleep while you "hook me up") with all the gardening and building projects.

[Dave]

I look forward to that, Dawnmarie.

[betlee]

Dave, I too enjoy your blog! Love it!