Friday, July 30, 2021

It's a Blog Not a Reality Show

Writing a Blog is an interesting undertaking. It takes commitment but it is a labor of love. I don't understand why some people decide they are going to blog and then don't. I was scrolling through a 100 or so blogs over the weekend and was struck by two things  (1) the number of blogs on the web that have not been updated or posted to in 6 months or more and  (2)  that a majority of those are mothers' blogs of their life or their kids' lives or their uniquely (just like the other 5000 blogging moms) adorable children who are so photogenic that there is book deal in here somewhere, or God forbid, a reality television show.

I hate to tell them but the way to get your kids on a reality show is not through a blog with photos and text of their antics. Marry your cousin, move into a trailer park, enter your three year old in every Little Miss Piggly Wiggly contest there is, teach her how to strut like Heidi Klum, dress like Dolly Pardon, and sing like Celine Dion, and Voila! Next thing you know, you'll be on TV. But, I digress.

When I started this Blog twelve years ago, I decided if I was going to do it, I was going to be dedicated to it. So I try to write several days a week -  operative word there being "try". Sometimes there is just not anything worth writing about or my schedule did not allow me enough time. In those cases, stay tuned, I'll be back in a day or two.There have been times I wanted to take a sabbatical, not knowing if my days as a blogger were over or not.  (Then I found the insanity in my life will only stay at bay for so long.)

And, I have gathered friends from all over, whom I only know through this digital epistle, whom I will most likely never meet in person. There are 12 brave souls who have officially "Joined" the blog who I am very grateful for. (On the great Blog Tote Board  you are judged by the number of followers who have 'Joined'. I guess they assume if someone 'Joins' they have drank the Kool Aid. Whatever!) 

But, there are so many more readers out there, who I assume are loyal because my analytics (those big brother numbers Google supplies every day to tell me how many people came to the Blog, how long they stayed, and what pages they read) show a consistent number that is building weekly. You can watch the stat counter on the Blog yourself and see the numbers grow daily.

If you are so inclined, please take the time to post a comment or respond to someones comment. Or, even just check a box at the end of a post. Better yet - join. There are no dues, no meetings, no dress code, no spam, it just shows that one more person thinks that this is a worth while endeavor.

Over the years I have run into several interesting issues. Loyal readers will respond with pride that they or their story was noted in a post. A major issue that arises as more of my family and (certain) friends become loyal readers, is that it cuts down on the pool of resources I have to write about. I would never want to embarrass someone or hurt their feelings. But, that's OK, folks are dying everyday and I take good notes. 

As time moves on, I find myself revisiting older posts (bare with me if you are a loyal reader). I was doing a Google search the other day and was very surprised to see that over the years several of my posts have been re-posted as articles (or editorials) in some newspapers.

The bottom line is that I very much appreciate your taking the time to read my little vignettes. Y'all come back now.

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