Monday, June 11, 2007
The Story of Arabian Knits
Chilihead is sponsoring a getting to know you carnival. If you would like to participate, write up your post and visit her blog to sign Mr. Linky.
Tell Your Blogging Story
How did you start blogging?
I wanted to start one a couple years before I actually did. I just never found the time to make one, update it, all of that. Then, I found blogger, which was free and easy. I still never blogged. I actually had a blog for a year or more before I had this one. I made one entry, and never edited the template. I deleted it and started this one. Mostly it was a place for me to post pictures of my finished objects, and the children, a way for people I knew to check on my progress and the kids progress. It's become my little monologue, and I like to think that the 12 people who read it enjoy what I have to say.
I first learned about blogging on the knitting lists. There were people who posted updates of their knitting progress with pictures and all sorts of cool things. I, too, wanted to be cool, but just like in the seventh grade, I was too far behind to make the cool cut off. And I just wasn't dedicated enough to the cause. That is also much like the seventh grade, now that I think about it. When enough people started bugging me to see pictures of my knitting, I started looking into blogging more seriously. Or, not seriously, as you can tell from reading this blog on a semi-regular basis.
Did you intend to be a blog w/a following? If so, how did you go about it?
As I said, I only really expected people I knew, or who sort of knew of me (from knitting lists, mostly) to read it. I didn't intend for it to have a following; though, of course, I think all people would like that a tiny bit. I have more than 12 readers, but I don't know how many are regulars, I estimate about 25-40 based on people I know for sure and the bloglines type subscriptions I know of already.
A few people from our church read it, also, and make reference to it when I am not expecting it. It throws me every time. My FIL said that each child in our family (who can speak, that is) showed him the pillow I made as soon as he got in the house. He told them that it was old news, he'd read all about it on the blog already.
What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? Have you been successful? If not, do you have a plan to achieve those goals?
Updating friends and family on our family and my projects. It's also become a little bit of a sound off, a baby book, and writing practice for me. I think I've been successful at that, though I know I have some real improvement to make on my writing, and my regularity. I try to post at least four times a week, and that is partly why I participate in Menu Plan Monday, Works for Me Wednesday and started up Finished Object Friday. That gives me three posts without even trying.
Oh, I thought of another goal, I wanted people to write to me, comment in response. It's getting better, but I still feel like I'm writing to myself a lot of the time.
Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?
A little. It is more about progress in our home and family, now. I don't think I'm a dedicated mommy blogger like some out there, but there's more of that peeking out.
What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?
I wish I had known to write up my ideas as drafts and come back to them later, so if I ran out of time I could get to it again and edit, or I could finish off something and have a post that day. Use the drafts file, folks.
Do you make money with your blog?
No, but I'm open to it.
Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it? If not, why?
Yes. My mom reads it just about every other day, my FIL reads it fairly regularly, and even my MIL checks in from time to time, mostly to see pictures of the children. We've given up trying to get photos out, if you want photos, check the blog. I have one cousin who checks it occasionally, and I don't know about anyone else.
What two pieces of advice would you give to a new blogger?
Use the drafts file, as I wrote above. Also, remember that this is the internet, and not your diary. Don't write about your s*x life, your marital issues, family problems, your work politics, your underwe@r, feminine products, or any other private subject and then get annoyed that someone who wasn't supposed to read it, that others didn't like what you said or that you got in trouble for it (thinking more about the work thing here, though there is always family politicking to consider as well). This is public and archived, always remember that.
Tell Your Blogging Story
How did you start blogging?
I wanted to start one a couple years before I actually did. I just never found the time to make one, update it, all of that. Then, I found blogger, which was free and easy. I still never blogged. I actually had a blog for a year or more before I had this one. I made one entry, and never edited the template. I deleted it and started this one. Mostly it was a place for me to post pictures of my finished objects, and the children, a way for people I knew to check on my progress and the kids progress. It's become my little monologue, and I like to think that the 12 people who read it enjoy what I have to say.
I first learned about blogging on the knitting lists. There were people who posted updates of their knitting progress with pictures and all sorts of cool things. I, too, wanted to be cool, but just like in the seventh grade, I was too far behind to make the cool cut off. And I just wasn't dedicated enough to the cause. That is also much like the seventh grade, now that I think about it. When enough people started bugging me to see pictures of my knitting, I started looking into blogging more seriously. Or, not seriously, as you can tell from reading this blog on a semi-regular basis.
Did you intend to be a blog w/a following? If so, how did you go about it?
As I said, I only really expected people I knew, or who sort of knew of me (from knitting lists, mostly) to read it. I didn't intend for it to have a following; though, of course, I think all people would like that a tiny bit. I have more than 12 readers, but I don't know how many are regulars, I estimate about 25-40 based on people I know for sure and the bloglines type subscriptions I know of already.
A few people from our church read it, also, and make reference to it when I am not expecting it. It throws me every time. My FIL said that each child in our family (who can speak, that is) showed him the pillow I made as soon as he got in the house. He told them that it was old news, he'd read all about it on the blog already.
What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? Have you been successful? If not, do you have a plan to achieve those goals?
Updating friends and family on our family and my projects. It's also become a little bit of a sound off, a baby book, and writing practice for me. I think I've been successful at that, though I know I have some real improvement to make on my writing, and my regularity. I try to post at least four times a week, and that is partly why I participate in Menu Plan Monday, Works for Me Wednesday and started up Finished Object Friday. That gives me three posts without even trying.
Oh, I thought of another goal, I wanted people to write to me, comment in response. It's getting better, but I still feel like I'm writing to myself a lot of the time.
Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?
A little. It is more about progress in our home and family, now. I don't think I'm a dedicated mommy blogger like some out there, but there's more of that peeking out.
What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?
I wish I had known to write up my ideas as drafts and come back to them later, so if I ran out of time I could get to it again and edit, or I could finish off something and have a post that day. Use the drafts file, folks.
Do you make money with your blog?
No, but I'm open to it.
Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it? If not, why?
Yes. My mom reads it just about every other day, my FIL reads it fairly regularly, and even my MIL checks in from time to time, mostly to see pictures of the children. We've given up trying to get photos out, if you want photos, check the blog. I have one cousin who checks it occasionally, and I don't know about anyone else.
What two pieces of advice would you give to a new blogger?
Use the drafts file, as I wrote above. Also, remember that this is the internet, and not your diary. Don't write about your s*x life, your marital issues, family problems, your work politics, your underwe@r, feminine products, or any other private subject and then get annoyed that someone who wasn't supposed to read it, that others didn't like what you said or that you got in trouble for it (thinking more about the work thing here, though there is always family politicking to consider as well). This is public and archived, always remember that.
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