How Do You Blog?
This week I'm on my Fall Break from school. I capitalize it to emphasize its importance in the education lexicon. People think Spring Break is the fo-shizzle, but Fall Break is really the 411. (Thought I'd utilize some recent additions to the slang lexicon in my own vocabulary. Did I do it right?)
So, I haven't had much time lately. For anything. No time to do my job. No time to spend with my family. But more importantly, and most sadly, no time to blog right.
When I started this last January, I obsessed about it so much that I lost sleep. I obsessed about each post I wrote that about 15 people actually read. I obsessed about the other blogs I stumbled upon and obsessed about how accurately idiotic my comments made me seem. But it was easy back then to keep up. To post a couple thoughts each week. To read each of the blogs I followed. Even Hyperbole and a Half only posted something once a month. (Now she's gone, ostensibly to work on getting her book published. And the blogosphere weeps for more brilliantly wacky comics.) (Never fear: I've discovered The Oatmeal. Funny and educational.)
Somehow along the road, dozens upon dozens of blogs have sweet-talked their way onto my reading list and it became difficult to keep up. Then life happened and work happened and summer happened and school started again in August and it's really been since August that I've not been able to blog like I liked back in the spring.
This week I'm on Fall Break. I mentioned that, right? Lots of things I want to do. But also lots of things I have to do.
I have to read Crime and Punishment. I have to mow the lawn one last time so I don't have to rake as many leaves. I have to finish revising the ending of Trendy Poseurs Go Home so I can finally get it off to the editor who said he wanted to see the whole manuscript. And I have to watch my boy.
But I also want to catch up on some blogging. It bothers me that I can't read every blog I follow. Maybe I should follow fewer blogs. Probably. I'm sure at least half of those 70+ individuals who took the time to click the button on the left and register as one of mine don't know why they did it in the first place, let alone remember they once read a blog called Building Sandcastles Something Something.
Still, I want to be a good blogger. I want people to read what I painstakingly create. But that's not the only reason. Connecting and communicating through bloggery has brought hours of satisfaction to my life. So I vow to do a little more of it this week. My commitment to you.
Do you care?
So, I haven't had much time lately. For anything. No time to do my job. No time to spend with my family. But more importantly, and most sadly, no time to blog right.
When I started this last January, I obsessed about it so much that I lost sleep. I obsessed about each post I wrote that about 15 people actually read. I obsessed about the other blogs I stumbled upon and obsessed about how accurately idiotic my comments made me seem. But it was easy back then to keep up. To post a couple thoughts each week. To read each of the blogs I followed. Even Hyperbole and a Half only posted something once a month. (Now she's gone, ostensibly to work on getting her book published. And the blogosphere weeps for more brilliantly wacky comics.) (Never fear: I've discovered The Oatmeal. Funny and educational.)
Somehow along the road, dozens upon dozens of blogs have sweet-talked their way onto my reading list and it became difficult to keep up. Then life happened and work happened and summer happened and school started again in August and it's really been since August that I've not been able to blog like I liked back in the spring.
This week I'm on Fall Break. I mentioned that, right? Lots of things I want to do. But also lots of things I have to do.
I have to read Crime and Punishment. I have to mow the lawn one last time so I don't have to rake as many leaves. I have to finish revising the ending of Trendy Poseurs Go Home so I can finally get it off to the editor who said he wanted to see the whole manuscript. And I have to watch my boy.
But I also want to catch up on some blogging. It bothers me that I can't read every blog I follow. Maybe I should follow fewer blogs. Probably. I'm sure at least half of those 70+ individuals who took the time to click the button on the left and register as one of mine don't know why they did it in the first place, let alone remember they once read a blog called Building Sandcastles Something Something.
| Just an image to help you remember me by. |
Still, I want to be a good blogger. I want people to read what I painstakingly create. But that's not the only reason. Connecting and communicating through bloggery has brought hours of satisfaction to my life. So I vow to do a little more of it this week. My commitment to you.
Do you care?
I love Crime & Punishment! Be great to put our heads together over that.
ReplyDeleteRecent additions to the slang lexicon? You really are a teacher ;)
I've found The Oatmeal too. I still miss Hyperbole & a Half though. Definitely one of the blogs that showed me that really quality work could be done with the blog format. I'm not even sure if I would have gotten started with this if it wasn't for her.
@ Bryan: I read Crime and Punishment in college, just for fun. I have to teach it in a couple months. I'll put up a post about it.
ReplyDeleteWhat? Did I not get the slang right?
as our students would say, don't bother reading Crime and Punishment (again), just RENT THE MOVIE!! mr., the movie is just as good!
ReplyDeleteI have a list of blogs I read every day. I only deviate from this list on occasions when I have more time. And I limit my blogs that I post (usually) to something I can throw up kinda quick.
ReplyDeleteI've definitely reached the point where it's almost impossible to keep up. I blog every morning, usually off the top of my head, but there is no way I would ever have time to visit all the blogs I'd like to.
ReplyDeleteI have a horrible list of blogs that I check on every day. One of those is yours and I always look forward to something new. And I hate it when I find something new to check out (like The Oatmeal, dammit!) and add to my list.
ReplyDeleteI care. I like this place of yours.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to reading blogs I have my A-list, B-list, and C-list. Some I try to keep up with every day and others only if I have time set aside for it. If I tried to keep up with everything I've found that I like, I would run out of time to do the basic things in life, like eat, sleep and poop.
I also read Crime and Punishment for fun, which is kind of funny, because that is not a fun book.
It's easy to waste way too much time blogging. I've chosen to post once a week, and to keep it very short. I've allotted about 15-20 minutes a day to viewing and commenting on blogs I follow, usually while I eat breakfast.
ReplyDeleteI think it's pretty easy to tell from people's blogs (and tweets and facebook posts) how effective they are at time management. :)
I just visit the ones I can when I can. I'm sure I'll fall behind more once I get a real job again. I'm excited to see what you do with Trendy Poseurs Go Home.
ReplyDeleteBack when I was still teaching, I used to pick up the kids' slang all the time. My significant other never had any idea what I was talking about.
ReplyDeleteI care. I highly enjoy your blog. I don't think you can worry about whether you're blogging right because I'm not sure there's such a thing. We all have lives outside of the computer (well, some of us do. Maybe not me so much) and so we can only do what we can do.
Enjoy your fall break!
I have my list of blogs that I follow and sometimes do appreciate that my peeps don't blog every day. It makes for too much reading and then I end up drinking more wine and then my family doesn't get fed... capiche?
ReplyDeleteI blog for fun and read what I can, when I can - for instance now at 1 a.m. when I really should be sleeping. Enjoy your fall break - the high schools here don't have that one - the kids have to survive until Thanksgiving...
ReplyDelete@ hollabbi: Unfortunately for my students there's not really a film version of Crime and Punishment that they could watch. They could try Woody Allen's Match Point of Crimes and Misdemeanors. In fact, that'd be a cool parallel assignment. They should definitely watch those movies.
ReplyDelete@ Michael: You post some kinda long rants about stuff. You can do all that "kinda quick"?
@ Matthew: I can't even seem to find time every day. Must be great to have more than a few minutes every morning.
@ darev: Thanks for putting up with me, and I'm sorry for leading you to the Oatmeal. (It's pretty good, though, isn't it?)
@ Doug: Thanks for caring. I'm learning to prioritize like you. One is that for fun, I must read something other than Crime and Punishment. Have you heard of The Crystal Bridge? :)
@ Julie: I should probably keep it shorter. My guess is that the shorter the post, the more people actually read it.
ReplyDelete@ Charlie: I just finished the final revisions of TPGH. Anyone want to buy it?
@ MJ: Thanks for your support. I usually get the slang wrong on purpose. I think my students would like it if I spoke like them.
@ Nubian: I know. People should blog less.
@ laughingmom: Fall is a good time for breaks in school. Each month from Oct to Dec has a nice break in it.
I do. I'm also looking forward to the ghosts and aliens one. Just that mixture alone makes me want to read it.
ReplyDeleteI care. I have to prioritize my bloggy stuff too, cuz I just don't have all the time I'd like to spend here in the blogosphere. Sigh...
ReplyDeleteThat's great that you have an editor who wants to read your work! Good luck! :)
Here I go saying I care, and now I am two posts behind. You are on my A-list, but the stupid three-dimensional world thinks it has priority. That's because it does.
ReplyDelete