My goal was to post every day in the month of November. I missed a day here and there. But I had a ton of ideas and I rationalized that if I ended up with 30 posts at the end of the month, that would be good enough. I made it to 28, with 2 drafts that need more work.
Close, but not quite!
Lessons learned:
1. I was able to figure out how to use my phone to post to the blog, so my travel schedule was not really an impediment.
2. I like to write and express myself in writing, especially when I have an audience. So it is work, yes, but there is a payoff.
3. Despite the time demands, there really is a value-add in blogging, even though I also have a job and school and kids and a house and cats and friends and.... Why blog? Each and every day, several times a day, I see many, many things that excite or amuse me. If I want to share or build upon the moment, I have options:
- a quick Tweet,
- a longer email to one or more targeted recipients,
- a Facebook status update,
- a post in someone else's forum (I have so many from which to choose!),
- a journal entry if it's too private, or
- a blog post.
The blog is perfect when I want to post in my own forum, preferably if the post engenders a response or starts a virtual dialog. I could also phone a friend, but the phone is rapidly falling out of favor. The phone is good in a teleconference, but not so good in a "I have something to share" moment. Most people prefer to pull that type of information, rather than have it pushed.
4. My fledgling blog is slowly morphing into a philosopher's hang out. One-to-one emails are more intimate, of course. In fact, most people send me emails instead of commenting publicly on the blog. But I find that many exchanges are enhanced when third parties are allowed to participate. I cross-post to BeerPal and FaceBook, and my Yahoo signature block includes my blog address. It's getting there.
5. I probably spend too much time editing content. Some readers will protest, based on the quality of the published product, that I did not edit enough! But I am referring to the use of time. I would like to improve my first draft writing skills and reduce the time spent editing so that I get better quality faster. One way to do that is to set a high standard and then analyze, edit, rewrite, and polish everything to death. Another is just to try typing as fast as i think and let the conversation flow, with out all the analysis.
I didn't make the goal. It was not for lack of interest, desire, or ability. I let lots of other things capture my attention. Yes, that is the story of my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment