Blog Struggles: The Online Blogging Diary Begins

…I have always sought to be understood and, while I was taken to task by critics or colleagues, I thought they were right, assuming I had not been clear enough to be understood. This assumption allowed me to work my whole life without hatred and even without bitterness toward criticism, regardless of its source. I […]

The Future of Blogging – With a Glimpse Backwards

In “What’s next for blogging: I try to predict the future” by Yesterday’s news, the author, a Creative and Professional Writing Major at Bemidji State University in Minnestoa, used fantastic visuals to take us on a journey through the development of blogging and the blogging industry for a class on blogs and wikis. She makes […]

Blog Exercises: Define Your Target Audience

The phrase “target audience” is an advertising and marketing phrase designed to help you aim your content at a specific group of people. Do you know your target audience? As a crafter, you may offer a wide range of craft ideas and projects, so your audience might be all crafters and do-it-yourself folks. If you […]

Blog Exercises: The Don’ts of Blogging

Did you know there is a Blogger’s Code of Conduct? It’s on Wikipedia. Initiated by Tim O’Reilly, it is as follows: Take responsibility not just for your own words, but for the comments you allow on your blog. Label your tolerance level for abusive comments. Consider eliminating anonymous comments. Don’t feed the trolls. Take the […]

Blog Exercises: Check Your Dates

It’s 2013. Time to update your calendars and your blog dates. Sara Tetreault of Go Gingham asked me to cover updating copyright dates on your blog, so this Blog Exercise is dedicated to that and all the dates that need changing on your site now that we are into a new year. Most WordPress Themes […]

Banned, Blocked, and Censored Bloggers

According to the American Library Association, September 30 through October 6, 2012, is a salute to Banned Books week. Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together […]

Tips for Blogging September 11 Ten Years Later

Over the past few weeks I’ve listened, read, watched, and pondered a quilt of stories around the World Trade Center attacks of September 11, 2001, as the world celebrates/honors/remembers the event 10 years later. There are first hand stories of those who were in the buildings, rescuing people or escaping; stories by watchers, waiters, victims, […]

Blog Struggles: I Need an Eraser for My Old Posts

Online Diary: May 20, 2010 I’d like to go back and erase my old posts. Don’t you feel that way sometimes? Maybe all the time? As I think about talking to the telephone poles out there and reassessing where I am, the urge to purge is overwhelming me. I want to go through all my […]

Blog Struggles: SOBCon, Idea Whelmed, and Tell It To the Telephone Pole

A few people were concerned when I started my first Blog Struggles Diary recommending that I not blog every day thus changing the whole tone of my site. This confused me as I thought this was what my site was about. I had to take some time to think about that…then life and work interfered, […]

Watching Launch of Kepler Space Mission Live

I love the Internet. As I write this, I am watching the launch live of the Kepler Mission on NASA TV from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Kepler satellite will be launched into an Earth-trailing solar orbit to get above the Earth’s atmosphere for a clearer view of outer space with its […]

Define Blogging

CSS For WordPress Unofficial defines blogging as: To me blogging is the passionate expression of a persons thoughts, ideas and creativity to list a few. A bloggers main objective is to entertain and stimulate other individuals minds through the process of writing. Blogging provides an outlet for a somewhat shy person like me to share […]

Blog Challenge: Write a Political Post

This week’s blog challenge is: Write a political blog post. Studs Terkel recently referred to the United States as having “National Alzheimer’s Disease”, forgetting their past so they can not only repeat their mistakes, but regressing back to the childhood stages, losing all the benefits of its amazing “growth”, both as a society and government. […]

The Dos and Don’ts of Blogging

In Basic Blogging Etiquette, Do’s And Don’ts, Plagiarism, Deb shares some tips to help bloggers blog better: I’ve discovered since I started blogging that it’s not possible to be a lone ranger. If you had started your blog as a private diary and you’re satisfied with three visitors a day: your mother, your boyfriend and […]

How to Avoid Mental Gymnastics While Writing Your Blog

By Greg Balanko-Dickson A reminder to keep it simple. While awaiting the arrival of Lorelle’s blogging book, I flipped open What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting by Ted Demopoulos. In writing his book, Ted Demopoulos interviewed a bunch of people about blogging. These gems come courtesy Guy Kawasaki: Evangelizing your blog […]

SOBCon 2007 Remembered and Recommended

I can barely keep up with all the amazing things said about the SOBCon07, the Successful and Outstanding Blogger Conference this past weekend. I’m still processing this amazing event. I stayed in Chicago longer to meet with local bloggers and do some business, so I have just arrived back and will be sharing the lessons […]