Welcome to my blogging contemplations

Hello! I can’t believe I am “blogging”. For those who know me, I know you are equally surprised. I am not on any social network platforms. I dabbled for a hot minute on Facebook. The pressure of constantly posting new content, responding to comments, viewing others pages and commenting was just too much for me. It was a relief to deactivate the account. However, I do have a website, obviously connected to this blog, and I enjoy writing. Blogs began life as an online diary and that is my purpose in blogging as well – a personal online diary.

RULES OF BLOGGING

Also, unsurprisingly to many I looked up the “rules”, “guidelines” and “suggestions” for blogging. Boy, there are many, many people out there voicing his or her opinions on blogging. Try “Googling” up “how to create a blog” or “how to write a blog” and check out the results list. You can find 7, 12, or 14 step programs, and how to’s and the best of’s galore. Simply type the words, click on the results and fall down the rabbit hole.

Here are a few of the biggies I discovered:

1.     How long should a blog be?

Answer: it depends. I read a blog can be 300 to 2500 hundred words.

2.     How to structure a blog for “readability”?

Answer: Based on considerable research, generally a blog should have:

• Catchy headline

• 25-word sentences

• three sentences per paragraph (My grade school English teachers would be sad. They required a topic, supporting sentences and a conclusion - at least five to my count.)

• one idea per paragraph (makes perfect sense)

• use bullet points, lists and tables

• add visual content

3.     What should the topic of a blog be?

Answer: it depends. However, there is one universal answer to this question. The topic should be something you are passionate about.

4.     How often should a new post be made?

Answer: it varies from multiple times a week to a few times a month to at least once every 4 to 6 weeks.

REFLECTIONS ON BLOGGING

Taking in information and sifting through it is a great exercise for your brain. Many people who know me say I have issues with taking directions or having another tell me what to do. My husband calls this being obstinate or stubborn, such ugly words. Like most people, I do things my own way and in my own time even if this process is more painful than necessary. 

With all that being said, don’t judge this blog for not following the rules and guidelines. This personal blog expresses my thoughts, opinions, and interpretations of the world. I am not selling, convincing or forcing anyone to do anything. At the end of the day, I will write about subjects that interest me or life lessons I have learned. The posts will be long enough to cover the subject. These influence the way I view the world and, in turn, my art.

Contemplations of blogging. - The Thinker