Wednesday, 19 November 2008

100th post -thoughts on blogging

On the occasion of my 100th post, I have been pondering the whole blog thing. (Actually this is 101, but I thought World Toilet Day was more worthy of November 17th. This is my belated 100th.)

I'm still not sure why I do it, but I have met some great people and have had a few doors open in the writing field (if fields had doors). Apparently we should all be Twittering now, but I can't be bothered to learn any more technology stuff. (How old do I sound?) I do know one thing though:

You're a true blogger if -

- everything that happens to you becomes potential blog material
- everything that happens to anyone else becomes potential blog material
- your family members comment on the inordinate amount of time you spend "paying bills"
- you can read a newspaper from cover to cover and glean nothing about the actual news, because you're only looking for blog material
- you don't read an online news piece unless there's a comment box at the bottom
- you blog about not having anything to blog about. (You know who you are.)

You know it's gone too far when -

- you plan trips based on Internet connectivity
- you apologize profusely to your readers if you're not able to blog as regularly
- you apologize, as above, even tho' it's a hospital stay with a life-threatening illness that's causing the absence
- you blog before your morning cup of tea/coffee
- your house starts resembling something even Kim and Aggie would complain about
- your children are described as "feral" by a neighbour

Advice from a 100-post blogger if you're just starting out -

- put your computer somewhere inconvenient
- make it as difficult as possible to log on
- if you feel you're blogging too much, you probably are
- if your hips hurt, you've been at the computer too long
- anonymity isn't guaranteed
- assume the people you're blogging about will find out one day; they probably will
- don't drink and blog

I'm sure others can add to this advice too!
.

30 comments:

  1. Damn you, girl! You've blown my cover. The "bill paying" thing. I'm gonna have to think of something else now. Of course, my darling Mr D only yesterday asked me, "What's YouTube anyway?"

    I think I have some time.

    And planning trips around internet connectivity? I thought I was the only one.

    It's rather difficult to be an obsessive-compulsive. But at least I don't hang out on Facebook anymore!

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  2. Congratulations on your 101st! If only I had read your warnings a few months ago...but too late!

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  3. Congrats on your Centenary!!! Did you get a comment from The Queen?

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  4. Congratulations!!!!!
    I am very pleased to be able to meet all the criteria to be a blogger! I answered all the questions right (or wrong) whichever way you look at it!
    Is that good or pathetic?

    No one is safe really....... I am always looking for something interesting to blog about. A chance remark, incidents that happen...... I always have my ears pinned back and a notebook handy!
    Great fun, but boring to others if they don't know you blog and are wondering why your mind is always on other things!
    Difficult to be married to a blogger. My poor long suffering husband............

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  5. Do you want to set up BA with me? (Bloggers Anonymous) and then do some research into finding out how to wean ourselves off our addiction? Lx

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  6. You left one off the list: outwardly protesting when your husband wants to take his laptop on a five week tour of Australia with you, but then using it to continue blogging whilst you're there...

    There is no hope for me.

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  7. Oh yes, I tick all those boxes. And then there's the "I'll just check my feed reader before I get down to work" - and suddenly it's lunchtime - or "I'll just dash off this post before I get down to that work". Work deadlines seem to be infinitely flexible these days. If only.

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  8. Don't drink and blog? NOW you tell me!! Congrats

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  9. Wonderful post! Congrats on the 100th post!
    Here are 2 more that I have already experienced:
    Don't leave the kettle boiling for tea whilst "just browsing some new posts"
    and:
    Don't make that dentist appointment when you know you'll be busy blogging! (yes I missed it!) x

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  10. Congrats on 100 posts! Yours in one of my favourites so please keep going.
    I totally agree with the "don't drink and blog" advice. I've actually had to go in and hit delete the morning after.

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  11. mum, I don't know about adding any, but I sure as hell sat here saying, check, check, as I read yours, all the way down. And I had really thought I was different! ;-)

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  12. Guilty as charged on the 'writing about having nothing to write about'. It's a fair cop guv, etc etc

    Oh, and on the 'you know it's gone too far', can you add 'starting far too many conversations in real life with the words 'I wrote this on the blog, but...'

    Congratulations, by the way!

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  13. Nipping up to have a look at your blog in the ad breaks of your favourite TV programme?

    Congratulations on the 100....

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  14. ...When other non bloggers look at you as if you're nuts when you talk about it....And well done on the 100th post! Now how about cracking open that nice bottle of bubbly?...I've got my glass ready and waiting (and yes, it's the commercial break).

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  15. congratulations.
    AND
    i also tick all of those boxes.

    we blog, therefore we are.
    right?
    :-)

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  16. Expat- how about blogger's guilt? I suffer from time to time ..feeling guilty when I haven't posted in a while. With that said, congrats on your 101 'th' post!

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  17. by the way...i haven't figured out what all the fuss is over Twitter. Like you, I'm not bothered right now.

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  18. Oh gawd expatmum. I recognise a few from the gone too far list. Feral children and Aggie and Kim thinking I've gone too far definitely ring a bell. As does my two year old coming up to the computer, shutting it and saying No Mummy. See, the time I sometimes spend checking blog comments should be spent playing pretend swimming underwater games with a skipping rope keeping us together...Tomorrow I am going to start a NO COMPUTER rule around the children...

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  19. You know you've gone too far when:
    You tell the children that the computer isn't working because you don't want them hogging your blog time

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  20. Many congratulations!!!! Yup Kim and Aggie have been round but I'm a no hoper I keep saying it's work....

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  21. Congratualtions on your 101st post!
    I read it going...
    tick
    tick
    tick
    tick etc

    Blogging should come with a warning: WARNING: Doing this may seriously affect your marriage!

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  22. Hmmm. think we're all in need of either
    - a big group blog hug
    - or a large glass of something
    Still enjoying it.
    x

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  23. you know the sad thing, I can so connect to all of those things.......

    Gill in Canada

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  24. A lovely post Expatmum, and many congratulations on your 101. I do (of course) fill all the criteria..
    and the only reason I can think of not to drink while blogging is that you might spill something on your keyboard. (I did last year and had to have new keyboard!)
    Otherwise, right on! M:-)

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  25. Oh yes, guilty as charged. My younger daughter, who I stay with once a week when I am down in London, used to read my blog but gave up saying it wasn't as interesting talking to me because she knew all my news via my blog.
    Oh dear.

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  26. I told someone I blog the other day and he called me ' an anorak'. Hmmmph!

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  27. Fantastic thoughts. How true. Love it about the "bill paying!" I can relate! My extended family doesn't even know I have my blog and my wife thinks I'm nuts to enjoy it so much.

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  28. buhahaha, don't drink & blog. Love it.

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  29. You're a true blogger when:

    your daily life happens in short chunks.

    Or was it always like that and I just didn't notice?

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  30. You know you're a true blogger when:

    your kids say "you're always telling us not to get addicted to screens, but you're addicted to blogging"

    and you can't think of an appropriate response - except to limit your blogging time to when they're at school.

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