i need YOU
ok blogging friends. i need your help. i was asked last week to present a seminar at a local conference about creating a blogging circle.
i know. me. a seminar. public speaking. me. in front of people. speaking.
it just doesn't make sense.
it'll be interesting to say the least. or not.
and i'm pretty sure the average age of attendees is 73.
i'm not kidding.
so now for your help:
please leave a comment answering one, two, any or all of the following questions: {or email me if you prefer. comments can be anonymous. doesn't matter. but comment. or else. i mean please.}
{01} How did you learn about my blog?
{02} Why do you still read my blog?
{03} What do you like/not like about my blog?
{04} What are your favorite posts? What things do you like to read about?
{05} What do you expect from a blog (any blog, not just mine)?
{06} What makes you feel connected to or a part of a certain blog (any blog)?
{07} Do you think it's important to make friendships or connections through blogs? Why? How do you do this?
i know. it might take a few minutes. but please do it. i really, really, really need your help. a lot. or i'm just going to get up in front of a bunch of people and have a staring contest. and i never win starting contests.
and, who knows? really helpful commenters might get a surprise in their mailbox. just sayin'.
i know. me. a seminar. public speaking. me. in front of people. speaking.
it just doesn't make sense.
it'll be interesting to say the least. or not.
and i'm pretty sure the average age of attendees is 73.
i'm not kidding.
so now for your help:
please leave a comment answering one, two, any or all of the following questions: {or email me if you prefer. comments can be anonymous. doesn't matter. but comment. or else. i mean please.}
{01} How did you learn about my blog?
{02} Why do you still read my blog?
{03} What do you like/not like about my blog?
{04} What are your favorite posts? What things do you like to read about?
{05} What do you expect from a blog (any blog, not just mine)?
{06} What makes you feel connected to or a part of a certain blog (any blog)?
{07} Do you think it's important to make friendships or connections through blogs? Why? How do you do this?
i know. it might take a few minutes. but please do it. i really, really, really need your help. a lot. or i'm just going to get up in front of a bunch of people and have a staring contest. and i never win starting contests.
and, who knows? really helpful commenters might get a surprise in their mailbox. just sayin'.
14 comments:
I love reading your blog, because I know you from a long time ago. You are very real on your blog, you are open about your struggles and that makes me like you more, I love reading and getting to read about real people that I know is intriguing for some reason. I think blogging connects people and makes them feel like closer to others that they don't get to see very often. On the downside, blogging can become a poor substitute for friendship if time is not made to be with friends. But, I love knowing what is going on with my long distance friends, especially since I have moved and am starting over with getting to know people and building friendships.
Ok Mare-because I love you!
{01} How did you learn about my blog? : your my 'cuz:)
{02} Why do you still read my blog?: because your my cousin, your real and open on your blog, you have so much about you I look up to and experiences I can learn from.
{03} What do you like/not like about my blog? I like your blog content, its deeper than just what you did that day. but I love that it is both--too much deep is hard to read sometimes too and I like the blend of both!
{04} What are your favorite posts? What things do you like to read about? I am inspired by Leah posts and typically am always jealous/motivated with crafty posts. I am so proud of your running and admire the accomplishments a TON! but usually feel fat and lazy as i SIT and READ about you running:)
{05} What do you expect from a blog (any blog, not just mine)? just fun entertainment, motivation, inspiration, and ideas:) I love cooking blogs and DIY blogs.
{06} What makes you feel connected to or a part of a certain blog (any blog)? relatability--the REAL factor
{07} Do you think it's important to make friendships or connections through blogs? Why? How do you do this? yes through staying in touch with people and meeting new people through their blogs. I strictly use google reader which is awesome because I never miss updates and can stay up to date on all my favorites but a huge downfall because that means i dont leave comments much and I LOVE when people leave comments for me and thats how you really know who your "reaching" or staying connected with so i need to be better:)
love you moron! good luck!-bratny
I found your blog through some other Rett family blogs and have followed it since. At first it was because of our the Rett monster that we have in common. However, now it is because I care and want to know you guys are doing well. I love reading it because you are always very positive, yet real at the same time. I like reading about the day-to-day stuff, or how you cope with the daily life of a special needs child. My favorite post to date was the guests post on "how they do it". I read blogs for entertainment, so it needs to have something that interest me or someone that is very comical/witty...both is a great combo! I think pictures always make me feel more connected to a blog. I think a blog is important for maintaining current friendships because life gets to busy to talk or email all the special people in my life. I can keep up with everyone and they can follow us.
(01) We're family!
(02) You are a good writer, and I like how you don't use capital letters, it's unique.
(03) I love how real you are. You don't sugar coat and you freely admit you're not perfect and that life isn't perfect. I also like your pictures.
(04) I like to read about Leah, and I really enjoyed you're how do they do it series.
(05) I expect the blogs I follow to either enlighten or entertain me in some way. But not people's "family update" type blogs, those are just a fun way to keep in touch with each other.
(06) I'm part of a private blog in my old neighborhood with about 50 other women of all ages, races and religion. It is such a great way to stay connected, ask for help, advice, share a joke, plan GNO, etc. I wish my new neighborhood had one.
(07) I don't think I have made new friends through blogs and/or blogging, but I certainly have maintained friendships better through blogs. I love how it helps us stay connected as families when we don't live near each other. I love to blog because it is my way of recording my family's history. I love to write down the ups and downs, and ins and outs of our little family's life.
Hope that helps, good luck with your speech, you'll do great!
I heard about your blog through you! And I love reading your blog because it you are such a great writer and you write about stuff that is so applicable to me. I love the pictures, the quotes, the honest and sincere stuff, and the hilarious stuff.
I like to read about leah. I like to read about just what you are up to (even though you just live down the street). To be honest, I don't think there is anything that you post that I don't like...it is fun to have the variety of some big amazing things and other just day to day stuff.
I expect honesty and sincerity from a blog. that is what i like so much about your blog. i don't like reading blogs that only say that life is perfect and that their children are perfect and they everything is amazing. cause that isn't how it is. i like to read about the the good AND the bad. I think that is what makes me feel connected to them, because that makes them more like a real person with a real life.
I do think that is fun to make friendships with blogs..to be honest though, most of the people that read my blog were already my friends before. But I do think that it is a great way to keep up old friendships and let people know how we are doing even while we live states or countries apart.
{01} How did you learn about my blog? pretty sure I found it through a google alert on rett.
{02} Why do you still read my blog? because i consider you to be a great friend now and I care about your family. also because it makes me want to be a better blogger and better person. you are funny and honest and crafty and positive and a really good writer. I want my blog to be like yours!
{03} What do you like/not like about my blog? i love all the pictures you take and post. i love the thought that goes into your posts. i love your creativity. I dont like it when you dont post for a day. does that make me an addict?
{04} What are your favorite posts? What things do you like to read about? i pretty much love all your posts. i loved your month long project of daily posting on a list of things. that was cool.
{05} What do you expect from a blog (any blog, not just mine)? i expect to be moved, inspired or touched. i also hope to connect to the blogger.
{06} What makes you feel connected to or a part of a certain blog (any blog)? having something major in common really makes a connection.
{07} Do you think it's important to make friendships or connections through blogs? Why? How do you do this? yes! I have been able to make friends with moms all over the world through their blogs. we feel like we have known each other forever b/c of it.
good luck. im nervous for you. public speaking might be the scariest thing ever. I just try to remember that your audience will be thinking "man, she is really cool to do that, I could NEVER do that!" that sort of makes me feel better!
1. I heard about your blog via word of mouth :) (your mouth to be exact-we swapped blog addresses and I knew we'd be friends)
2.I still read your blog because your posts are insightful, uplifting, and witty.
3. I love the variety of your blog. I love that sometimes I can come and just enjoy life as usual, and sometimes I come and understand a little piece of your heart.
4. Well, this is a blog about life. I love to read all of the posts. I like the variety. Some people read specific blogs by subject, interests, etc...I like the miscellaneous, complicated, fun "this is my life" kind of stuff.
5. I expect to connect with a blog. If I don't, see ya lata.
6. The human element. When people are real, without being negative.
7.I think it is an enriching experience to make friends via the blog world. It gives a sense of community for people who are similar to you, it helps you understand people who are completely different than you, and it opens your eyes to understand that people who you thought were different have a lot of similarities with yourself, after all.
{01} I don't totally remember, but I think it was right before you and Ryan moved to California. And I think I started reading it because you were just a fun person and you were moving to the same town as my sister and I just think you're awesome!
{02} I love how honest you are on it. I'm sure you don't share every little detail, but it's nice to read about your life as a real life. And I just love reading about Leah. The number of times I cry while reading your blog is kind of embarrassing really.
{03} I don't think there's anything I don't like about your blog and that's mainly because of how I view blogs. They are about the people writing them and I am just lucky enough to get to look through a window into their lives.
{04} I love seeing pictures of Leah and just how darling she is. And I like your posts where you just let it all out. Maybe that's wrong, but having gone through difficult things in my life, I wish I'd had the courage to just spill it all because I think it would have been so cathartic, so maybe I'm just enjoying vicariously? That maybe sounds super weird. Anyway, it is what it is.
{05} Various things, but I much prefer blogs that share people's emotions rather than travel-logs (not that mine is always that way). I mean, the occasional travel log posts are fine, but I like the stories.
{06} What makes you feel connected to or a part of a certain blog (any blog)?
{07} I don't know if I think it's important, but I've done it. It's fun to be able to connect with people who maybe you wouldn't normally have the chance to meet in your normal day-to-day life. My favorite running buddy I met through blogging. We trained "together" for the St. George marathon from across the country and I happened to get to meet her one time before doing it together because I was in DC for a school thing. She is now one of my favorite people and I really would have been sad to miss out on that. I also think you get a different perspective on life when you can learn so much about others' lives (back the emotional sharing). We all have our crappy stuff to deal with in life, but there's something about reading about other people's stuff that makes my own stuff seem more manageable.
{01} I don't totally remember, but I think it was right before you and Ryan moved to California. And I think I started reading it because you were just a fun person and you were moving to the same town as my sister and I just think you're awesome!
{02} I love how honest you are on it. I'm sure you don't share every little detail, but it's nice to read about your life as a real life. And I just love reading about Leah. The number of times I cry while reading your blog is kind of embarrassing really.
{03} I don't think there's anything I don't like about your blog and that's mainly because of how I view blogs. They are about the people writing them and I am just lucky enough to get to look through a window into their lives.
{04} I love seeing pictures of Leah and just how darling she is. And I like your posts where you just let it all out. Maybe that's wrong, but having gone through difficult things in my life, I wish I'd had the courage to just spill it all because I think it would have been so cathartic, so maybe I'm just enjoying vicariously? That maybe sounds super weird. Anyway, it is what it is.
{05} Various things, but I much prefer blogs that share people's emotions rather than travel-logs (not that mine is always that way). I mean, the occasional travel log posts are fine, but I like the stories.
{06} What makes you feel connected to or a part of a certain blog (any blog)?
{07} I don't know if I think it's important, but I've done it. It's fun to be able to connect with people who maybe you wouldn't normally have the chance to meet in your normal day-to-day life. My favorite running buddy I met through blogging. We trained "together" for the St. George marathon from across the country and I happened to get to meet her one time before doing it together because I was in DC for a school thing. She is now one of my favorite people and I really would have been sad to miss out on that. I also think you get a different perspective on life when you can learn so much about others' lives (back the emotional sharing). We all have our crappy stuff to deal with in life, but there's something about reading about other people's stuff that makes my own stuff seem more manageable.
(1) We have a mutual friend (Julia). I had heard her say how much she loves you and then your blog kept popping up on my Google reader recommendations. I decided to check it out.
(2) I kept reading your blog because my little girl is about the same age as Leah. She has a chromosomal abnormality. Even though I don't know you it was comforting to read about someone else going through some of the same steps with early intervention and preschool and doctors and all of that. I could relate to posts like one you did about going to get Leah's blood drawn. It is comforting to read how someone else expresses some of the same things that I have felt.
(4 & 6) From any blog, I like to read about the real things that happen. I don't want a list of what happened or just a photo book of something that happened. I want to be a told a story with enough details to make me understand why it was important enough to blog about in the first place. That's what makes me feel connected enough to stick with a blog.
(7) I don't know if it is necessarily important but it would be fun. I have never actually made a friendship through a blog, but I'll check back to see if anyone else has any good suggestions.
How did you learn about my blog?
We are friends :)
{02} Why do you still read my blog?
You are good at writing and you write the way you talk.
{03} What do you like/not like about my blog?
I like that you write about your life. Good and bad. It's actual writing. Not just a series of events. Sometimes I feel like I get more feeling from you when I read your words. If I want to know what's going on in your life- I read your blog. You are more likely to write it here than call me and tell me what's going on.
{04} What are your favorite posts? What things do you like to read about?
Your creative ones. ABC's, or 30 days, etc. Your witty titles. .. I like to read about everything. It's fun to read what's in your mind.
{05} What do you expect from a blog (any blog, not just mine)?
Information about the happenings of your life. Real. Raw thoughts. Pictures
{06} What makes you feel connected to or a part of a certain blog (any blog)?
Shared thoughts about certain things. Pictures.
{07} Do you think it's important to make friendships or connections through blogs? Why? How do you do this?
Yes, sometimes it's the only way to catch up on what's going on with someone. I think it's important to know what your friends are doing and going through. Google Reader has been good for me to keep up, but I'm still behind. I can catch up on my terms. ;)
1. I got your blog because we worked together.
2. I love to follow your blog because you are real. You have the perfect balance of sharing the fun things you do and your accomplishments as well as your struggles. You are such a good writer. You know how to reach your reader and help them feel how you feel. So many times I am moved and inspired by your posts. I think you have a well-rounded blog of inspiring posts, fun posts, Leah posts, running posts, etc. Your posts are just fun to read. And another thing I love about your blog is you are positive even when things are hard.
3. I guess I kind of answered why I liked it in the last response. There really isn’t anything I don’t like about your blog. Maybe that you need to post more often.
4. I love your letters posts, the posts when you let out your raw emotion. I also loved your month of posts because it was fun to get to know you better. You had so many fun stories to share which were entertaining and fun to read! I think you have a great balance of telling stories in the past and writing about current happenings.
5. I expect to be happy while I read the post and hopefully be uplifted or inspired.
6. I feel connected when to a blog when the reader shares feelings, not just a travel log of their life. While I still enjoy those blogs, I don’t feel as connected. I feel like those posts could be information the blogger shares with anyone, not a friend or in a personal way.
7. I think it’s fun and important to create and maintain friendships through blogging. We are all going through life together trying to do our best and it’s nice to connect with others with our same ideals, goals, hopes, aspirations, and even trials. I think blogging has been helpful for those with certain challenges (disease, divorce, infertility, pornography, etc. etc. etc). It seems you can find friends and support for almost any challenge you are facing. Why not embrace the blogging world and make new friends who can share in your same feelings?
Can you tell I love your blog! I am so glad I have kept up with it the last few years. Good luck in your seminar. You’ll do great. Cause you always do.
I really didn't mean to comment like three times on your blog. It said it wouldn't accept it because it was too large and then it did. Sorry!
1. Um, I can't remember for sure, but I think it was probably linked on another old ward member's blog. Or maybe you commented on mine.
2. Because I love your posts. You are a really good writer and have such a way of making me feel connected to you and your life. And you inspire me. You are an amazing person and have such a great insight into people. You see so much and feel so deeply and you share a glimpse of that through your blog.
3. I like your somewhat sarcastic humor and funny stories. I love hearing about Leah and her sweetness (and struggles). I like hearing about what inspires you and the fun things you do. Your pictures and collages are so good and so expressive.
4.I love your travel logs. I love when you show bits of your style. I love your real love and and sometimes heart wrenching feelings about Leah.
5. I want to feel connected in some way to that person. Even if I don't know them personally I want to feel like we could be friends.
Frequent posting helps to keep me coming back.
6. An easy, conversational tone. Being able to relate to what they are feeling or what they express.
7. I think friendships through blogs can be very rewarding and personal. It links you to others who have similar, values or struggles or likes. I am not very good at this. Mostly I follow others without much on my part.
I think you will be an awesome speaker. You are so good at connecting with other people and keeping those bonds strong.
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