Blogs

The word blog conjures up different opinions about the item itself depending on your experiences with blogs. When the Leaf Chronicle sent out a request for bloggers in the hardcopy newspaper I didn't stop to think twice about volunteering to do it. My only worry was if my writing would be good enough to get me in. That wasn't a problem since not many people responded to the request. Blogging has given me a super way to talk about gardening and life where others who want to listen can log in and read (listen) and talk too! It has been so much fun and I love doing it. Imagine my surprise then when I find people who only think of blogs as "gripe sessions" or platforms to espouse a certain view.

I found out many people view blogs negatively. While at school on Tuesday I was talking to a few friends about my blog and they seemed lackluster about checking it out. I assured them I was NOT selling anything and I am NOT making money either. I told them I talk only about garden things and life things and you will not find anything negative on my blog. This is when I heard about blogs being gripe forums for people. Maybe so, but I have not found any to be like that (keeping in mind I do NOT visit many blogs-only gardening ones and it is hard to be negative when you discuss gardening).


This blog I publish on is hosted by Google, with a direct path to the Leaf Chronicle. When I go to log into Google Blogs there is a link on the log on page that clearly says, "What is a blog?" Well do you all know what a blog is? According to Google's Blogspot log in page, a blog is,

" a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world.
Your blog is whatever you want it to be. There are millions of them, in all shapes and sizes, and there are no real rules.
In simple terms, a blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not.
Since Blogger was launched in 1999, blogs have reshaped the web, impacted politics, shaken up journalism, and enabled millions of people to have a voice and connect with others."

So now you know and I know exactly what a blog is. I had known of blogs prior to volunteering to write one but wasn't really sure I had visited any. Now I am thinking I did visit some blogs because of my gardening research on the Internet. Oftentimes garden blogs are called garden journals, but really they are a web site where someone writes things, a blog.

I knew of blogs from My Space. I do have a My Space page to keep in touch with my family and children and even to check up on my teenaged son. On each My Space page there is a place you can sign up to blog. I think my children do blog but I have never checked their blogs so I am not sure. I had never actually pursued blogs and when the editor at the Leaf Chronicle asked me if I knew what a blog was and had I ever blogged, I answered honestly, "Not really and no." But here I am and having fun living and learning and meeting new people! I think the friendships you can develop on blogs is an added bonus of blogs which Google should add to its definition of blogs. Something like this, "A great way to meet new people with similar interests to your own." Actually, the "connect with others" statement in the Google definition kind of sums it up.

Tomorrow I will post more on blogs. My mother, like many mothers, is very interested in what I do and has been kind enough to send me an article discussing blogs. I think it would be interesting for my readers so I want to share it. It discusses ways to be successful blogging. While we bloggers blog for the fun of it because we are passionate about something and would like to connect with others, we do want to be successful so tune in tomorrow for 10 tips on being successful at blogging.

The picture is of a wonderful sunset taken from my back deck. It is the little things everyday that count and sunsets are but one of a million little things!

in the garden....