Blogging.......

Last July, Cindy suggested I start writing a blog.  To be honest with you, I wasn't completely sure what a blog was.  Oh, I had a general idea, but I had not fully explored the subject.  So, I did a little homework and decided it might be fun and recreational.

But first, I had to decide what format to use, and what to call my blog, and how to navigate around the blog site itself.  Actually, the learning curve is rather steep at first, then levels off---but in reality it never ends, because new apps and techniques are always appearing.

But, after I set up my site and got the name of my blog settled, I started writing.  I must say it was fun, and I looked forward to deciding what my daily topic would be and how I would approach each day's posting.  Of course, the more you do of something, the better you become, and after about two months, I was on a roll.

When I started my blog, I did not care if anyone followed me or not---I just thought it was a great way to express myself and talk about things I found interesting.  But, after a couple of months, I began to get followers, and I found that I liked knowing someone cared enough about what I was doing to actually read my posts.  Of course, now I love getting new followers and encourage folks to read my musings.

I have noticed some odd things, however, about my blogging:

---By far, most of my followers are folks I have never met.  I have neighbors and many friends who read my blog but have not become followers, even when I have asked them to do so.  It is odd that, of all the people I know in Plano, Texas, only one has become a follower...and she is someone I never asked to do so (I am thrilled that she decided to follow me on her own).  What are the reasons for this?  My wife has noticed the same thing in her blog.  This may sound crazy, but the only thing we can figure out is that many folks are envious, and do not want to acknowledge the success and happiness of one of their peers.  I would really like some feedback on this.

---My brother and my mother refuse to even read my blog (if you can believe that).  The reasons they give is that 1) they might get a virus because it is widely believed that blogs can promote infections and 2) they don't have time.  Again, this sounds funny to say, but I can't help thinking that there is an envy factor here, at least on the part of my brother.  Quien sabe?

---Both of my daughters are followers, as is one of my cousins, which I appreciate.  I often write about family members---in a positive way, of course---so I am at a loss as to why anyone in my family would not want to read my thoughts.

---Most blogs are themed---that is, they deal with a particular pursuit, like cooking, artwork, photography, poetry, spirituality, etc.  My blog is all over the place---whatever I feel like writing about on a particular day.  I don't have a specific theme, but I will never get bored with just one topic.

---I notice that Europeans in general are very friendly on the blog, and seem to be very supportive in their commentary.  I have more American followers, but those from other countries probably comment more.

---I have learned that it is important to be as accurate as possible about blog topics.  I often do quite a bit of research to get a posting down correctly.  This is good, because it means I am actually learning about things every day.

What are some of your observations about blogging?  What benefits does your blog provide?  What do you like about blogging?  Not like?