I'm the first to admit, I'm way new at this game. I would love to be the kind of person who enjoyed doing lots of research before venturing on a new hobby, but the fact is, I hate research. I wanted to start a blog for a couple reasons: 1.) to keep my family and friends in Alabama up to date on what's going on in our lives, and 2.) have some sort of creative outlet. Yeah, it would be so nice to have a mega-successful blog that paid my bills every month and earned me celebrity status like www.dooce.com. But I don't think that is the reality for someone who has zero experience in web design and no children to buy me mommy-blogger status.
So, I'm slowly figuring out things like how to add photos, links, and try and make my page pleasing to the eye. But the thing I'm still totally in the dark with is blogging etiquette. I think I have a hard time with the fact that most of the blogs I follow are written by perfect strangers. No, I'm not on the internet at all hours of the night seeing whose unsuspecting blog I can stalk next. Usually I find them through friends and family members' links. I just wonder; what is the protocol for putting links to these said blogs, whose authors don't know me from the barrista at Starbucks, on my blog? I for one, would love to know that someone other than my mama and my best friend is interested enough to read my blog on a regular basis. But is it rude to link without asking? The Southern girl in me wants to know.
On this same line, one of my favorite bloggers took a 6 month break and will be launching her new blog on March 22. She is an artist in the Atlanta area, and an incredible interior designer, I must say. And for the record, my brother and sister-in-law actually know her. So there. Here's the link: http://thepaintedhouse.blogspot.com
Another issue is one of a more personal nature, one that I'm trying to hash out on my own. How revealing do I really want to be? I've written blog posts in the past month that I've got sitting on my desktop, in limbo. I'm just not sure how much I want to open up, whether I've got 5 readers or 500. On one hand it could be cathartic; on the other, what if my husband's grandmother starts reading my ranting about our latest fight, (or gasp, the sex!)-she is my friend on facebook, afterall!
Any advice from fellow bloggers?
Thank you, Katy! It is a little daunting at first to negotiate the world of blogging, isn't it? But thank you for the link...that is perfect etiquette. :)
ReplyDeleteI love your statement, "no children to buy me mommy-blogger status." That's hilarious. :)
Still trying to figure out who your brother is...
It's definitely daunting. I find I err on the side of holding back. I'm a private person in real life, and a lot of my real-life friends read my blog. And I say, link away!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice, ladies! Angela, my bro is Eric Larson. He has your hubby to thank for that perfect vision!
ReplyDeleteAh, yes! I see the resemblance now. :) We love that Larson family! hope to meet you all too!
ReplyDeleteI'm linking you up tomorrow! Thank you, again, for the mention!