I can’t help but notice that there have been lots and lots of people out there offering advice on how to blog, what to blog and the frequency to blog. I won’t mention any specifically because this post is about me and mine.
It is recommended by *them that you find “your niche” and stick to it, whether it is family life, photography, writing about writing, cooking or anything else. Your niche could be on any subject or interest and you could represent the Pro, Con or Fence Sitter side of the subject. Or it could be you want to be on the dark side of things, you know be a pain in backside, the instigator of debate, the one that does outlandish things as opposed to the average… I hesitate to say Jo/Joe but *they advise that you need to stand out and not be an average Jo/Joe.
Now I’ll be brave and say there is nothing wrong with being average. That is one of the main things that keeps this world together. And those of you that have followed me for how ever many years now, seems like yesterday, know that I started out with one post a week, Friday, of a poem I had written and a photograph I had taken, “my niche.” Of course that was before *they started recommending a niche thing.
You may also remember that my posting was falling off and more and more I just didn’t want to post. Why was that I wondered…I liked blogging, I love reading OPB (other peoples Blogs), enjoy writing and photography, but I just had an aversion to my own. Finally I thought I’d just post something else, it’s my blog and I can post whatever I want, when I want and it doesn’t have to be something specific or even something expected.
Anyway during the Blogger change over, yes it’s been a while since then too, I was unable to convert my “Old Blog” Paradise Valley, for technical reasons beyond the scope of even the great geeks of Blogger. But that was ok cause I decided to just start a new one Paradise Valley 2…Hell’s Mountain. And when I did that I thought I might as well do more then post my poems and photos. Which took me out of that so called niche I had created for myself and quite frankly had started to feel like I chained myself to it. So on to the new…
The change in my posting style actually shows more of my natural eclectic nature. I am no longer bound to the weekly poem and photo. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I am free to tell you what ever I want without restraint. I know this may have lost me readers but hey people come and go and people grow in many different directions. Speaking of people, there are some that leave the blog sphere or at least stop posting to their blog, I have this theory that maybe they got tired of the “niche” they had built for them selves and instead of growing and changing their blog they decided that their creative side had been drained and they no longer had anything interesting or new to offer their readers or to satisfy themselves. Hey I said it was a theory, I have nothing concrete, no facts or quotes to back this up.
I hope you haven’t minded the changes here and I hope that my confession may let you know that YOU don’t have to have the so called “niche” blog, *they recommend, or that you have built for yourself, not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Well unless you are actually trying to make money at it and think you will make money at it. And in that case you should pick a niche and stay in that niche F-O-R-E-V-E-R {echoes of the word forever} or at least till we all get over this Internet fad.
People will read you or they won’t and if your blog makes you happy that is the only thing that really matters. So post what you want when you want, but it doesn’t hurt to toss in the unexpected every once in a while just to keep readers on their toes. Now go out there and play nice or not and post my fellow humans post.
Oh yeah, *them and they are anyone that is not us.
6 comments:
Having been a follower of your blog from back in ye olden days of the poems/prose, I will say that I always enjoyed your output then. Sometimes it may have been a bit on the deep side for me to follow completely, but even then, I still appreciated it for the efforts you put in to it. That being said, I have to tell you now I really like that now you are, as you put it, much more eclectic! A splash of this, a dash of that and somehow I feel it is actually more "you" in the end that comes through on your blog these days.
Just glad you didn't drop out completely back that though.
Yeah! Let me say ditto to what Jeni said....I have been a blogging friend too from the olden days....and when they tell us what we can write, thats when I say good bye.....this is a fun thing, and when my memory works, I write about a memory....but sometimes I brag on a grandkid, or friends, or maybe something stupid....and I too love to write poems and I loved reading your poems and seeing your pictures....they were great, and remember I told you back then that you reminded me of my daughter Lori, who also is a great writer....and I am so excited that I can now leave you a comment.....(computer is fixed).. your friend judy
Hi Paige :). This is Mary Sue from sixsentences; you left a comment on my entry about my blogspot blog. I definitely intend to follow this one, although I don't know how yours was in the "olden days" :). Looking forward to reading more entries to come.
I blog because I don't write! And because I love the blogging community. It would be nice to make a million dollars at it. But I doubt that will ever happen.
Hi Page. You may have noticed that I seem to have lost interest in blogging recently too? So this post is great for me! It's not that I have nothing to say, just that I don't feel like getting down to it just now. But I do hope the interest will come back as it gave me so much pleasure. Maybe I have been taking on more and more things that need doing. So I will take a fresh look at myself and drop some of the things that I can do without.
I loved reading your poetry, sometimes I understood it and sometimes I didn't, but I liked it. I also like getting to know this side of you too.
I have no niche to my blog. No rhymm or reason. I just blog whatever I want and enjoy it if other bloggers stop to visit.
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