Friday, November 4, 2011

To Blog or not to Blog?

     Day four of thirty, twenty six more posts to go. After yesterday's prompt about writing, the whole blogging experience has been whirling around in my brain. Now seems the perfect time to do some posts on my experiences, why, how, following, commenting, inspiration, designing. I am new enough that the blogsphere can still be a complete mystery but have some of experience. I can offer a little advice and lots of encouragement.

     My blog started from a death in the family, three actually. As any of you who have followed along know,  I come from a very large family. I was 42 when I suffered the loss of my first close relative, my maternal grandfather. It got me thinking about my family. How lucky I was to have known/still know my grandparents, aunts, uncles, millions of cousins. How one day the people who have been with me always, wouldn't be.

     I do not live close by the majority of my family and I haven't always been the best at getting home for holidays etc. I am not estranged from them but I took them for granted. They had always been there so they would always be there. Then my uncle was gone, followed by my maternal grandmother a few months later. To say it was a shock would be an understatement.

     As we all gathered, reminiscing, I realized we all remembered these people differently. My doting grandmother was also a mom, a sister, a daughter. All aspects of her life I had never really known. I wanted to be able to pull all those pieces together, share the pictures, the stories, the remembrances. All the family traditions I grew up with that were/are a large part of  my life.

     A blog provided a perfect platform to do what I wanted. It was free, you didn't need to be a member to see it or participate. It was online so it could be accessed at any time day or night, 365 days a year. It provided a starting point to chronicle my and my relatives lives. It allowed me to say all the things I couldn't say.

     As with anything, the idea has evolved and changed a bit. Who knew I would enjoy writing again so much? The family histories took shape. Far flung relatives joined in and I never anticipated anyone outside my family would be interested in us or what I had to say. It has been quite a journey so far.

   My advice, write. The inspiration may be far different from mine, write. Your blog may be a slick showcase for all things web based or a simple Blogger template, write. You may achieve fame and fortune or a small loyal readership, write.

     Starting my blog has been a great experience, one I hope to continue for years to come. It makes me laugh, cry, growl with frustration (when I forget to back up my template) but it always keeps me coming back for more.

     How did your blog start?

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