It has been over six months since I began blogging. I thought now would be a good time to stop and reflect on my assumptions and the things I have learned since I began this journey. 

 

It is just like Journaling

Well… not exactly. When you journal you are writing for yourself and just trying to get your musings down on paper or your computer. With blogging you find yourself having to pay attention to things like… spelling. Thank God for the spell checker and when all else fails Google’s “Did you mean…”

Google makes it Easy

Well… not exactly (do you see a pattern forming here?) Yes, it is easy to select your layout and type in the words but what happens when something you want to do does not work and the instructions telling you how to correct it are written in English but don’t seem to mean anything. To be fair, Google does have tutorials and several viewings later the mud does become clearer. One night it became a test of wills where I resolved to die at the computer until I figured out how to make one of my video clips work. I’m happy to report that I won the battle but a couple of times I was more than ready to throw the laptop out the window!

 

Feeding the Beast

You now have everything set up and you have found the Rosetta Stone that explains how things work. The first few posts go like clock work and you are breezing along. And then it happens, you run out of things to say but the beast must be fed. At this point you realize you have to get organized and plan out your posts. I will admit that my task was a little easier than most because I started out saying my blog would have a stream of consciousness focus, meaning: “any thought that came to my head” and I have an over active head chunk full of random thoughts. Taking my own photos helped as well. A hint to the wise, be sure to check with a spouse or family member before you post personal details (I learned that from another blog). Oh yes, and resize your photos so you don’t use up a lot of your space. You’ll thank me later…

You Realize the World is Pretty Small

I started with the assumption that only Americans would read my posts and then realized people all over the world were viewing what I had written. Over 68 countries have viewed this blog and the same for the gallery (http://coactivedreamsgallery.blogspot.com/). Just that thought alone is truly humbling. What really amazes me is the fact that the blog also is popular in some non-English speaking countries in addition to where I assumed would be the target audience. But, to each and every one of you I say welcome!

Some Translators are Better than Others

Once people started leaving me messages in other languages I quickly began looking for a translator and found several online. A few left a lot to be desired and I finally settled on Google Translate. It gets the job done so I know what you are saying but also gives new meaning to the phrase “lost in translation”. I regularly find myself reading between the lines and getting better at it. So, if you leave a message give me a hint as to where you are or your language so I can return the favor and say “Hi”

You Meet the Nicest People

Ok, I will come clean and admit that at first I did fear that people would judge me or write mean things. However, what I have found is that people the world over have been warm and welcoming. Sort of like watching “I Love Lucy” they enjoy my adventures and like to drop me a note to say so. And, the best part of it all is that I have met a number of people I would go so far as to call friends despite the fact I have never met them.

Keep at It! 

I’m still a small blog and in a way I like that fact because it gives me a chance to say hello to everyone who decides to follow my ramblings. I’m still learning and from time to time will do these updates or maybe you have tips you want to share. Either way, if you are just starting out… keep at it! You are in for the ride of your life.