Sometimes I worry about blogging. Are as many people doing it as before? Is the hey day of blogging over? I've heard both sides of the issue and still don't know the answer. I've known bloggers who've stopped but I also have met some new bloggers through A to Z and IWSG. My blogging network keeps expanding, not shrinking. I think the real question is not whether blogging is withering away but why I blog in the first place.
Like so many writers, I first started blogging because I was told by a publisher that I should have a blog. I had no idea what to do but thanks to some contacts I made early on, I learned. Learned how to make posts more readable. How to meet new people. How to keep followers and make friends. Two of the bloggers who really helped me with advice early on were Alex and L. Diane Wolfe.
But the reason I keep blogging is because of the friendships I've made. I feel like I know my blogging buddies more than I do most of the people in my writers' groups that I meet face to face once a month. My blog friends make me laugh, give me reasons to think, and sometimes give me cause to cry. I've grieved for the loss of their pets, a parent, or their battles with illness. I've mentioned them in my prayers many nights.
Last fall, I mentioned many times on my blog how I worried about my daughter studying in Morocco. All those 'she'll be fine' comments helped a lot. Starting next week and continuing for six weeks, I'll probably mention my stress as she once again travels overseas. This time she's going to Oman for an intensive study of the Arabic language. Her selection to the program sponsored by the King of Oman is impressive and I would never hold her back but my poor blood pressure. I know many of you will keep her in your prayers. Oman is just a little too close to the troubles for me to relax. Read Kelley's thoughts on her trip on her blog, The Open Roof.
I won't be posting on Friday while I'm at the writing conference but I'll be back on Monday for the Blood, Boobs and Carnage Blogfest.
What bloggers influenced or helped you at the start of your blogging career? What is your primary reason to keep blogging? Do you think the heyday of blogging is over or is it still going strong? Did you know where Oman is before you saw this map?
