Thing #7

Ms. Manners of Blogging??? Since I am new to blogging, I certainly didn't realize that blogging comes with so many rules. It has been a challenge to find blogs to read, learn to update a Reader/feeder/RSS (still having trouble with learning the appropriate terminology), much less learn all of the etiquette that goes along with blogging. To comment or not to comment is the question alright. It seems to me that if the purpose of blogging is to comment about what you believe, support, or are passionate about, what makes you mad, helpful hints, your achievements, your philosophy, and your opinions about stuff in general, you are certainly doing it to be heard. Since no voice recordings are involved, you won't be hearing anything that lets you know your words have been read unless you open up that blog to some written interaction from others. Others who must be interested because they have taken the time to read and, one would hope, respond to your blog. So, it seems a little ridiculous to set up a blog without inviting comments from others. It just has to be done.

Now, about that experience on making comments. At first, I was thinking okay, this is very laid back writing, my kids do it all the time, it has to be easy. But what I found is that making comments on a blog, well, that is a whole different subject. What has become clear to me is just how difficult it has been to make comments on another's blog. It is just downright intimidating. Learning to write in the old school days meant that you had to be very careful with the finished (writing) product. It takes thinking long and hard about what to say, organizing your paper in a way that flows, checking and double checking the spelling and grammar, backing up your opinions with facts and examples. Makes me tired just thinking about it. Plus, having that problem with letting go of a final(?) paper knowing that when I go back to read it a little later, there will be something I could have/should have said differently. This all gets multiplied by 100 if there is a difference of opinion involved and my writing involves trying to sway someone to think like me. I commented on about 6 blogs yesterday. I could only push the post button on 3. The comments were pretty lame. "Thanks for the information." "I enjoyed reading your blog." Now, add blogging etiquette into the picture and I may never be able to push a post button again especially since responses are out there for all to see. I will keep trying to comment on blogs, since I know that it requires back and forth conversation. I will even try to put some comments in place that provide insight and add depth to the post, but I know that, for me, it will not be easy.