What makes GREAT blogging?

During the school year I have a morning routine that begins with a cup of coffee and a “blog” check. I like to read at least one blog post before I go to work so that I can stay connected and post a comment to show that I am reading.

This Christmas Holiday, I have found myself spending a couple of hours each day reading blogs! This is kind of shocking because certainly, I have a TON of work to do. My willingness to spend time, or maybe my need to spend time reading these blogs has made me realize that being a blogger isn’t just about writing your own blog: it’s about taking the time to read other blogs and then posting a thoughtful comment.

On posting: I have taken many graduate classes that require students to read material, to post on it by incorporating quotes from that material, and then to comment on other posts from the class. When they comment, they are supposed to quote something from the peer’s post that struck them as interesting (whether they agreed with it or not). Then they are to analyze it. I teach this in my English classes as well, and I’ve found that some very interesting conversations develop in cyberspace that maybe wouldn’t have happened in person.

The challenge that effective and thoughtful commenting poses is that it takes time, attention, and thought. Whereas I used to skim through blog posts, I don’t do that anymore. I figure if I’m going to commit to reading a post, I better read the entire thing so that I have something interesting to say at the end. When I get to a particularly compelling line from a post, I’ll copy it right then and there so that I know what I am going to comment about.

I used to just “like” posts, but really, that’s not good enough, not if you don’t want readers to perceive you as a committed blogger. Of course this is my opinion – use or toss as my colleagues say at work.

Learning Through Blogging: Another interesting aspect of this whole blogging life that I didn’t expect to be so … exciting… was that I am learning so much! My eyes have been opened in so many ways: politics, philosophy, health, healthy cooking, mind-over-matter, happiness, photography, etc. So my point here is that we should blog not only to get our own message out there, but to learn through others as well. I’d like to share a few things I’ve learned with you. What I will do below is sum up what I got from a certain post and then give you the link to that post. There is no particular order; I’m just listing as I think of my favorites.

1. Politics/Polls/Election: One of the first bloggers I started to read on a regular basis writes some of the most thorough and informational posts I have seen. He writes about philosophy, politics, and especially polls. He wrote so much about polls that I actually used some of his information in my classes. It was interesting because at the time of all his posts, we were reading a book in class called Proofiness. As we talked about the truth (or lies) of numbers, statistics, and data, World in Motion wrote about the same thing! He also taught me SO much about politics – – things I had never considered. The author is pretty liberal, and I was surprised to find that I loved so many of his posts because I’ve always been a conservative from an ultra-conservative family. So then I found myself in a rather uncomfortable realm of doubting my political beliefs.

I love World in Motion because the site makes me THINK! He also gave me some absolutely wonderful feedback on some of my posts.

2. Photography/Finding New Interests: I had NO idea that I was interested in photography until I discovered a couple photography blogs. The first one impressed me so much that I have bought several prints. Patrick Latter travels the world and documents his findings through informational blogs and fantastic photography. I love his site because the pictures are artistic – there are so many of them that I just have to stare at in wonder – and his posts actually explain how he managed to take the shot. I have learned about lighting, weather, hiking, and harsh photo-taking conditions. I have also learned how wonderful it must be to do what you love and travel and make money from it. I am going to post two of his pictures here: hopefully that is okay since I am linking them back to his site and giving him credit.

Latter always finds the perfect shot.

As a musician, I HAD to have this picture.

The above pictures are just a tiny sample of his outstanding photos. Check out his site and you’ll be amazed!

Another photographer lives in Ohio and so has a limited area in which to create beauty, but he manages it quite effectively. I figure, if you can make a rainy and cold day in Ohio look beautiful, you have talent. His professional name is Seth Snap, and his specialty is finding the contrasts in colors. He loves to add a bit of color to an otherwise bleak background: the effect is stunning. Check him out at Seth Snap. Here are a couple of his pictures that I thought were particularly compelling. I think he took the first one in Alabama while on vacation.

This is my favorite. How did he manage to make some cart look so magical?

The contrast of color to black and white makes me just stare at the picture.

My point in writing about these two photographer bloggers is that through their posts I have learned about hiking, photography, and art. I love it.

3. Healthy Lifestyles: I love reading motivational blogs and books. Three blogs I am particularly impressed with are all inspirational in their own way. A young teacher, newly married to a band manager/producer, is the author of Core Commonalities. She LOVES to cook, but she has to be careful because she is sensitive to many foods; therefore, her recipes often use healthy alternatives to traditional ingredients. She also writes about teaching and managing stress, which as a teacher I definitely find useful. She delves into issues like self-talk, tricking yourself/the psychology of action vs. desire. I LOVE the ideas having to do with The Law of Attraction, and she seems to naturally explore those issues. I appreciate her posts because they are well-written and authentic: she’s not afraid to write what she wants. For someone so young she’s had a ton of experiences, and her voice is true.

One post that really affected me was What You are Telling Your Body Vs. What you Want in Life. Her post resonated with me because there have been times when I’ve wanted to change something: a bad habit, a certain behavior, a certain belief, etc. and while sometimes I have had the mental power to do it, other times I haven’t. Why is that? The above referenced post touches on this subject and made me interested to read more. Again, I love learning from blog posts.

Another blogger who has opened my eyes is SO talented. She’s a PhD, she’s a fantastic writer, AND this woman can COOK! Her blog is called The Food Refashionista, and her goal is to write posts that are Weight Watchers and Gluten-Free Friendly. The thing that makes her blog so awesome is that she’ll post these fabulous pictures and recipes, but the way she tells a story is just as good as the food. I appreciate this woman from Canada because she also has given me some invaluable advice on writing my dissertation; she actually takes the time to think about my questions and answer them. That takes thought.

Here is a picture of one of her latest creations that uses NO dairy and no flour:

How did she come up with this creative idea?

I also appreciate that she writes so many posts (and they are high-quality). Consistency is so important for effective blogging.

Another site that always gets tons of attention is Christian Mihai’s blog. He’s young, which surprised me because of the high quality writing, and he always seems to have hundreds of “likes” and comments. How does he get so many followers? His blogs are interesting and well-done.

It is about time for me to get back to my post-Christmas duties, but spending a couple of hours writing a blog post sure was relaxing. I hope you have a very Happy New Year! And remember, take some time to read those posts and to make comments. We bloggers love that! :-)