BLOGS AND BLOGGERS

by Kathy Cannon Wiechman

I was introduced to blogs several years ago by friends who invited me to follow theirs. I enjoyed checking in a few times a week to see what was going on in people’s lives or get their take on events.

Some were flawlessly written and carefully edited, others on display with their typos uncorrected. It didn’t matter.

Some were short and to-the-point. Others were long posts filled with details. I love details, but while I am not a get-to-the-point-quickly kind of writer, one friend’s posts were endless. Yes, I want details of your road trip, but you don’t have to tell me that you showered and shaved, had bacon, eggs, and toast for breakfast, washed and put away the dishes, and stopped at Walmart for toothpaste before you hit the road.

However, if you eat breakfast this way, I wouldn't mind hearing about it. 

The all-too-often disappointment with reading blogs came when I checked in week after week to find the most recent post still the one I read last Christmas. Eventually, I realized that you lost interest in blogging. And I miss you.

I never planned to have a blog. I knew it would be hard to come up with posts continuously, and I didn’t want to become one of those posts-never-change bloggers. I am also a very low-tech person, who just never figured I could handle it. Leaving a comment was enough of a challenge. (Yes, that low-tech.)

When Kim Van Sickler suggested our group begin a blog, I had my doubts. But I climbed on board the Swagger excursion to see where it would lead. I have enjoyed it immensely. I have “met” other bloggers and feel part of this online world, even in my low-tech capacity. Being “part of” a blog is much easier than “having” a blog.

I took part in blog challenges where the Swaggers were responsible for a new post every day. Whew! Luckily, I have Kim and the other Swaggers to share those duties with. I could never have done the October (2012) Age 1-25 posts in the Memoir and Backstory Blog Challenge or the April (2013) alphabet posts in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge on my own. Never. But many of you did, and I applaud you for meeting the task. One blogger didn’t finish the A-Z challenge in April, but has continued her posts into July, and promises not to quit until she reaches Z. (Hurray for you, Dana! Keep it up!)

I have also been invited to be a “guest blogger” on occasion, and that introduced me to even more of you in the blogosphere.

Checking in on blogs is now one of my favorite things to do. I read about your families, your jobs, your faith, your day-to-day challenges. I read your poetry, your chapters, your opinions, your book reviews, your tips on cooking, gardening, or just facing the next day.

I feel there’s a circle of friends out there, all across the globe, who share their joys and struggles, who support each other with their comments, who have welcomed me into their world. I salute each and every one of you (even those whose posts go on and on and on and on…)