Thursday, June 22, 2006

Thursday Thirteen

(Not sure I actually know how to play this, but I get ahead of myself........)

Thirteen things I wonder about regarding blogging.....

1. Do most people have no jobs and spend all of their time making their blogs look so much more fabulous than mine?
2. Is there a secret society, a master's program, or an on-line correspondence course one takes to unravel all the blogging mysteries, such as finding out what TT, HNT, permalink, blogrolling, and the like are?
3. Is everyone, except me, fully fluent in javascript? Seriously?
4. Are most bloggers also artists, continuously creating gorgeous background images (or am I supposed to call it wallpaper?) for their blogs?
5. How come everyone but me seems to know how to make hotlinks on their site?
6. Does someone get paid to do nothing but create fun games for the rest of the people who have no jobs and play them (including me)?
7. "Getting tagged". Huh?
8. When someone leaves you a comment with a guestion, do you reply on your blog or theirs or both?
9. What else is there in the blogging etiquette handbook that I don't know about?
10. Where do I get this etiquette handbook? Amazon?
11. Does everyone end up thinking in "blogging mode" during their regular day?
12. What is a "regular day"? - we're all here all the time!!!!
13. Does not knowing the answers to these questions make me greatly, or only somewhat, inadequate?


Also, in closing, and totally off the topic......... below is an image and the web address to the story to go with it to remind us all (well us Floridians anyhow) why you never, NEVER, open the door for strangers!!!! And yes, the site is not hotlinked. See comment #5 above. http://www.islandpacket.com/front/v-media/story/5851476p-5177865c.html

Have a happy HNT, TT, and all the rest everyone!!!
Haera ra,
tia

18 comments:

Christi said...

I LOVED this post. I am so happy I made my way over here.

In resonse to your question about blog commenting, I was just wondering the same thing as I was about to reply to a comment you left on my very own blog. I was thinking you might not read it there, so I should come here and leave the comment...but then it's completey irrelevant to the post I'd be commenting on. I guess you'll just have to frequent my own blog more often =)

I've often myself had similiar questions regarding the blogging community. I often times feel inadequate as a blogger because I have no "blogroll" and I don't have a fancy background besides the basic blogspot template. But I'll have you know that regardless of the HTML BS I truly enjoyed your site. Don't change a thing =)

Anonymous said...

Not to worry with me...I know very little about blogging myself...only that I'm hooked! Great post!

Visiting this evening from Michele's!

carmilevy said...

Great blogging is so much more than the ability to make a pretty site. What most folks forget is that good writing makes a great blogger. Everything else is just fluff.

You're just fine on all fronts. Christi's right: change nothing. The substance of your blog is what matters most. And you've got that in spades.

Bobealia... said...

1. I can't figure that out. I wonder how many people actually work when at work. A lot of people are stay-at-home-moms... but how do they do it while the kids crawl up their legs? I'll never know.
2. It comes with time and asking. I have had to and stll have to ask what things mean, especially the acronyms. LOL, BRB, SAHM, RAOFL, etc.
3. No - not me.
4. Some people pay other bloggers to design their blogs. Diary of Nello is one designer I know of..
5. If you look on blogger help, there is a section that says, "how to do more with links" or something like that. Before my computer died, I could have just given you the link... because I had it handy... Won't dwell on that.
6. I don't think so, but if so, I think I would be good at that job.
7. Most people don't like getting tagged. Sometimes they get angry. For future reference, I don't mind, and simply won't play if I don't feel like it.
8. Ok. This confuses me. Stephen says leave the answer on their blog, which seems the polite thing to do because some people won't come back and read the comments again. I've noticed, however, that most people don't do that. I try to answer on my blog so that people will be able to follow the conversation (I like that myself) but then copy and paste it in their comments too in case they don't come back.
9. Feked if I know. Maybe we should take this time in our lives that we don't have work, and write one??
10. We write it!!!
11. Yes. I have read about other bloggers who are constantly assessing real life situations to see if they are blog worthy. Sort of how I look at things as if through a camera lens.
12. LOL
13. The cheezy, truthful answer is that I think this is an awesome community, and I don't think that you would ever be considered inadequate for anything!!!

My question:
Was I really supposed to answer these?

Knock Knock.
Who's there?
Canoe.
Canoe who?
Canoe come out to play?

shpprgrl said...

I understand where you're coming from...totally. That commenting thing gets me too. Yes, alot of people seem to have alot of time on their hands to make all that stuff. I mostly had time on my handswhen I was bored at work. I work for myself so the boss couldn't get ticked though...ha! Thanks for visiting!

Anonymous said...

Great post. Just look at it as, you are a pioneer in the blogosphere and you are blazing your own path...and doing a good job. I enjoyed everyone else's comments...especially Carmi...I get mesmerized by other's fluff sometimes and tend to remember that instead of what they wrote. Be yourself and you can never go wrong.

kenju said...

Tia, I am just as clueless as you are regarding blogs and all their various parts. I have had a lot of advice over the last 20 months or so - but I have yet to put any of it into practice. Good luck; maybe someone nice will take you under their wing.

Michele sent me.

Karen said...

Great questions, because I have the same ones all the time! My blog is BORING (design-wise). I focus on the writing. In fact, I just posted my first ever photo in May, which tells you how far behind I am! I did love the photo of the gator/croc at the door - YIKES!

Michele sent me and I'm glad!

Stephen Newton said...

Great questions, Tia. I asked the same ones when I started and so many people helped out. Here's how you link a site. Paste the code in your text where you want the link to be. Substitute the url address and name with the one you want:
insert name of person

For example if you wanted to link to Keda's blog it would be:
Keda

Hope that helps.

Stephen Newton said...

OK, I pasted the code in but, of course in didn't show up. I'll send you an email.

keda said...

fabulous babe. i was gonna sendf you the code too but glad stephen got there first.

it just takes a bit of time.. you my dear are doing great!!
so glad you are here :)

Tia said...

whew........ with all your fabulously supportive feedback my blog envy with eventually subside! ;-)

And darn it - Keda's blog automatically makes her emoticons into cool little happy faces..... my blog envy is back.....

Steve, thank you for the code - I'll see if I can't get the hang of that. And for the rest of you - thank you for all the great feedback - and for frequenting my site!

Anonymous said...

Well, I can definitely identify where you are coming from. I know sooner figure something out (and I'm quite pleased with myself) I spot something that everyone else seems to know, that I never even heard about.

Maybe someday :)

Jessica said...

Hi Tia! I don't know where to post replies either, but I just replied to you on my own blog... seemed weird to come over to your place and talk about my husband's flu.

Hey for links, when you are creating a post, if you click and drag the mouse over some text so that you highlight it and then you click the little button that looks like a sideways 8 or an infinity symbol over the planet earth, blogger will open up a box where you can paste the link address, and then it will automatically make your text a hotlink for you.

I agree with all above that it's the writing that counts, and I think your well-written blog also looks terrific, because you scanned in and included your own artwork!

Bobealia... said...

I just came back to see what's new...
Hope you are having a good weekend.

Anonymous said...

1. LOL no they have friends that are blog designers...at least in my case!
2. LOL yes, a secret society AND a secret handshake ;-)
3. No!
4. I'm a photographer, but for some reason, I've not used any of them for wallpaper.
5. Hmmm...I can show you how to do that one!
6. Yes, imagine!
7. Tag, you're it; i.e., your turn to do the meme
7a. meme: something that's all about you!
8. Depends on how much time I have. If I'm pressed, I'll just leave a comment on their entry if they've done a meme, if not, I'll send an email, but I'll tag it so that I go back and check out their blog later.
9. LOL!
10. bloggers-R-us?
11. not so much
12. True!
13. Neither!

Your Mother said...

Stick with it long enough, and you'll catch on. I can help too. Feel free to email me at kebmillard at gmail dot net. I don't type the actual address so the spam hackers can't see it.

Anyway, Michele sent me today. Congrats on being her site of the day.

Anonymous said...

Fascinating questions.