I started blogging some 175 days ago when my friends at my workplace set up a blog site for me as a farewell gift. I then moved on from the sphere of full-time work and am now 5+ months into what I am calling my Next Chapter.
My ignorance of blogging knew no bounds as I began blogging and some might say there’s been little change in my level of understanding. If you blog, the literature suggests you are encouraged to pick a theme. I read a blog that is all about baking and eating and it’s very good-I have baked from her recipes.
I started out thinking the blog would be focused on my experience of eating my way through the dessert counter at Simply Biscotti, a local coffee shop/bistro in Little Italy, Ottawa, Ontario. Well, the best laid plans of mice and man… the blog morphed pretty quickly into more of a life-beyond-full-time-work blog. It’s not gone viral-like some of the things we hear of that have gone viral…and that may well be a good thing. But it’s been a chance for me to observe and report of a life’s experience when not in the workplace full-time. In retrospect, it’s not surprising I don’t have a single theme, like gardening or golfing or cycling or quilting or cooking or Simply Biscotti or hiking or cross-country skiing, or, or because there are so many things to experience when you are writing a new chapter in your life. In a way my career was a bit like that-when people would ask me about my career I would say my resume looked like I couldn’t keep a job. I was always looking for something new after a while-a new adventure, a new horizon and only once did I stay long enough to get a 10 year pin. I’m proud of that (although my manager had to work a bit of magic to convince the powers that it really was 10 years).
But back to the blog and the stats. In the 175 days there have now been over 4,000 views!! While not viral, there are people having a look. I know people are looking because there are things like Site Stats and Akismet Stats that tell me how many views per day and which blogs are most frequently viewed. I know because people have left comments and a number of sent emails directly to me. I am thrilled that you and others have looked once..or twice…or maybe routinely. My husband says the views are likely made up of my own 3,900 views and the 6 times he has looked and a few miscellaneous viewers who stumbled on the site by mistake. Well he didn’t really say that but that was the gist of it. I showed him the bit on Word Press that says they don’t count my views on the site.
Another friend who has more experience in blogging posted detailed stats about his blog recently. I don’t know how to find those stats yet but I plan to learn over time. I do know though that the blog titled Scotch and Chocolate keeps getting viewed. And I see now that Carol Anderson of GrapeScot who led the scotch and chocolate tasting has provided a link to my blog through one of hers….this is the world of blogging. I wonder if I could do a blog about drinking scotch and eating chocolate after cycling to the garden and then finishing the day with a treat from Simply Biscotti.
Any thoughts on what I should write about next?
Barb's True Stories 
Forget the theme stuff. Write to your family and friends. Like you are doing. Things that interest you, that you find amazing, amusing, or annoying. There are theme blogs everywhere. My friend Rob-Bear in Saskatoon tried this theme thing and has four or five blogs, some of which have not been written in for months. More biscotti, chocolate and Scotch, more garden, more husband projects (PLEASE), more pictures to illustrate. I loved your blog about the lady you stayed with when you took that course someplace. More blogs about people and personalities if there are stories you can tell, realizing that the best stories are not always yours to tell.
Thank you, thank you for your thoughts. I agree more pictures would add to the flavour of the story. I enjoy seeing the pictures you have on your blog. When my husband tackles a new project I have let him know there’s a request for pictures.
I think your blog is great just as it is Barb – I am one of your regular readers. Truly an internet sensation!
Well, I am thrilled Janet. A communications professional who reads my blog regularly! Thank you for the feedback.