I consider myself relatively tech-savvy. I mean, I know how to navigate the internet, I have a smart phone that I (unfortunately) can't seem to live without, I track everything digitally, and I have no problem hooking up all of the projector cables when I'm teaching... most of the time.
But somehow I have avoided the majority of the social media hubbub. I had a Xanga back in the day - remember that thing?? - which I used as a creative writing outlet to chronicle my make believe adventures with my llama friend "Pookie," and after that I even played around with MySpace. I started my Facebook when it was still Invite Only and eventually hopped on the Pinterest bandwagon so that I could spend three days per fitness fad and admire all the crafts and foods in my free time at work. Side note, it is also a fun way to get to know cousins who live far away - I'm still surprised at how much I have in common with these long lost family members!
So why am I sitting here, spending four solid hours figuring out how to create a blog, start a Twitter, and link everything to my Pinterest? Because I think there are people out there who have things worth saying...and I want to hear them. Why? Because we probably have lots of things in common. How do I know? Because even if we don't share the same favorite football team (Detroit Lions, obviously), favorite color (it's always sunny!), favorite food (how could you not love, well, really all food...), we share this. Some strange odd fascination with hearing what other people have to say. And I would bet that's not all we share.
I thought long and hard (and by that I mean about twenty minutes) trying to decide what my first blog post should be about. Twitter was easy enough with a favorite quote and suddenly I have eight followers, so I clearly did something right. Or is that just how these things work? Don't tell me, I want to believe I have a knack for this :)
But a blog post is an entirely different challenge. It has to hook the readers. It has to offer something interesting and valuable. It is representing my page and myself - or at least my online-identity self, which I'm hoping will reflect my in-person self as accurately as possible. I guess a first blog post is sort of like a cover letter or a resume. And since I help people write their cover letters and critique their resumes for a living, you would think maybe this wouldn't be so intimidating.
You would think.
It is though, very intimidating. I did a lot of research about blogging in the last 24 hours... which is hard for someone who doesn't have internet. [I think I might be the only blogger without internet, what better reason to subscribe than to watch me struggle against these first world problems?] I looked at what makes a blog successful, how to find your niche, how to pick a name, what free platforms were the best, how to connect with other bloggers. I found a lot of resources from experienced bloggers whose blogs were actually about starting a blog. Hmm... ::head tilt::
And yet where are all the people who are just starting? The ones, like me, who have little to no idea what they're doing? Who are just looking for another way to connect and share ideas and thoughts. To grow. After all, we live and we heal in relationship.
So here's the deal. My first blog post may not be anything to write home about - unless you are writing home to say, "Hey Mary, it's another blogger noob who just wasted ___ minutes of my life with rambling nonsense" - but I promise if you stick around for the ride, we'll be going places, baby. I have big plans, high hopes, wicked aspirations that would blow. Your. Mind.
So hold onto your hats, people. It's going to get bumpy.
But somehow I have avoided the majority of the social media hubbub. I had a Xanga back in the day - remember that thing?? - which I used as a creative writing outlet to chronicle my make believe adventures with my llama friend "Pookie," and after that I even played around with MySpace. I started my Facebook when it was still Invite Only and eventually hopped on the Pinterest bandwagon so that I could spend three days per fitness fad and admire all the crafts and foods in my free time at work. Side note, it is also a fun way to get to know cousins who live far away - I'm still surprised at how much I have in common with these long lost family members!
So why am I sitting here, spending four solid hours figuring out how to create a blog, start a Twitter, and link everything to my Pinterest? Because I think there are people out there who have things worth saying...and I want to hear them. Why? Because we probably have lots of things in common. How do I know? Because even if we don't share the same favorite football team (Detroit Lions, obviously), favorite color (it's always sunny!), favorite food (how could you not love, well, really all food...), we share this. Some strange odd fascination with hearing what other people have to say. And I would bet that's not all we share.
I thought long and hard (and by that I mean about twenty minutes) trying to decide what my first blog post should be about. Twitter was easy enough with a favorite quote and suddenly I have eight followers, so I clearly did something right. Or is that just how these things work? Don't tell me, I want to believe I have a knack for this :)
But a blog post is an entirely different challenge. It has to hook the readers. It has to offer something interesting and valuable. It is representing my page and myself - or at least my online-identity self, which I'm hoping will reflect my in-person self as accurately as possible. I guess a first blog post is sort of like a cover letter or a resume. And since I help people write their cover letters and critique their resumes for a living, you would think maybe this wouldn't be so intimidating.
You would think.
It is though, very intimidating. I did a lot of research about blogging in the last 24 hours... which is hard for someone who doesn't have internet. [I think I might be the only blogger without internet, what better reason to subscribe than to watch me struggle against these first world problems?] I looked at what makes a blog successful, how to find your niche, how to pick a name, what free platforms were the best, how to connect with other bloggers. I found a lot of resources from experienced bloggers whose blogs were actually about starting a blog. Hmm... ::head tilt::
And yet where are all the people who are just starting? The ones, like me, who have little to no idea what they're doing? Who are just looking for another way to connect and share ideas and thoughts. To grow. After all, we live and we heal in relationship.
So here's the deal. My first blog post may not be anything to write home about - unless you are writing home to say, "Hey Mary, it's another blogger noob who just wasted ___ minutes of my life with rambling nonsense" - but I promise if you stick around for the ride, we'll be going places, baby. I have big plans, high hopes, wicked aspirations that would blow. Your. Mind.
So hold onto your hats, people. It's going to get bumpy.