There are a lot of cool bloggers out there. There are A-Listers and "pro bloggers", housewives and part-timers, niche bloggers and anonymous bloggers... and there's Jeff.
I met Jeff when he left a comment on one of my recent blog posts. Everyone meet Jeff... Jeff, meet everyone here at ClickNewz! 😀
Unfortunately he cant hear us, or see us smiling and waving a nice Hello. You see, Jeff is locked up in somewhat of a 'blogging cubicle' that is surrounded by comment-proof glass...
I'm exaggerating, of course. Actually, he is using Windows Live Space as his blog platform. It is similar to Yahoo! 360 or MySpace Blogs or other community-oriented blog spaces. WLS is specific to MSN.com and requires a login to interact, loads slow, and has incredibly messy URL's.
To give you an example, here is a link to a recent entry that Jeff made titled "Making Blogging Hard"...
http://myuniquelifespace.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!3D28BACBD4BDF253!757.entry
See what I mean? 😯
These portals are great for community networking, and even for 'getting your feet wet' with online publishing... but for an aspiring Blogger, they are very limiting.
Obviously Jeff can read any comments that are left here, and even leave comments here... but he rarely ever gets a comment on his own blog, due to the Windows Live Space login that is required. And its an ordeal to get one - unless you already have a Hotmail account or MSN Passport.
So why did I pick Jeff out of any number of community bloggers on the various community sites? Because a) I read his blog and enjoy it, and b) because I think that he has a lot more potential as a Blogger than WLS is allowing him...
Throughout his blog there are various posts that give me the impression that he started this blog to get his feet wet, learn a little more about 'the blogosphere', and that he actually enjoys doing it. He has mastered social networking as well, and so his blog has become a fun place to follow conversations from blog to blog and meet even more 'passion bloggers'.
One post in particular got my attention. The one I mentioned above, actually: Making Blogging Hard. In that post, Jeff said:
That's my point, I can't seem to find my voice in writing, I read other peoples Blog and try to imagine where do they come up with what they write about? What's holding me back from being able to write? Is it my lack of education? Is it that I don't want to share my thoughts? Why can't I express myself in writing? I seem to be able to whine about it just fine...
First, Jeff - I like reading what you are writing. About your quest to "find your voice" even - so you do have one, even if you worry that you dont!
But this brings up such a good point in regards to blogging, and that is having an objective and having focus about your blog's topic. A blog can be so many things - a personal journal, a case study, a form of media, an information portal, a chronological story, etc.
I think that it helps tremendously to know upfront what your objective is with the blog, and what you want to accomplish. If you simply want to write, by all means write! If you want to build a focused readership, choose a topic and stay on that topic.
The topic can be broad or it can be narrow. If broad, its good to group your posts into categories, to help readers find the information that interests them most.
Back to the platform though, I believe that makes a big difference in the success of a blog as well. My recommendation would be to set up a WordPress blog with your own domain name. You can do this for less than $20 upfront, and less than $10/month. But if I were going to suggest a free solution, it would be either Blogger.com or WordPress.com.
Jeff may or may not choose to set up a new blog, and continue on with his quest to learn more about blogging and find his voice as a blogger. He may enjoy Windows Live Space just fine - and thats okay too (I'll still be checking in to read posts!).
But these were my thoughts, and since I couldnt leave them on Jeff's blog... I thought I'd leave them here.
Best,
Technorati Tags: windows live spaces, wordpress, blogger, blogging
About Lynn Terry
Hi Lynn,
I can’t tell you how flattered, honored and excited I am about you writing about an article that I wrote, I feel like some sort of celebrity but the reality is I am just another Blogger. When you said you were going to write an article about, “Making Blogging Hard†I had no idea that you were going to actually use my article. I thought you were going to use the title and write about it, what a surprise to see my picture on ClickNews.
I am (Blushing) with your comment that you “Enjoyed†reading my Blog and that I have “Potential†as a Blogger, you’re to kind, I loved your article, maybe because it has given my ego such a boost, you have made my day today.
I appreciate your advice about using a different platform for my Blog but because I am just getting started, I will probably just stay here with my Windows Live Spaces Blog for now. Maybe I will send WLS some feed back on the sign in, I understand that’s their way of getting new accounts or it wouldn’t be a requirement to sign in.
It has happened again today with the sign in problem in Windows Live Space, Catherine said, “Jeff - I wanted to let you know that I did read your post today--couldn't comment because I don't have an account w/your blog host.†I am thinking about making an Email button on my site that my make it easier for people to Email comments to me.
Thank you for your support, I hope my comment isn’t to long, if it’s I apologize and again I can’t Thank You enough for making me feel special today.
Thanks for Listening,
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
Just a suggestion, but you might even include the invitation to email you in the posts themselves - perhaps at the end.
There are two problems with this that you should consider though:
1) The conversations arent public, and so dont become a part of a "live conversation" - which is one of the greatest benefits of blogging.
and 2) publishing your email address invites spam. And loads of it! You'll want to figure out a workaround for this that allows readers to email you without displaying your actual address for 'spam bots' to find and use.
Best,
Lynn Terry
Hi Lynn,
Yeah, I see what you mean, like we’re doing right now, what I have done in the past is, if I get a Email comment I will copy it and post it in the comment section myself just to keep the comment on the article.
And about the “Spam Bots†the HotMail account that I use puts Emails that aren’t in my contact list in the “Junk Mail Trash†bin but than I have to sort out which is actually something that I might want to read or trash.
Thanks for Listening,
Jeff
Yes, but it can be maddening when the bots multiply your email by the thousands! Eek!
By the way, I started out hosting my own blog on a free service (blogger.com) and then eventually moved to ClickNewz.com (here)... so if/when you ever decide to 'move up' in the blogosphere - feel free to let me know, and I'll help you with the transition!
~ Lynn