To blog or not to blog...

A couple of us have mentioned that we're thinking of starting a blog.  I know many of you are already doing this.  I've never been into the idea before, but I'm giving it a whirl using the free do da on Google.  I'm thinking "blogging" is more for those who like to write long'ish, wisdom filled posts rather than 2-3 sentences of randomness that one might put on Facebook.  Is that basically correct?  I might not be clever enough to fill a whole blog post.  Right now, I keep tabs with friends via Facebook & Blip.

So, what would you say the advantages are to blogging vs. the usual updates on Facebook, etc?  Do you have a public blog or do you keep it closed to invited friends?  Do you worry about privacy issues with a public blog?  What else have you learned along the way?  I guess it comes down to what do I hope to accomplish with a blog, but it would help if I had a better sense of what they can accomplish.

Try it for a while and see how you like it.  Do you like to write?  I used to have one on Live Journal but don't use it anymore, I got bored with it, didn't have enough friends on LJ to sustain my interest.

I have a blog now with a few other friends geared specifically toward music.  It's sort of a support group for us all to practice, play out more, and basically gain confidence and have fun.  It's open to others who want to join with similar music goals.

But I keep my facebook account, too of course.  To me it's just another way of staying in touch with people, and it can be fun, but you're right, best if kept to shorter updates rather than longer blog-style ones.

I am trying to find a site to set a blog up on.  Had one site that I loved the layout.....wrote my title piece and then realized it was only for 40 entries

I used to do it on LiveJournal with a group of others who did the same. One by one they all seemed to stop and then it wasn't much fun anymore. Writing when nobody's reading doesn't do it for me. So now I still blog but it's all private and it's just for me. I like it better that way. Nobody else wants or needs to know my crap!

... Nobody else wants or needs to know my crap!

This sums up how I feel about blogging. I am another ex LiveJournal person. I now keep a paper journal for personal use. Very low tech but the NSA prob does not know what I write in it. Or do they....? 

But everyone is different and if it appeals to you, then go for it.

I used to do it on LiveJournal with a group of others who did the same. One by one they all seemed to stop and then it wasn't much fun anymore. Writing when nobody's reading doesn't do it for me. So now I still blog but it's all private and it's just for me. I like it better that way. Nobody else wants or needs to know my crap!

I have always enjoyed your photography.

I use Blogger since it can tie in so easily to my other Google accounts. I set one up at the request of my family so that they can easily be updated about my goings on while I'm abroad. I come from a pretty big family so it's a whole lot easier and cheaper to just update in one place rather than have to call or write letters to everyone (as most of my family does not partake in social media).
My blog is mostly long entries as I tend to go at least a week (usually longer) between updates and I like to use a lot of photos to show what I'm talking about. My blog is public so that anyone can read it because that's easier for my family members. Plus, I know better than to put anything there that I don't want accessible to the rest of the world.

I have always enjoyed your photography.

Aw, thank you. But even though my photo blog is a blog, I never really consider it one as I don't write anything more than a sentence at the most. I think my definition of a blog is probably a bit narrow and mostly incorrect! 

I blogged when I was in the UK and Ireland because my family was really interested. My parents loved it. I used it to write longish posts (longer than what you would put on Facebook) and post pictures. I never used it for writing personal things, well, personal things that I wouldn't even want my family to know about. Once I moved back to the US I didn't keep it up as much. My life here is much more lame.  Even I was bored reading it! Now I keep in touch with my friends and family via Facebook.

I have a blog on Wordpress, which I would really recommend as a platform.  I blogged mostly for my family to keep up to date, some of my aunts, uncles, and grandparents aren't on Facebook so its nice for them to be able to read.  I also tend to post a lot more photos on my blog, rather than innundating Facebook with them.  But I am a big blog fan, I also write a makeup/beauty blog so it's just something I enjoy doing.  I have slacked off a bit on my UK blog, when I first moved over I updated it a lot more frequently, now I try to get a post on there once a month.  I would just give a try and see if you like it!

A couple of us have mentioned that we're thinking of starting a blog.  I know many of you are already doing this.  I've never been into the idea before, but I'm giving it a whirl using the free do da on Google.  I'm thinking "blogging" is more for those who like to write long'ish, wisdom filled posts rather than 2-3 sentences of randomness that one might put on Facebook.  Is that basically correct?  I might not be clever enough to fill a whole blog post.  Right now, I keep tabs with friends via Facebook & Blip.

So, what would you say the advantages are to blogging vs. the usual updates on Facebook, etc?  Do you have a public blog or do you keep it closed to invited friends?  Do you worry about privacy issues with a public blog?  What else have you learned along the way?  I guess it comes down to what do I hope to accomplish with a blog, but it would help if I had a better sense of what they can accomplish.

Why not try Tumblr? You love photography, and that format is optimised for combining pictures and words. You can, of course, post long, wisdom-filled missives if you so desire -- or do posts that are photo collections. You can easily buy a domain name and connect it up with a Tumblr, so that the site address is, say, delightedyak.com instead of delightedyak.tumblr.com. (Don't nick that — I suddenly want to buy it and post pictures of delighted-looking yaks.)

The only drawback of a Tumblr is you can't lock it for privacy, if that's a concern. But you can keep yourself pretty anonymous. Also, I find the dashboard changes gave me fits when I was running a humour blog (which was a minor commercial venture), but that'll happen anytime there are updates/changes to UX.

The key is to decide what you want. There are all sorts of blogs out there — personal journals, topical blogs (eg, professional advice, parenting, cooking, travel), humour blogs, news blogs. If you want the possibility of making money with huge customisation potential (learn a little CSS, and away you go!), Wordpress is probably the way to go. If you want something that's super-fast and easy to use, Tumblr is great. If you just want a place to journal and share stories/pictures with family and friends, just about any format will do — Blogger is fine and connected to Google accounts, which makes it very accessible.

Just letting you know that I am digesting all of this good advice...and I'm looking at your blogs (the ones who have put their links in their signatures). 

"Tumblr"....you say this as if I should have realised this on my own.  Ha!  I last tumbled when I was a kid in gymnastics, but I don't think that's what you're referring to.  Ok, I looked at it (per your input).  At first glance I like it b/c it made me put in my age & it replied with "40 years young."  YES! 

I'll let you know what I figure out.  I suspect (in the end) that I will just keep doing my brief 2-3 sentences on Facebook.  I think I lack the dedication AND creativity that "real" bloggers have.