Kristen McLane

Posted by Kristen McLane on May 30th, 2008 in Daily Life, Web/Tech

Last month I got back in touch a high school friend via the social networking phenomenon known as Facebook. She recently sent me a message that said, “So I gotta ask, what made you keep such an involved blog? It is a riot and I enjoy reading it, but how do you find the time?”

I started blogging out of curiosity. My husband had been journaling and publishing online since before the word blog came into use. It seemed like he was always on his computer. About two years ago I decided to find out what all the fuss was about. At first I blogged on and off and probably had a total of three readers. A year later I decided to revisit my computer. I stumbled across several mom blogs and I became hooked.

My blog is literally one in millions of blogs. In it’s simplest form a blog is nothing more than an online diary. Sometimes moms have a time when they feel isolated. Their blogs provide a connection to the adult world. When I first started blogging I realized that it had been at least ten years (college) since I’d “written” anything. I’m a quiet person in real life so blogging is a way for me to articulate myself. I try to blog everyday but that isn’t always the case. Sometimes I’m full of thoughts and other times I have to fish for material. When blogging isn’t enjoyable then I take a break. (But not too long because one of the “rules” of blogging is to be consistent.)

Women who are curious about blogging should start by visiting BlogHer. Here you will find a community of mostly female bloggers who blog about all subjects, not just parenting. One of my favorite mom spots that I’ve talked about before is 5 Minutes For Mom. If you are into contests then may I suggest Prizey. As you visit various blogs make sure you click on a few links from their blogroll. This a great way to make a connection with new blogs. If you start seeing the same name over and over again then you probably want to check that person out (The Pioneer Woman, Rocks In My Dryer). If you think you would like to start a blog but you don’t know where to start then try Blogger or Wordpress (they are both free). If you need a crash course on blogging etiquette then visit Blogging Basics 101.

Most of what I learned was from visiting other blogs and paying attention to what they were doing. Whatever you do, don’t try to copy another blogger. It doesn’t matter if one person visits your blog or a thousand. Just be yourself and write about what you are passionate about.  Happy Blogging!