Blogging resolutions for 2015

Better late than never, I hear you say.

What with it being a brand new year and all that jazz, I felt it was time I pulled my blogger's socks up.

With just a little bit of effort, I think this wee blog could be sooooo much better. Here's what I propose to do about it...

1. Get on with writing my own posts instead of wistfully re-reading Mumsnet's 'blog of the day' and despairing of ever writing anything half as good.

2. Write less of the long rambling posts. And more of the short, easy-to-read ones. Promise.

3. Finally get round to uploading a photo (preferably soft focus) on the 'About Me' page.

4. Upload same soft focus photo of choice to BritMums, thus avoiding having the same standard cartoon head as several hundred other members.

5. Swallow my pride and ask my lovely neighbour and fellow blogger at Storm In A (Vintage) Teacup to explain to me how Google + actually works (blushes furiously).

6. Implement some of the great blogging and SEO advice that the talented Tarana at SandInMyToes regularly dispenses.

7. Pluck up the courage to join a few more link-ups.

8. Perhaps most importantly...Reply more promptly to the lovely comments that some of you are kind enough to leave.

Happy 2015 folks.  Did I mention that I don't really 'do' New Year's resolutions?

Do you believe in New Year's resolutions? Leave a comment and let me know.

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The truth about bloggers...

I've had a bit of a lull in blogging of late.  There's no good explanation why. I'm certainly not going to put it down to lack of time because everyone suffers from that.  You just have to make time for the things that matter. But although blogging does matter to me, I simply haven't made the time.

Normally, I'm fairly disciplined about it.  As regular readers may have noticed (there are a few of you loyal souls out there aren't there?!), I tend to post about once a week - and I usually enjoy the process.

I say usually because I was thinking about my perception of blogging and bloggers before I started writing online myself.

For a number of reasons I thought blogging would never be for me.  In no particular order, these included:

1. Bloggers have to be brilliant writers.

2. Bloggers have to be an expert on something.

3. Bloggers have to be opinionated or - yikes - controversial.

4. Directly related to 3. above... bloggers are super-confident, strong personalities.

Well guess what? I'm none of the above (hence the blog title). Truth to be told, my little blog would never truly have seen the light of day were it not for a good friend who 'outed' me.  I'd just been quietly writing away in my own little corner of cyberspace when she decided to share the page with - gasp - other people who might read it.

After that, there was nothing really left to lose. I finished off the job myself by setting up the little Facebook page where I share these posts.  I even remember to tweet from time to time too. I'll soon have been blogging for a year and I therefore now feel ready to confess to some home truths about bloggers (well, about this particular one):

1. Bloggers frequently spot typos after they have pressed 'publish' and have to go back to correct them.  (In my case usually after everyone who was going to read the post already has anyway.)

2. Bloggers regularly feel faintly ill after pressing said 'publish' button, in case the world thinks that their post is really stupid.

3. Bloggers are terrified that they are opening themselves up to nasty comments or criticism.

4. Bloggers often fall off the blogging wagon.  But - with a bit of luck (and self discipline) - they get back on again.

After all, we do it because we love it too.  Albeit in a masochistic sort of way.

I promise not to leave it so long the next time. Bear with me, won't you?

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