Ignorant Historian

A few weeks ago I asked you to ask me questions, and a few of you did.

Miel Abielle asked, “Since you have been blogging for so long, what are your top pieces of advice for a new blogger?”

I’m so glad you asked this, as this was something I’ve been wanting to address, but didn’t feel like I had a forum for it.  I’ve talked about it before (see Blog Faux Pas and Post I Avoid), but there is still more to say.

I think the most important thing I could tell a starting blogger is to EDIT. Long posts tend to be skipped.  Posts with typos and unnecessary details will be, too.  Except for an occasional bulleted post, your post should deal with ONE event or topic.  As Jenna in 13 Going on 30 would say, we don’t need a play-by-play of your life.

A common mistake beginning bloggers make is to not post regularly, and when they do, spend time apologizing for their erratic blogging. Evaluate how often you can blog…and stick to it.  If you mess up?  Don’t dwell on it.  Move on.  When you begin a post with, “Boy, I can’t believe I forgot I had a blog these last 2 weeks!” or the like, you’re tipping off to potential readers that you aren’t in it for the long haul, and they’ll find another blogger to follow.

It might sound trite, but be yourself. We all make fools of ourselves regularly, don’t try to hide it!  If you are struggling with something, share it (or at least as much as would be appropriate in a public forum).

But, that said, don’t use your blog to vent. Never speak poorly about someone else.  As far as your blog readers should be able to tell, you’re the only sinner you know (though we obviously know that this is not true!).

If you refer to a previous post, link to it (like I’m doing above).  That helps readers to know what you’re talking about, and to read more if they’re interested. (Bonus: it may even drive search engine traffic to your blog.)

And I can’t believe I *still* have to say this, but do NOT have music automatically playing on your site. Chances are your readers do not have the same taste in music as you do, so don’t assault/scare/frustrate them.  Most of the times when I come across a blog with music, I close the window immediately, without even evaluating the content.  It could have been my new favorite blog, but we’d never know.

That’s the main points I’d share with a new blogger.  Do you have anything more to add?  I know I’m not an expert, but I’ve learned a lot the hard way.  Do you have any questions?

Photo by lapideo

This is it.  THE big one. My 1,000 blog post.

And while I don’t blog primarily for you, I don’t think I’d still be at it without your readership (yes, you too, young lady in the back) and your comments.

So as a thank you, I’m offering you this vlog.*

You read that right: a real-live VIDEO of yours truly.

And thank you, YouTube for that hilarious screen shot. (And I may be a YouTube newbie, but I actually know how to change it…but didn’t.  That might be the funniest part of the whole video.)

(If that doesn’t work, you can see it here.)

Things I meant to say in the video but got too nervous and forgot:

• I have trouble putting words together OUT LOUD.  I hope you’d agree that I can do a decent job in writing.
• This was filmed at the end of a long day.  Just another part of my realness straight from me to you.
• That stain was from a cookies and cream milkshake from Chick-fil-a.
• My hair, jewelry, and makeup looked nice so I decided to shoot the vlog today, not the other way around.  I know that I don’t have to get dressed up for you all.
• Speaking of dressing up, those PJ bottoms are one of the pairs my mom made and sent me a couple weeks ago.
• I think my lovely blue room makes a lovely back drop, don’t you?
• I used a big stack of library books as a tripod.  Glad I had them handy, but I suppose I should get reading them again.
• I might not be so opposed to doing future vlogs…if only I knew what to do them on.  If you have any ideas, hit me.

Thanks again, truly, for reading!

*If my 1,000th post is a vlog, is it really a BLOG post?

I’m less than 30 comments away from 10,000 comments. I can’t thank you all enough.

I’m less than 10 posts away from my 1,000th post. There WILL be something big and never-been-done-before here on the Ignorant Historian on that day. Stop by Tuesday or Wednesday next week (which day depends on whether I post quotes this coming Sunday or not)…I promise that you do NOT want to miss it.

This fall, I’ll be helping to lead a book discussion over on Offering Hospitality. The book? Women’s Ministry in the Local Church by J. Ligon Duncan and Susan Hunt. I’m looking forward to this opportunity. Want to join the discussion of the book? That’s easy enough…enter to win it!  The contest will be open until Sunday, August 15th.

Now that school is starting (I’m not a teacher or student, but I still think in school years), I hope to bring some more thought-provoking posts here to the Ignorant Historian.  They’re rolling around in my head, I just have to let them out!

On that note, what’s your favorite school supply to shop for?

Photo by Caro Wallis

1.  What’s your favorite holiday?

Christmas.  Followed closely by Easter and Valentine’s Day (yes, single girls can love Valentine’s Day).

2.  Least favorite?

Halloween, by far.  I’m also rather ambivalent towards the summer holidays.  And Groundhog’s Day…could care less. ;)

3. What’s your favorite not-for-profit?

Excluding the obviously fab one that I work for and my church, I’d say our local food bank.

4. What’s the happiest political moment of your life?

Perhaps when Mike Huckabee was doing well in many of the primaries and caucuses in 2008.

5.  What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?

I’d become a full-time blogger.  I’d love for my job to be to learn about and comment on cultural, political, and spiritual issues.  But since I’ll never allow advertising on my site, the only way this would happen is if a company paid me to blog for them.  And even then it’d have to be the just-right opportunity.

I have tried to keep from writing this post as it’s a common topic in the blogosphere and I have addressed the subject myself.

But I simply can’t keep my mouth shut any longer.  I’ve read one too many blog posts that are cringe-worthy. (And because I know you will ask, it’s none of you all who come by my blog regularly!)

Can I humbly give some blog-writing tips?  We’re all growing, so I have a lot to learn still, too.

Here are some major problems I’ve seen:

1.  Blog posts that read like a middle-school diary. Sure, blogging is informal writing (thankfully!), but it still should have structure and editing.  EDITING.  Re-read what you write (probably multiple times).  I usually re-read a paragraph/sentence after I write it and then re-read the whole post until it seems just right. (Overuse of exclamation points would fall under this category, too.)

2.  Posts that contain overused phrases, especially several of them. These tend to be more natural in spoken language, but are more annoying written.

3.  Posts that are too long. I know that I’m unusually short (both in stature and in blog-post length, but lets focus on that last one, k?).  I’m not saying everyone should be as short as me.  But very few bloggers can pull off long posts (Heather is the only one I can think of right now…and look how she still uses paragraphing and pictures to break up her posts).  When I see them in my Google Reader, I skip them.  Maybe they were interesting, but I’ll never know.  VERY few subjects require posts over 500 words (your plan for solving world hunger, maybe).  If it’s still longer than that after extensive editing, think of a way to make it a two-parter, or maybe even a series.

4.  Posts lacking paragraphing. Follow your newspaper’s example: each paragraph should be 1-3 sentences long.  Forget what your English teacher told you about the 5-sentence paragraph or whatever it was (hey, I just want to be a math teacher).  Internet readers skim, so if you don’t make it easy for them, they’ll skip instead.  Using bolding/bullets allows you to write longer paragraphs, if necessary.

5.  Obvious grammatical and spelling errors. I’m not referring to split infinitives and using “who” instead of “whom.”  I’m talking about its/it’s, they’re/there/their, and spelling errors that spell check should be pointing out to you.  If your browser doesn’t spell check what you write, use the spell check in your blogging software.  And re-read to catch the grammar issues.

For the most part, these are simple things that can improve your writing by a whole letter grade.  All these things distract your reader from what you’re actually trying to say.

Photo by Nic’s events

Since we all enjoy laughing at me (or the 22yo version of me), here’s another couple of posts from my Xanga days.  It’s amazing to me how much it reads just like a journal, and an un-interesting one at that. And clearly I didn’t know that it’s a big blogging no-no to write about your company on a blog.

Sunday, April 17, 2005
Today has been totally awesome…everytime I turn around I see another blessing from God!

This morning Dana and I went shopping and I bought an outfit for the Spring Banquet. It’s so cute! Then we went to lunch at Ted’s…it was delicious and complete with a Dr. Pepper to go.

At work I got trained on the Service Desk. It was a great change from regular cashiering and chances are I’ll be doing SD not too unfrequently now. It’s sad to see what people try to get away with. And not just your “average” criminal either. Anyone, from someone who looks like your grandma to someone who looks like your minister try to mess with Wal-mart and get money for free.

Being at the Service Desk is nice because the customers come and go, and I have a chance to walk around a lot as well as talk to people. I haven’t really had anyone get mad at me…yet. Though I’m sure that will happen soon.

Sorry to ramble on about Wal-mart. It’s just been cool to see how God’s been placing opportunities for me to develop relationships with my co-workers right in my lap!

Thursday, May 26, 2005

As most of you know, I work at Wal-mart. It’s a pretty decent job, and it’s a company that really looks out for the little people. However, over the past few months, one thing has became more and more obvious to me…

Wal-mart is obsessed with Sam Walton. Not just a little obsessed…majorly obsessed. The other day I took the time to look at how many mentions of him there are in the breakroom alone (it’s not just a closet, it’s 2x as big as the normal classroom at OU). There were 6 portraits of him, of only two different poses, and 12 quotes of things he said. This is in the breakroom alone, not counting the many quotes and pictures there are of him throughout the store. Every month in the employee’s magazine, there generally is an article that is republished from a speech he said back when he was still alive. Oh yeah, if you didn’t know, he died some time ago, in the early 90s I believe. That just makes everything more creepy. It makes me feel like he’s Big Brother or something.

Enough of that; I just had to get it off of my chest. It’s been bugging me. In less than a month, I’ll no longer work there.

A post about my move is still coming.  I had intended to post it today, but I need my real camera (which is at work) to take decent pictures…phone pictures just won’t do for my fun blue room!

I have a problem.

I’m addicted to smileys (especially of the =), ;) and =P variety).

And LOLs. (which has gotten so bad that I start to think “lol”)

I need help.

I’m pretty sure that I was able to write without them at one point.  I don’t think they ever slipped into a paper during my school days.

But today I can’t seem to write a text or a blog comment without them.

Help!

Photo by ~Prescott

I’m not writing this to gain pats on the back.  I just know that this is often a struggle that bloggers of all experience levels feel, and I wanted to encourage those who may be struggling with it right now.

Though I’ve been at it for a while, it’s sometime hard to be a blogger.  Of course there’s the struggles with writer’s block and the search for the just-right word that any writer would face, but there’s more.

Since blogging is done publicly, there’s the added pressure of “performing.”  At various times in my blogging career, I’ve felt this pressure.  I LOVE comments: the proof that someone read what I wrote and has something to say.

But I have to remind myself that I don’t blog FOR the comments…I blog because I want to, most of the time I feel like I have something to say, and it’s a way that I can bring glory to God (though, like anything else, I can also use it to bring glory to ME).

Though I’m torn by the many desires that my readers have (or I think they have) for my blog, I can’t cater to them.

And since this blog reflects the various sides of me, it’s not just one thing.  Sometimes I think this drives people away.

Readers who enjoy book blogs might get turned off that I only write a book review once every week or two.

People who enjoy humorous blogs may like a post or two here, but be disappointed that I often take a serious tone.

Some read my blog because they share my faith or are curious about it, but could leave disappointed that I don’t write about it more.

Fellow personal bloggers may walk away wishing I had spent more time writing about my life.

But I’m okay with that.  I am who I am, and I’ll blog what I desire or feel lead to blog.

Thank you for reading, no matter what you enjoy or dislike about this blog.

Photo by orangeacid

Today this little ol’ blog turns 4!

On this date in 2006, I decided to jump from the online journaling format of Xanga for an all-out blog on blogspot, Tale of a Kansas Girl.  Then a year-and-a-half ago, I decided to go out on my own and adopt a more grownup name, “The Ignorant Historian.”

And here’s where I am, 900-and-something posts later.  Still kicking, and in many ways a better person because of blogging.  I hope to never give it up, though I will if I feel like that’s what God’s leading me to do.  I’m sure it’ll continue to grow along with me, but that’s a good thing.

So, this blog in 4s:

4 biggest bloggy blessings:

That anyone I was related to or know in real life would want to read this blog
That anyone (not to mention many more than one!) who is not related to me would want to read this blog
That I’ve been encouraged–and challenged–in my beliefs
Comments – all of them

4 biggest disappointments:

That I’m not a household name yet (okay, maybe I don’t want to be *that* big)
That I haven’t had more of an impact for the Kingdom
That my writing still has a long way to go before it’s where I want it to be
That I can’t think of a 4th disappointment (oops, just did)

4 most common tags:

Reading – 89 posts
School – 77 posts
God – 76 posts
Holiday – 71 posts

The 4 Most Commented Posts (without a gimic):

Proud to be a Virgin – 44 comments
Which Toilet Would You Choose? – 42 comments
Intentionally Illiterate – 37 comments (though I did beg for a comment to break a 4th-place tie because I didn’t want a list of *5*)
The Read-a-thon is Here! – 36 comments

Top 4 States from which people visit my blog:

Kansas (Yay for supportive family!)
North Carolina (Yay for supportive friends!)
New York (There’s a lot of people there, I suppose.)
Pennsylvania (Do any of my regular visitors come from here? Holler if you do!)

Top 4 Non-North American Countries from which people visit my blog:

United Kingdom
Australia
Netherlands
France

My 4 Favorite Posts:

The Example of Hannah
Orange Awareness Day (one of these things is not like the others…)
Why I Believe in God
Big Girls Don’t Cry?

4 Biggest Flops (posts that I thought would get lots of comments, but didn’t):

What a Messy World – 8 comments
Dear Philosopher, Part 2 – 6 comments
Control Hog – 6 comments
Once Upon a Dream – 2 comments

The 4 Most Revealing Posts:

I Am, I Want, I Have, I Wish I Could
All or Nothing
26 Things at 26
A Peek Inside My Brain

4 Posts I’ve Forgotten About:

Dear Unnamed
Treasures of Knowledge Found in a Seminary Classroom
This is Not Christmas
Woo Me

4 That I Wish I Could Forget about:

A Sad Day
An Emotional Storm
Bathroom Pictures, By Request
How to Use a Squaty Potty (you, my dear readers, have toilet issues)

Well, this has been a great 4 years…here’s to 4 more!

Photo by Leo Reynold

This is a holiday that I’ve celebrated the last 2 years (and not on the same dates any of the years…it’s just one of those holidays)…and it’s about time for it again!

While some blogs don’t seem to like lurkers (someone who regularly reads a blog but never comments), I welcome them.  Sure, I love comments and would love for all my readers and stopp-er-by-ers to comment when they want to, but I recognize not all blog readers are commenters.

I want to invite you to let me know you’re here by commenting on this post, whether you’re a long-time commenter, new blog friend, or lurker.  You can tell me as much/little about yourself as you feel comfortable with, but I want to recognize your readership, whether you comment or not!