With Queen’s “Under Pressure” beating around my head, I tried to resist, but can’t. I HAVE to write this post. (dramatic much?)
As a new blogger, I have extreme enthusiasm and absolutely love the reflection and sense of community that blogging has added to my professional life. That being said, I’m getting frustrated and a bit overwhelmed with all of the “rules” that seem to be floating around the edublogosphere. I started out all wide-eyed and innocent and just jumped on any advice anyone gave me, which I greatly appreciated (thanks, Sue!). I started the 31 Days to a Better Blog Challenge and had fun with it for awhile.
As I’ve gone along, though, it just seems like there’s too much of a formula and too little room for being myself if I want to “fit in” with the big fish. Of course I want readers, who doesn’t? But am I willing to make blogging a dreaded task each day to do so? NO. Not at all. I was attempting to complete (weeks late) the 2nd 5 days of the blogging challenge and realized the reason I’ve been putting it off so long was because it just doesn’t excite me anymore. If you’ve been reading since the beginning, you’ll know that I haven’t lost passion for blogging, though. Not at all. I cherish my writing time each day and am an active reader of other blogs - I comment on at least one, usually several, posts each day. I post every day because I want to, not because I have to.
However, while reading other blogs I have come across a number of bloggers who seem to think there is a right way and a wrong way to be an edublogger, and I just can’t buy into that. Isn’t blogging about expression and doing your own thing? I’m here to reflect on my experiences in blogging, teaching, and using technology - people read my blog because they’re interested in those topics, I would assume. For them to keep coming back, they must appreciate my writing style or some other aspect of my blog, right? I’ve started getting too wrapped up in the how-to of all of this and just can’t keep it up. I spend a lot of time working on my blog and making it reflect who I am and I truly enjoy doing it. Why, then, do I dread working on the challenge? I’ve realized it’s because the challenge isn’t tailored toward the type of blog I’m writing. I don’t want to follow a formula, I’ve never been very good at that.
I change my mind on what my “blogging purpose” is all the time, and I want to keep doing it. If I choose to blog for $$ someday, why is that wrong? Why is it wrong to write a post once in a while that doesn’t include a deep thought on the philosophy of education? Why, oh why, is it wrong to write a post without upteen links in it? And this one really gets me - why is it wrong to send a tweet that you just posted something new? What is it about this community that abhors self-promotion? I absolutely adore when people tweet their posts - on really busy days those are often the only posts that I get to read. My Google reader is always overflowing and it just overwhelms me. And on the same topic, why is it wrong to sometimes only read posts that you get through twitter instead of your aggregator?
I know I sound like a first grader, but who are you to tell me what is the right or wrong way to read blogs? Let’s just live and let live, blog and let blog. You do your thing and I’ll do mine. You write your posts and I’ll write mine. I’ll respect you and you respect me. I’ll tweet when I post and you can ignore them if you’d like. I’ll read your posts when I come across them (and most likely comment, because I respect what you have to say), and if you tweet when you write them, I’ll be much more likely to have the time to do so. We all have busy lives and blogging is supposed to HELP, not stress us out further. When I have a sick baby and no daycare for tomorrow (as I do right now), 2 jobs and a household to run, just posting is enough. Don’t make me feel guilty for not doing it the “right way”.
And yes, I’m going to tweet that I posted this.
Don’t worry, I’ll get back to my geeky stuff tomorrow…………………Queen was insisting that I write this.
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You go, girl!
Completely agree.
Kate,
I agree. There is enough room for every style. The diversity of voices and approaches on the Web is the essence of the Internet. Each person can choose how they interact with those voices, not control them or discount them.
Every time Langwitches or Coolcatteacher tweets “just blogged …” I always read those offerings and participate if something of interest. Call it self-promotion if you will, but to me they are more like welcomed invitations into their “blog homes.”
I haven’t quite found my own “blog” voice yet .. I am still calibrating it. And, I hope to have the safety of the edublog community to find it without too much judgment.
Actually this is why I am optimistic about the new Edublogs Magazine. I hope that it will help to bring some of the “buried” voices forward once in a while for some diversity of view and perhaps views not emerging in the mainstream circles.
Great post Kate … your fresh and open perspective and willingness to share from the heart and gut is why you have a devoted reader base.
Thanks
Frank
Kate-
Do whatever makes you fulfilled. I have been teaching too long to have to worry about blogtiquette. Heck- I started integrating technology before there were people whose job it was to tell me how to integrate technology. Your tweet brought me in. Keep it up- I will too. We can rewrite the ‘rules’.
Great post. I was just nodding and saying YES! the whole time. Except for the specific rules you mentioned. This is probably, I completely accept, because I’m socially backwards, so please bear with… I never know what’s cool. ~coolness is all i’m willing to assign to the rules you mentioned because none of them seem the least bit sound to me~
I didn’t know these rules. Are those for real?
Blogging for money is wrong? Tweeting posts is wrong? Help?
Sorry to double comment, but I meant to say also that I’ve found there to be too many “rules” that supposedly “doom the blog to failure.” Just not those particular ones.
Great post, Kate. And I absolutely agree. I am still heading through the challenge but I am finding that I have doen most things. The challenge I hate if sticking to a week’s worth of posts that you have planned.
For me, it is all about getting back to the reason you blog in the first place.
As for sick kids, Know how you feel. I remember being on night duty and being so grateful that Ellen was sick because it meant she stayed in bed all day with me and I didn’t have to get up. How terrible is that!!
Complete change of subject: you’ve really got me going on Jing. Its fantastic-I love it. cheers Sarah
Thanks all!
ehoffman: thanks for the support - I think you commented before I even pressed “publish” :-)
Frank - I’m really optimistic about the edublogs magazine as well. I found a few great new blogs to read through their articles just in the last week. I agree about langwitches and coolcatteacher - tweeting about your post shows you’re excited about what you wrote, that’s a GOOD thing :-) By the way, I love the header on your blog…..
lbilak - thanks for the support :-) Not wanting to start a revolution, just a conversation!
Taylor - thanks for pointing out that these aren’t universal “rules” - I’ve just seen numerous references to tweeting of posts as blatant self-promotion and not being in the true spirit of blogging, and couldn’t resist bringing it up. As for the $$ issue, I’m speaking specifically about EDUbloggers (not in relation to edublogs.org, though!), not bloggers in general. There was a bit of a debate on the edubloggers magazine about this, which sparked some excellent debate amongst respected bloggers. In my experience, educators appearing to desire any sort of compensation for work is seen as less than honorable…….but that’s another post. One of the other “rules” that really hit me today was one that mentioned that people might not be commenting on a blog because there’s TOO much community and your dedicated readers might be making it seem like a clique that can’t be entered. So I’m supposed to tell my readers, “please don’t comment on my blog more than once a week, it might appear too cliquish?” As a younger, cooler version of me would have said, whatEVER.
Sarah -
thanks for commenting! I’m glad you did, because I really don’t want it to appear as if I have a problem with the challenge itself or don’t support my former challenge-mates. Of course I do, and will be faithfully reading and supporting as I did before. I’m still on a quest to improve my blog, but will do so with my specific goals in mind.
I’m so happy that you love Jing as much as I do - it’s really changed how I view online course development. Cool tools are so much fun to share :-)
I love what you wrote. When I first started edublogging (not really that long ago, turns out), I was always worried I wasn’t following the correct format, wasn’t sticking to my central theme enough, or wasn’t talking about what everyone else was talking about.
I think I’ve learned to let myself post on what strikes me that day or what has been rattling around my skull for a few days. If it doesn’t fit in with the “overarching purpose” I first started blogging with, then, well…it doesn’t.
My last two posts from very non-education sources are evidence of me blogging about what excites me, and I’m glad to see you’re feeling similarly.
I’ve come to the conclusion, especially after reading some of Ringmar’s book, that this thing is just WAY TOO YOUNG to be this rigid.
Also, after reading some of that book, I’m thinking, “hey! anyone that gets mad b/c i don’t follow the “edurules” or the “blogosphere” rules can, well, stick it where the sun doesn’t shine.”
What, I can only talk about education when I’m under their umbrella? I have to have “Their” endorsement to say something?
Do we really WANT educational discussions to take place ONLY under the auspices of those who control the status quo? If a teacher isn’t qualified to speak about education, then few people are. If we can only say what “they” like, nothing will ever change.
I, say! No way! Fight tha Power!
~even when “the power” is simply other people’s wagging tongues, the weight of expert opinion, or personal fears of consequences.~
Kate, thanks for making me think lately!
After reading your post I had a not so good feeling…I am thankful that I moved on to the comments. Now I understand that it is not so much blogging or the challenge itself..but perhaps the community guidelines set forth by edubloggers?
In defense of the 31 Day Challenge, it is strictly to be used as a tool, and as with any tool, it is up to the person using the tool to decide how they wish to utilize the tool. How is that for a run on sentence from a college educator ;). I mold and shape each ‘challenge’ to suit not only my writing style but also my ‘vision’ for where I want to go with my blog. And I must mention that this has changed over the two years that I have been blogging…as your blog will shift and change in the coming years as you grow and learn, etc. etc.
Anyway, I hope you feel better now that you have vented your frustrations ;)….I have my share of ‘letting off steam posts’ also….which I used to categorize as, who would think….’Just Letting Off Steam’….after all, when all is said and done, it is simply MY blog….and I will always write and develop it according to what I feel at the moment. ;)
I like it here by the way ;)
Kate,
If you ever drop in at my blog, you’ll know that I’m “all over the place” with my subject matter: from teenage internet use to dinosaur quotes to photo essays.
I’ve read - and bookmarked - a lot of posts about how to “improve” a blog, increase readership, become a presence.
I’d love to be “popular” but I’m not willing to change my style. Perhaps not all of my posts are socially or technologically significant, but they do reflect my personality and serve as my creative outlet.
I can admire the efforts of others but not duplicate them. I am what I am.
I raise my glass to you for voicing your opinion and going your own way.
diane
Hi Kate!
I must say, I concur. It can all just get a bit much can’t it? Sorry I haven’t commented lately - I haven’t written any posts or anything much for the last week due to being back at school and I was starting to worry about that. Then I had a conversation in the staffroom with Anne Mirtschin (did you know we work together?!) about similar things to what you’ve written about. As much as we love blogging, and we really do, the kids have to come first and that is what it comes down to. I’ve got to have good lessons thought out for my kids before I spend hours blogging for my own sake otherwise I am doing them a disservice to an extent.
Also, I have pretty much given the challenge away too. I never really got past day 5 in the strict day-to-day sense. I’ve done bits and pieces of it before and am just finding all the conversation about the ‘right’ way to to do things a bit overwhelming and somewhat unnecessary.
We have to write posts that sometimes don’t deal with educational philosophy - I can’t read them all the time! So much stuff is rehashed and rehashed which drives me a bit nuts, but is also written with such an authoritative tone that it can be off-putting.
One of my favourite quotes is relevant here:
“Do the common things in life in an uncommon way and you will command the attention of the world.”
Well, I’m pretty sure that’s how it goes! The point is obvious anyway.
There is such a sweet feeling of freedom when one shakes off the shackles and steps forward with their own confidence, voice and style. I love it! I’m with you.
Jess
Hi Kate–The 31 Day Challenge guidelines were originally set up for bloggers who want to make money from their blogs. When we did the first round of the challenge, we all struggled with some of the tasks because we weren’t in it to earn ad revenue from our blogs–we just wanted to improve them, although what we meant by “Improve” we definitely had to refine as we went along.
It’s interesting that you should post this now–I just wrote a post yesterday on the fact that a lot of the blogging “rules” we read are not designed for people who want to use their blogs as a learning tool, which is what many people in the edu-blogosphere really want. I think we need some different guidelines, which I started to lay out in the post:
http://michelemartin.typepad.com/thebambooprojectblog//2008/02/advice-on-blogg.html
As Danielle pointed out, I think we definitely need to look at how we can use things like the 31 Day Challenge to get better, but it all has to fit into our overall goals for our blogs. There were some activities that I helped me a lot–like doing a SWOT analysis, looking at my mission, working on my About Page and decluttering my sidebar. Other stuff, not so much.
In the end, it is really a process of refinining, etc. From the looks of this comment section, you’re already well on your way to building a learning community, which I think is one of the best goals for using blogging for professional development!
Well written Kate. Why would you want to fit in with the big fish as you put it? Be yourself. I had noticed that your blogging had become quite frenetic there for a while and it was difficult to keep up with you in my reader. Relax, be yourself. Do not try to be someone else. You do not sound like a first grader to me… you sound just like… Kate Olsen! Yes!
I think eduBlogging has become a religion in some quarters. There is a hierarchy within the eduBlogging world and a number of eduBloggers are the anointed ones with their supplicants hanging tenaciously on to every RSS feed. It will not be long before a 10 commandments for eduBlogging is published. Thou shalt complete the 31 day challenge or forever blog to an empty universe…
The 31 day Challenge is not a bad idea but let’s be relaxed about it. Complete the 31 day challenge but do not worry if it stretches over 3 months. Blogging should be natural, not driven by forces beyond our control. Do what you feel most.
I am still trying to sort out what I really want from this blogging tool myself.
Cheers
John
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