Sitting here in sunny San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico has me thinking. I keep thinking about why I started blogging more than ten years ago and why I starting blogging again a few months ago?  I mean, I had affectively stopped blogging and moved on.  What brought me back? Well, I missed the connection. I missed being a part of the blogging wonderland. I missed you. And when I returned I was blown away that people remembered who I am. Thank you! I was also blown away by all of the talent out there. Yes, there are a lot of talented people who have taken the bull by the horns and have become quite successful. When I see these people all I want to do is read their words,  look at their pretty pictures and not compete for their space.  Lately and maybe because I am PMSing on vacation, I have been thinking about this a lot.

Last night Dave and I talked about why I blog over dinner. He had the sea bass with saffron potatoes and I had chicken cooked in a banana leaf, with the most delicious homemade guacamole and homemade corn tortillas. My two yellow and one blue corn tortilla were so homemade that as we walked to our table, we walked by the cute little old Mexican lady who was cooking them on a tiny stove.

I kept asking Dave, “Is it worth it? Really? The space is so saturated. I want to know what you think.”  Dave is probably less committed than I am and because he has a  long career based in High Tech he knows the realities of social media and beyond. There are so many blogs and other avenues of social media out there that I wonder if my blog should have a place or a space? Is it worth it? Is it worth the endless and excessive self-promoting? Is it worth it to make sure that you are not only Tweeting links to your blog, but you are also responding to Tweets and also Tweeting other interesting happenings?  I go to Twitter and I am mobbed with links and shouts.  I cannot figure out Pinterest and because I can’t I know I am missing some boat.  Instagram is cool, yet I am not sure how I get folks to follow me.  Ah, how do I get folks to follow me here or anywhere?  Facebook is the only thing I think I have a handle on. I like the short posts. I like being able to upload pictures from wherever I am. I like the instant feedback and ensuing conversations. It was great letting folks know in a matter of seconds that son #2 smacked son#1’s face into the side of the pool which ened in son#1’s two front teeth being chipped.  In seconds I posted the bloody evidence. In minutes we were talking about the chipped teeth. Geoff could comiserate. Wendy wondered if it was in Ms. Senich’s class? No. It was Miss Loefler’s class and whatever did happen to Ben Johnson?  Stephanie and Jodi guessed it was son #2, especially when son#2 suggested he fly back to Utah on his own. They know our sons.  Kyle, Dave, Eli & I were all feeling the love. Facebook is genius and sometimes I do think it is enough. Obviously so does Mark Zukerburg and that is why he is worth 250 gazallion times infinity dollars.

That is the big question. Since leaving blogging five years ago that question is so hard to answer and seems to get harder by the second. We all want people to come to our web sites. Is it worth it? What sets me apart?  I don’t know if there is anything that does. There are great writers, designers and self-promoters out there. There are kind, interesting, daring, obnoxious and very cool people who are continually refining their strategy. I am impressed and in awe. I feel like my Grandma did when I was teaching her how to use our new cable remote all those years ago. “Grandma, push the green button to turn the tv on and this one is for the guide. If you click on the ok button it will take you to your channel.”  I remember her responding in her thick Minnesota accent with something like, ” These remotes are confusing. It’s much easier to get up off your butt and turn the television on yourself.”

I want to write. I want to be read. In our easy access publishing world I wonder if the pay off will be worth the time I put in writing and then self-promoting. Is it? What do I have to say that sets me apart? Do people want to read my words?  I sound vain. I do not feel vain. I feel lazy. If I am going to write I need a presence. I think I would have stopped last month if it had not been for Andrea, Amy, OtherB, Kevin, Robin, Michelle, Ben, Brenda, Sunny, Kim, Nino, SuefromSC, Wendy, Sara and everyone else who stops by. Most of you know me personally and have been gracious enough to leave a comment (even when I solicit one). Thank you!

 

Now what should I do? What do you want me to say?  Yes, I am a people pleaser and in all honesty if I simply wanted to journal I would keep my words offline.