It's a Blog World

When I first started blogging, it was simply a writing outlet for me. I was always interested in writing, yet afraid to do much about it. Blogging was an easy way to dip my toes in without going for a swim, if you know what I mean. I never, ever thought that it would lead to meeting people, making extra cash, trying products at no cost, or going to events for free. In the coming weeks, I'd like to take a long hard look at which direction I'm planning to steer this blogging gig in the future. Perhaps I can even make time for writing outside the realm of the blogosphere from time to time. I do believe that having clearly defined goals is imperative if I have any hope of making my dreams a reality (figuring out just what those dreams are is an important first step!), so this is something I need to dedicate some time and thought to. My  head has sort of been in the clouds lately (okay, okay...for the past few months!) and I'd like to take a few deep breaths and focus.

Right now, though, I'm grateful. I'm grateful for the opportunity blogging has afforded me to have a writing medium that feels safe. I'm grateful for the little bits of extra money I make here and there which help with things like Christmas shopping and Detroit Edison* bills. I'm grateful for the people I've met, both virtually and in real life. I'm grateful for the opportunity to try new things. I'm grateful that sometimes I get to share those things with you all, in the form of giveaways. These days, blogging and social media are integral to advertising, communication, and information exchange, and I'm glad to be getting in on some of the fun and action!

Here are some of the coolest things I've experienced as a direct result of blogging, in no particular order:

• Meeting and interviewing Jeff Kinney. This was so cool, and something that would have never happened in Alysia's non-blogging world. Giving my kids the chance to meet one of their favorite authors and ride in his tour bus was totally phenomenal, and I hope it's an experience that they will always remember.
• Behind the scenes look at the Michigan dairy industry. So far I've had the opportunity to attend two special blogger events that involved touring Michigan dairy farms and finding out more about how milk gets from the cow to your table. I've toured Goma Dairy Farm in Marlette, and Horning Dairy Farm in Manchester, as well as the Michigan Dairy milk processing plant in Livonia. Talking with real farmers (and plant workers) and seeing how hard they work really gave me a new perspective and appreciation for the dairy products my family takes for granted.
• Lego KidsFest. Since Connor is a huge fan of anything to do with Legos, he was really excited to attend the Lego KidsFest in Novi last fall. Because he already wanted to go to this event, it was particularly awesome that I was unexpectedly given the chance to attend** for free, as a blogger. In exchange, I snapped some photos and wrote a blog post. Not bad at all.
• Gardner White Blog for a Grand. I entered a blogger contest that a local furniture chain was hosting, and  won the grand prize of a $1000 gift certificate for the store! This was really exciting because it meant that Chris and I got to use the gift certificate to purchase our first (non-hand-me-down) mattress!
• Sesame Street Live, Disney On Ice, and Monster Jam. These are three shows that I will have the pleasure of attending with my children during the next month, in exchange for a little blogging and social media promotion. If you're interested in winning tickets to Disney On Ice at the Palace of Auburn Hills, click HERE. If you're interested in winning tickets to Monster Jam at Detroit's Ford Field, click HERE. (Sorry, but the two Sesame Street Live giveaways that I hosted have ended).
• Castaway Bay. Our family was invited to a blogger event at Castaway Bay resort and indoor water park in Sandusky, Ohio.Since we were already in the neighborhood, we were also invited to a blogger event at a nearby family fun center, Ghostly Manor. We made a whole weekend out of it, and had a wonderful time. I'll be sharing more about our weekend by means of a couple blog posts and a super fun related announcement...very soon. Be patient!

As you can see, blogging has been good to me. And this list doesn't even get into the cool products I've been able to try, such as JAWS cleaning supplies and Conscious Box, just to name a couple. Everything I listed happened within the past 6-8 months or so. I'm excited to see what new opportunities 2013 will bring!

If you are a blogger, I'd love to know what cool opportunities you've been given as a result of blogging!



*Detroit Edison = electricity
**Connor & Mattie tagged along to the Lego KidsFest, as well as a few friends.

Learning the Ropes in Blogging

Even after years of blogging, much of the jargon and technical aspects of my "art" are lost on me. Although I feel that I have accomplished quite a bit, not being all that tech savvy, I certainly have quite a bit to learn. Just when I think I have things figured out, something disappears from my blog. For example, my little row of connect with me buttons (social media, email, RSS) that was at the top of my right side bar is gone. I don't understand where they have gone. When I go into my page layout, they are there. When I view my blog, they are not there. They use to be there. But they are apparently lost in cyber space. And I don't even begin to know how to figure out how to make them appear again.

Although blogging has been around for awhile and has become pretty widespread, I still feel that bloggers are kind of internet pioneers, picking our way along the trail and figuring things out as we go. One of these things I don't get, but probably should make an effort to understand, is how to effectively build a mobile audience with my blog. Do I need a joomla mobile plugin on my blog? What does that mouthful even mean? Um, I'm not quite sure, actually. I do know that more and more people are on the go, and they're multi-tasking, and they're accessing websites via mobile devices more than ever. What I don't know is whether my blog is optimally equipped for mobile devices.

I try to look this stuff up online, and my eyes start to glaze over. Can you say information overload? Maybe it's just a matter of time before blogging becomes a college curriculum of its own. I know my local community college offers a few classes on topics like SEO (I'm utterly clueless here too), so maybe it's time to look into them.

If you're a blogger, how do you keep up to date on everything going on in the tech world?