Welcome to the Carnival of Personal Blogging
This post was written for inclusion in the Carnival of Personal Blogging hosted by Good Goog and Blogs With Wings. This month our participants have shared their journey to personal blogging. Please visit Good Goog – Begin By Being Personal to view everyone’s posts.
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Ding Dong,
Is it just me, or is this place jumping the shark?
Maybe.
You see, I am having a wee bit of a blogging breakdown over here. An Interweb identity crises. Some writing performance anxiety. The dreaded bloggers block.
This is what happens when I think about sh*t too much.
Allow me to explain. (Everything but the Fonze. You can figure him out for yourself.)
The blue-sky-flow-chart-question-table I have going on in my head at the moment runs something like- For whom do I blog? Why am I blogging…? Is it because I purely enjoy the writing, or because I enjoy people reading it too…? If people hated my stuff and no one read it, would I still be here? How long till everyone gets jack of me, and takes their bat and ball and goes home? Will I still hang around the ballpark if they do?
And herein, I think, lies the problem.
Don’t get me wrong- I love to blog. And I love to write. Every time I finish a post, complete one ready to publish with links and stolen piccies and tags, I get an enormous swell of satisfaction it feels really good it makes me hot all of those sound wrong, but you know what I mean. Blogging makes me happy. But if the question is- if no one was reading, would I still blog?
And… uh…. probably not.
I’ll be honest- I never started to blog as a private journal, a record for me. While I’m proud to wear both my personal blogger and mummy blogger name tags, this blog is only a teeny tiny part of me and it’s a very rare occurrence to see anything that’s too dark, or too personal, that cuts me too deep, or infringes of the privacy of people I love. I have plenty of other playgrounds for my demons to run around in. My litmus test for blog inclusion is a simple question- “would I be happy to put this on the side of a bus, or announce it from a loudspeaker in Martin Place at lunchtime?”
If the answer is yes, then I hit Publish.
Erm. I’m the honest, open type, obviously. There’s honesty and then there’s, well, honesty. I practice both.
I don’t write anything on here that I’m not happy to share publicly, or that I wouldn’t want my mother knowing, or that I wouldn’t want my children to see in 15 years time. (While we’re on that topic, I find it astonishing that anyone thinks my blog will be still be around in 15 years. I do have a relatively short attention span, and there must be a limit on the amount of crap Google cache’s).
I started my blog because I was bored and needed a hobby that wasn’t physical enough to strip away any of the remaining energy I require to hang on to my last remaining shred of sanity. But this ain’t therapy. I blog for amusement purposes only. The amusement of myself. And other people are amused, too, which is helpful. I’m narcissistic and conceited, and I bore of things easily- if people were not reading, I would not still be blogging.
But people are reading, bless you all and your little cotton socks. And I am feeling the pressure, just a wee bit. You see, part of my problem is- you people think I’m funny. I’m not sure why..? I can never tell which posts are actually funny and which posts are just funny-in-my-head-funny. I’ll have an idea for a post these days and say to myself “Is that funny? Or just dumb?” (Such as- is buying haemorrhoid cream really an amusing subject? Or is that just me…?)
I thinks I need to stop this. I think I need to go back to the ol’ school blog style- if it makes me giggle, then it’s funny. If it makes me tingle, then it’s good writing. I’m taking my lesson from B’s Letter to Her Bloggy Self, and reminding me to blog for… well.. me. Some cliches, they are cliches for a reason. And that’s cause they work.
I’m scraping in just in time with this for the Blogs With Wings Blog carnival being held at the Good Goog. Just call me a carnivaloholic. 
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
I wanna be just like you when I grow up
I just wanna say that I LOVE reading your posts. I was thinking about your blog while I was walking Holly the other morning. You've got the magic touch, your entertaining posts are tops, and your more serious ones are super examples of great writing!
Yep, we're reading and we're not going anywhere
I had a mini-breakdown last week too – was thinking about everything WAY too much. Heaps better this week, now that I'm back to just doing stuff (does that even make sense?!).
I thought i did? If you think it, post it, someone will find it intresting. I know i'd get a good giggle over talk of haemorroid cream! Lol.
What I really mean is – please continue to be your random, fun and entertaining self.
Your blog is perfect – don't change a thing.
If it makes you feel loved and appreciated, this is my first time here and I think you're funny and worth reading. I even hit follow, so I'll be back
I found you through M for Mommy's blog. Reading this post, I think I started blogging for the same reasons you did – a hobby, not to overshare personal stuff (ie: nothing I wouldn't want everyone knowing), and in the hopes of having people read it (I'm new, so still working on that part).
Anyhoo – glad I found ya.
Ha! Don't you love how overthinking things sends your brain around in circles?
Chicky, you are funny! You are wise!
Just blog dammit!!
You know I have been thinking the same over the last few days….sometimes I can't remember what or why I am blogging, but Brenda's comment ("blog like no one is reading") the other day shattered the "blogging crisis" i was having – i remembered that i started this to have fun and that is what I am having at the moment so I may as well continue with it!
And though I am new to writing and reading blogs, I think the thing that keeps people coming back to you is the exact style of this post. Honest, funny, real and its welcoming too – well, thats what I like about it!
And if you think it is funny, then it IS funny!
I don't think it has to be an either or. If you wanted it to be just for you, you wouldn't' PUBLISH it. But for heavenssake, make yourself happy and the audience will follow.
You guys are so tops. But no one answered the questiona bout haemorroid cream. So I'll take that as a big NO
And for the Pom-'nother
there!- Wiki explains shark jumping far better than I could…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark
Really there is no ultimate sense of humour. Each person finds different thngs funny, like each person finds different things interesting. You're a mixed bag, and thats awesome in this type of atmosphere. Keep on doing what you're doing. Don't hold back if it's something you're ok with personally!
My problem? I'm too private. I have my personal journal, which i must allow you to see, which is much more "in depth" and i wanted to start this fresh new blog, public, and run with idea's and thoughts i have but keep my family usage in it to a minimum. I found out someone from my personal blog tracked me down on here (how i do not know as i have different aliases and i didn't mention it other than "I've been over on blogger") so now it's kinda spoiled my public blog being an "anonymous" me. Keeping me seperate. I was blogging for me, i do blog for me, but i know what you mean when you say you're sensitive to your readers too. I think having lots of readers helps to push you along a little.
Question from a Pom – what's 'jumping the shark' please?
Well now Miss! I can relate to some of the reasons why you blog. As long as you are enjoying it (& yes – some of us are reading) then all's well with the blogesphere. 'Funny' is a personal thing both for you & the reader. Trying too hard will stop all that. Blog when you want & we'll gladly read!
Blogging is an evolution. Or, so a post hanging around in my drafts says. It seems that I have one of these EEEEK moments every 5-6 months or so.
Blogged like a true writer!
I'm starting to think it's healthy and normal to worry and feel pressure from time to time in this blogging 'game' – and want people to read and wonder why they think you're funny, etc…….. actually, hey, are you just ME? Have I started ANOTHER blog?? *checks up sleeve*
You have SO not jumped the shark, dude! (I asked myself the same q a year or 2 back and mine is still going ;)… mind you, I remain unconvinced about mine! See? Paranoid!)
Oh honey, you are TEH FUNNY! Okay? Okay? Otherwise I would not stick around. Joking joking.
And awwww, I am your Yoda!!! I am humbled. Ahem. Ahem.
Seriously though, just keep on writing baby girl and we'll keep on reading. Promise.xxxx
I know what you mean. I go through this in cycles. I think maybe everyone does?
Damn you Gerard, you stole my line.
I know for me, the motivation to blog comes from the gratification of being read and the relationships built with other bloggers. But when I'm actually writing, I shut out the world and go within.
Well, we will just have to see how we can get your blog archived by the National Library of Australia's Pandora – Australia's Web Archive, so that this blog is kept for eternity.
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/
Your blog HAS NOT jumped the shark! But I definitely think that you have to blog as though no one is reading. If you love it, so will everyone else!
I think you hit on many of our feelings about blogging!