I have, after all, written a personal blog [most years] since 2004 so I have experience + I have a couple of college degrees about words and ideas and communication and images and branding.
Yes, I know a thing or two about keeping a personal blog, while not losing your mind in the process.
But what I do not have is much of an ego, so over the years I’ve been disinclined to put together any “how to” blogs posts in which I tell everyone what to do.
I fear being pedantic.
That would never do.
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However, talking with an acquaintance got me thinking.
The acquaintance confided that she knew the practical aspects of writing and blogging platforms, but she was uncertain about how to envision, then maintain, a personal blog. She wanted guidance.
From that conversation I got the idea to share my blogging guidelines in a pretty little informative image that sums up my experience on the topic.
These are not blogging rules, if such a thing exists. No, these are general guidelines that I’ve learned over the years, and adhered to as a way of centering myself and my thoughts when I sit down to do that bloggy thing that I love to do.
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Questions Of The Day
If someone were to ask you for guidance about how to keep a personal blog, what would you tell them?
How have you envisioned your blog? How have you maintained it?
If you were to start over, what would you do differently?
• FOR A PROJECT I was working on I looked up the meaning of kick-ass*. I found the following words used to describe kick-ass:
impressive • powerful • cool • effective • hip • vigorous • interesting • extremely good • forceful
In the process of this research I also discovered that kick-ass is sometimes considered vulgar slang.
[News to me.]
• I WAS SURPRISED BECAUSE: 1) I use the word in casual conversation– and as we all know I’m anything but vulgar; and 2) I occasionally describe myself as kick-ass… because you know I am… in certain situations.
However, from the foregoing word research I’ve concluded that despite my good intentions and a desire to communicate clearly, in today’s world it doesn’t matter how I say something because someone will find a way to misconstrue what I have said.
Even when what I’m saying is truthful.
[Maybe especially when what I’m saying is truthful?]
• AND ON THAT OBVIOUS, yet annoying, note of writerly despair, I’ll end this post, my gentle readers, with what has become my latest favorite saying.
In fact, if you’ll forgive my vulgarity here, I’ll even suggest that this saying is a kick-ass way to add a bit of levity to your day– not that I’m suggesting that you should do this in your real life when your choice of word seems to get people all snitified.
But you could.
[But don’t.]
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* Alternative spelling of kick-ass is kickass. There does not seem to be agreement on how to spell it. 🙄 I went with Merriam-Webster’s spelling because I majored in English in undergrad and I have a fond spot in my heart for this dictionary.
THE SPECTACLED BEAN 