• It reminded me of why I don’t do a daily blog anymore. Too. Much. Sitting. Still.
• It allowed me to meet some new-to-me bloggers who were doing this challenge, too.
• It made me realize how small my world was before the internet– back when geography and genetics were my only links to people.
• It encouraged some of my lurkers to reveal themselves with a like or a comment.
• It got me laughing at myself & others as we struggled to do this challenge.
• It confirmed that posting on Sunday is never worth it for me.  I hate doing it & my readers don’t do Sunday blogging.
• It gave me the opportunity to write some new types of posts.  For better or for worse.
• It showed me that despite my disinclination to use YouTube videos in my posts, doing so was well-received.
• It provided me with a space to share some of my photos that I’d have never posted otherwise.
• It forced me to re-evaluate whether blogging is worth the bother.  My conclusion?  It is… when done no more than three days per week.

# # # 

1. I have to wonder if November is the best time of year for NaBloPoMo.  I understand the history of this challenge so I get why it’s in November.  But honestly, November is filled with lots of other things to do, often involving travel, that make it extra difficult to finish NaBloPoMo.

Instead, I’d like to nominate February as the official NaBloPoMo month.  It’s a short month– with a good heart— typically filled with fewer distractions than November.

2.  I found this year’s NaBloPoMo blogroll to be frustrating.  As I have done in past years, I intended to use it to find new bloggers.  However, when I clicked on many of the links, I discovered the blogger had done nothing– or only posted a couple of days.

I realize that NaBloPoMo uses the honor system, but couldn’t someone at Blogher go through the blogroll at least once and weed out the faux participants?  I, for one, would appreciate it.

3.  I saw quite a few bloggers just do this challenge without signing up.  I joined NaBloPoMo officially because I had hoped that by signing up on Blogher I’d get encouragement from & interaction with lots of other bloggers within that forum.  But that didn’t happen [see points 1 & 2 above] which left me feeling somewhat alone while doing NaBloPoMo.

If I ever do this challenge again, I’m going to embrace my natural inclination to not conform just because I’m supposed to and follow the lead of those who refuse to belong– where ironically this year I found bloggers who were the most supportive of my efforts.