Keeping up with Joneses...or bloggers

One reason I always shuddered about going into teaching was that odious old saw, "those that can't do, teach." It's really a cruel thought, but sometimes true, if only because those that teach are not left with much time to do.

Well, that's my excuse for this week. I'm putting together content for a workshop on Blogging, and I'm not a very regular blogger, to tell the truth. I do have good content to share, because I have managed several blogs, edited posts, contributed as a guest blogger, and created blogs on several different platforms. And read and researched about blogs, and interviewed people about blogs. And soon will have created a verrrry comprehensive presentation about blogs, with fun blog images, collected tips, resources, etc. But that cannot be shared just yet, because my new students will be the ones to enjoy the labors of the material I've compiled for their edification and inspiration.

I'm hoping the workshop will be really fun, too. I can't wait to meet the people who are coming and hear what they want to learn about blogging. I created a pre-workshop "homework," which is a survey about their blogging exposure and goals, which I will share here after the workshop, in case anyone wants to create something similar for a workshop they are doing on blogging, or anything else. (I used SurveyMonkey, which has free surveys, and is a pretty terrific tool, for casual or professional surveying needs.)

For now, I'm going to share one of the tidbits I've prepared for the workshop attendees. It's just something silly and fun, but maybe you will get a kick out of. Here's a Blogger Terms Word Search for your use. Contact me if you'd like me to send you this puzzle as a full page file. (The tool I used to create this was a fun and easy free tool from Discovery Education called Puzzlemaker.) 

Blogging Terms Word Search by Ann Shea

Blase about blogging

One of the curious things about blogging, like any other activity, is that it can become a regular habit, if one wishes, and like most habits, scheduling a regular time and some positive reinforcements for engaging in the activity, can help make the habit stick.

It helps to cultivate the habit if we're clear in why we want to incorporate the habit into our lifestyle. By keeping the end goal in the "mind's eye," we are more likely to value creating a strong behavior bond to stick with the habit, and muster up the gumption to continue with the effort that will bring about the repetition to help behavior recur.

For me, blogging is a sporadic thing. If I'm tasked with contributing or managing a corporate blog, the motivation is extrinsic. It's part of an agreement I make with an employer or client, and I commit to maintaining to the blog with an expected regularity. For personal blogs, it more of an indulgence activity, spurred on by winds of caprice. When I feel like shouting into the void to see if an echo returns my yodels, I tap out notes in a blog. It's really freeing, because I know I don't have an editorial stamp to redline my thoughts, or call me to task if I'm being long-winded or off-topic.

I'm revisiting Catapult as a blog I'd dabbled in too many moons ago. Dusting it off, I feel pangs of compunction, but not too heavy a burden of guilt. It's a blog I have some affection for. Neither grand pride of authorship nor dismay of disuse. Simply like a needlepoint that has been laid aside for some time, but able to be picked up at any time.

image from a free online source: http://www.rgbstock.com/

It feels good to write again, and with expectation of readers who may glean some encouragement from entries here, I'm resuming here for a week or two. Let's see what happens.

---To be continued.---