BSU Blogfest 2012 Day 1

.

Hi Blogging Friends!

Part of my blog return and revamp is for the BSU Blogfest! I participated in it last year. You can look at my posts from them HERE.

I figured I had an interesting time last year doing it so I thought let's do it again!

Today is day one and the theme is Why Blog?

I really like the questions posed for today so I'm going to go off of them.

"What motivated you to get started with blogging?"

Blogging was one of those things that I didn't really understand and didn't know what I was going to talk about/use it for. I was at UMASS Dartmouth in my freshmen year and by the time blogging came into my life I was just ready to get out of there. Really reading other blogs motivated me to create my own blog. I figured it would be a great way to keep my mind of things and waste time before I could leave UMD and come to Bridgewater. It was kind of a coping mechanism at the time and turned into a place to share life events and meet new people.

"Why do you continue to blog?"

I continue blogging because I like the people I've met through blogging and the people I get to know by reading other blogs. Sometimes I feel inspired by other bloggers. I hope that I can do that for one of my readers some day.

I took a long time off from blogging recently because I've been feeling pretty stressed about life after graduation. Blogging brings the real life to light and that scares me. I've been feeling less optimistic about it and since this blog is titled Optimistic and In Denial I feel I need to keep the positive, optimistic thoughts on here and not the stressful, worried feelings I've been having the last few months. I returned from my "hiatus" I guess you could say because I thought it was time to document the next step in my life, much like I did when I started blogging during my transition between UMD and BSU. Hopefully sharing here will help me in this strange time I feel coming up.

"What do you think makes for great blogs or not-so-great blogs?"

I think a great blog is one that is honest and real. If I feel like you're making things up in your life I don't think I would be interested in reading it. On the other side of things, when you share far too much about your life or are Negative Nancy about every part of life I don't think I could follow your blog.

"Any advice for people considering getting started with a blog?"

When starting a blog you need to find your own voice. Speaking can convey one thing, writing may convey another. You need to find what fits you as a blogger.

Don't worry so much about the number of followers or comments your blog gets. Don't let low numbers deter you from continuing and don't let large numbers scare you away from that voice you've established for yourself on your blog. While I've never faced any meanness on my blog I do know it's out there. Don't let someone bully your blog. It's your place to speak, you take control of it and make it your own.

Hope you all enjoyed my view on blogging. Stay tuned for more posts this week for BSU Blogfest 2012!

How would you answer these questions?

:) Meg O