To 'blog or Not to 'blog...

That, Is the question! I have had tons O' fun 'blogging this past year.

I am definitely a creature of habit, and naturally resistant to any change or advances in technology. But I overcame my fears of the unknown and just jumped in and started 'blogging! My only regret is that I didn't start sooner! There is a lot that I don't know or understand yet about HTML, .flv or .avi, embedding, templates, fonts, post-footers, or web-logs in general, but here are some things I have learned, in no particular order:


Benefits of Blogging:
1. It's free: There are a number of 'blog servers, most of which are free.
2. It can be as simple or as complex as you choose.
3. It's convenient: You can do it anytime, anywhere you have a computer or mobile communication device with some kind of internet service or connection. You can start one or more posting when you get a thought or idea and just save it as a draft to finish and post later.
4. It serves as a multimedia journal/album to document the life and personal history of yourself, family, friends, & pets - which might otherwise be lost! I am not very good at keeping a written journal, but 'blogging comes more naturally to me.
5. It is a personal, creative outlet allowing for and fostering self-expression.
6. It can be therapeutic - to help me relieve stress, express feelings or emotions, to help me "figure something out", or just get something off my chest.
7. It serves as a supplemental flight log to my written log. It allows me to share some memorable, often deeply personal flight experiences and pictures!
8. It allows family & friends to stay connected from anywhere in the world, and keep up on my family's daily life at their convenience, without the pressure of having to respond to an e-mail. Also, if I were to send an e-mail to everyone with the pic's and movies I have in my 'blog, it would probably jam up their in-box and cause some aggravation. People are free to respond with comments or in a separate e-mail.
9. I find myself taking more pictures and documenting my family's life because I 'blog. Sometimes I may even get out and do something "'blog-worthy" (rather than be lazy and do nothing) in anticipation of a future posting!
10. It's fun! The moment it becomes more of a burden, just take a break and get a new perspective.
11. No Rules! The sky is the limit! There are no "'blog police", but you can be sanctioned or deleted if others flag you as inappropriate. Common courtesy and decency still apply.

Hazards of Blogging:
1. Using a 'blog as a political or religious soapbox: Although this seems to be the intent of some 'blogs, I generally (but not always) choose to keep religion and politics out of it. I still have my own strong religious beliefs and political leanings, but I don't use this forum as a tool of propaganda or proselyting. I am very happy to share my beliefs with anyone, but on a more personal level. (This does not necessarily preclude my use of the 'blog to let off steam or as a stress release with an occasional rant & rave on some subject - tongue-in-cheek, of course!)
2. Spending too much time 'blogging: Like all areas of my life, I am constantly trying to maintain balance - which is not always easy. Generally speaking, if my marriage, family, work or other responsibilities begin to take second place and my 'blog becomes an obsessive priority, I need to step back and re-evaluate.
3. Privacy and security: I am careful to not give out personal information in words or images on my 'blog. I don't give out last names, addresses, or even city of residence. Perhaps I am slightly paranoid, but I would rather err on the side of caution. Close family and friends already know who I am and how to reach me.
4. Losing it all: Once you accumulate months or years of postings, it is a good idea to archive it all, rather than just trust your 'blog server. You could try to log in one day and find it all inadvertently purged! There are many ways to do this - such as, have each entry e-mailed to yourself, print out a hard copy of each entry, save each entry in another program, such as Word, or use an archiving program or service which actually saves it all in it's original form on your hard drive.

Summary:
These previous lists are just some of the many pro's and con's of 'blogging.
Here are some suggestions for getting started:
1. Keep each posting/entry concise and to the point. Make it easy and interesting to read. Instead of one big posting, divide it up into smaller ones with different titles or topics. This allows the reader to keep interest and come back later for more.
2. Include lots of pictures/images & video. (Hopefully it helps make up for my boring writing!) Even if you don't have a digital camera, you can search and find all kinds of pic's on the 'net to use in your 'blog. Just remember to get permission if needed, and give credit where due.
3. Measure your words carefully. If you think you might regret a posting later, don't do it. Once posted, it is "out there" forever, and could come back to haunt you when you least expect it.
4. Frequency: There are no hard and fast rules, but generally speaking, I find myself losing interest if someone does not update or post something at least once every week or two.
5. Theme: You can pick a specific overall theme and title, if you want - I choose to keep mine general, and not limit myself to any one subject.

If you have thought about starting a 'blog, but keep finding excuses not to, just do it - and send me your link! It's really quite easy, and if you want some help, I know just enough to be dangerous ;-]