Well, today is just flying by, what with crazy work demands, a doctor’s appointment, and the unveiling of the new iPhone 3G S (you can’t tell I’ve been bouncing in my seat for this one, can you?). I’ve been watching the brain waves flit around like hummingbirds, and haven’t settled on anything particularly bookish to talk about today. So, a few questions for you all (err, both? *grin*).
What got you started blogging?
What’s your favorite thing about it?
What’s your least favorite thing about it?
If you could have one thing magically happen with regard to your blog, what would it be?
I’ll comment with my answers in a bit; looking forward to yours!
I’ve always enjoyed reviewing the arts, I was the arts critic on my college newspaper and for a long time it’s what I wanted to do when I “grew up”, so I thought a blog would be a great way to be able to indulge my love of critiquing.
I love having the opportunity to indulge in my “hobby” and love it when authors/publishers comment on my work.
I hate when I don’t get comments!
As for the magically, I’d love to get my readership up to the point where I get hired to review books, can quit my job and then just read and write all day…*sigh*
I think your magic wish is widely shared, bib!
I’d love to get involved with the English department’s publications at my college, but I feel like they’re all going to be young kids who are going to school full time, and I’d be horribly out of place. Le sigh.
OK, my answers!
What got you started blogging? This time around, it was the desire to have my own little place on the web where I talk about the things I love most. It also keeps me writing, even if it’s just a few sentences at a time.
What’s your favorite thing about it? I love meeting new people and having discussions about anything and everything. The network-building stage is such a tough one, but it’s so worthwhile when it starts paying off.
What’s your least favorite thing about it? How hard it is to engage with new people! I’m some weird blend of super aggressive and totally shy online, and I’m always worried that people won’t really “get” me.
If you could have one thing magically happen with regard to your blog, what would it be? I would love for it to become a stepping stone to my eventual entry into the professional bookish world. I anticipate school taking probably ten years realistically (yikes!), and I’d like to have a strong network of contacts, and a core community of fellow bloggers, from which to draw inspiration (and referrals!) for a career as opposed to a job when the time comes.
Of course, my ideal job would be to travel the country (the world?) getting books, libraries, and nonprofits hooked up with LibraryThing Local, LTFL, and wish lists for their organizations, but I don’t think it’s in the budget just yet…
Well, technically I started blogging far before I started book blogging, but what pushed me into it was when I started writing down my thoughts for my friends. Right now it’s just a way for me to be out of my shell and work on this whole attention thing, which I suck at.
My favourite thing is meeting new people and making new friends. Although my least favourite is the openness of it. I’m a contradictory cookie in that sense. I’m finding it hard to explain properly too.
I have no real wishes for the blog, though. I like my little niche just fine. ^-^
What got you started blogging?
I started more or less by accident. I discovered a reading challenge I wanted to join, I used my old blogger account for that purpose, and before I knew it I had a book blog where I posted regularly.
What’s your favorite thing about it?
The friends I’ve made, hands down.
What’s your least favorite thing about it?
How time-consuming it is. But I do find it worth the time.
If you could have one thing magically happen with regard to your blog, what would it be?
That my posts would write themselves? :P Other than that, I can’t think of anything.
Shanra, “attention thing” – do you mean having people pay attention to you? Because I can face the wall while you comment if you’d like; I’m very accommodating that way *gentle smile* But seriously, I know what you mean. I think blogging is a great “in-between” place for making yourself more accessible, but in a safe, comfortable way. It’s all in your hands; that’s reassuring.
Nymeth, I wish I’d discovered reading challenges years ago. I never even thought to track how much (or what) I read until I joined LibraryThing; this is my first year doing the 75 book challenge, and only my second year tracking my reading at all. And yes, self-writing posts would be great, especially for those uninspired days!