Blogging 101 Assignment 4 – Is Anybody Out There?

Posted on by Claremary P. Sweeney

Today’s task is to define my audience which up to last week consisted of 103 spammers, my friend Peg, and my husband, Charley (who used both his email accounts to follow me so the stats would be higher.) But then something interesting happened. I signed up for Blogging 101 to improve my skills and a whole new world opened up. I began to connect with other bloggers and was amazed at the scope of interests, formats and writing styles. And every last one of those blogs was unique and captivating. From the simplest templates, to the most intricate; from every-day conversations to discussions on the world’s chaotic troubles; from my small home town to all across the US, Indonesia, Canada, Japan,Spain, Germany, Great Britain, Australia and countries I’d never even heard of before, people were putting themselves out there and communicating their thoughts, dreams, hopes and fears and it was mesmerizing. I wanted to read them all.

Now, I live on a small rural road that the town has decided to reconstruct after the devastating frost heaves of last winter. They obviously chose their most anal retentive workers  because today is Thursday and they are still working on the road surface directly in front of my driveway (which was where they started on Monday.) My road is eight tenths of a mile to the main road and at the rate they are going, it’s safe to say they will be stranded here with me, Charley and the cats  next winter when the snow blows in from the turf fields and shuts down access to the outside world.. My point being that because of the difficulties involved in getting out of my driveway into the abyss that was once a pocked road surface and take the 30 minute detour that brings me back to the main route into town, I chose to remain here in the woods for most of the past four days. This was  fortuitous because I had a lot of time on my hands to read blogs. So I did. And I discovered that we all had one thing in common. We are seekers. Some are seeking to navigate through this paradox of a world;. Some are looking for a better way of dealing with their relationships. Some are seeking connection to kindred spirits to share thoughts and ideas. And many are searching for an inner peace. We’re all seekers. My perfect audience. And yes, (for the doubters) people are out there looking to find you. (I’m more then willing to share my 103 spammers with anyone. But not Charley – he hates social media and only follows me because he lives with me) Just keep on blogging. If you blog it, they will come. (Eventually)

And now for the next part of the assignment: inserting some type of media  into this text. Hmmmmmmmmmm, this could take a while.

http://www.pirancafe.com/2015/07/09go-skateboarding-day-2015-armenia-colombia/

Yes! I love this sight. OK, so when  you link to it, you’ll see ” OOOPS! Page not found” (that’s not my fault, I think) but check out “Have You Ever Had Cholera? I Have” and anything else from pirancafe.com I’m hooked!

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47 thoughts on “Blogging 101 Assignment 4 – Is Anybody Out There?”

  1. I’ve had the same reaction to this eye-opening experience of Blogging 101: I want to read everything. I cannot believe the breadth of ideas, the wealth of experiences, the sheer amount of posts that are being shared. I was not able to so aptly categorize us as seekers. But I agree, seekers make a perfect audience. I really enjoy the humor in your writing and look forward to conversations about the importance of reading.

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  2. Love your blog. Like you and Regan, I’ve been blown away by the plethora of ideas, writing styles and general interest from people on Blogging 101. I’m following you now, so even if I miss your post announcement I’ll see it in my reader. Have a happy day/evening — it’s morning here in Australia and I need to get off here and to work…at least it’s Friday. 🙂

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    1. It’s still Thursday night here in Rhode Island so I’ll be reading more blogs before I go to bed. I’ll be sure to read yours. Haven’t checked tomorrow’s (today’s for you,, Mate ) assignment yet. Another adventure to look forward to. Thanks for your kind note.

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  3. I found the same thing. I was really quite blown away. I have eschewed all social media until I jumped into blogging last week. I read some of the bigger blogs, but being part of the community is eye-opening.

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    1. I really wanted no part of social media – even wrote a blog post about it called “It’s All Spam To Me”. But that was before my book was published and it seems (according to those in the know) that if you’re an author nowadays, you must be involved in social media. I have to admit, though, that Blogging 101 is quite inspiring. On to tomorrow’s assignment.

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      2. Since I jumped on last May, I’ve use Twitter to keep in touch with things going on in the Berkshires, particularly the places in my book, A Berkshire Tale. Since I don’t live there,it’s really helpful. Also, it helps to connect with other writers, publishers, children-oriented sites -to know what’s going on. Some, like Pragmaticmom have wonderful ideas for kids that they generously share. And finally, I’ve made some friends like Fia Essen & ArtieQ and we banter back and forth. We’ve never met but they cheer up my days. It’s all in how you decide to use it.

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  5. Variety is definitely overwhelming. But most people are very gracious. The ideas are wonderful. I came here to write about travel, now I have a flash fiction problem. Choose your thoughts or they will choose for you. Thanks for dropping by my little corner of the world

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  6. Loved this post of yours 🙂 It does take a while to get peoples attention, I am still trying to do that, but at the same time, whether I’m good at it or not, I like expressing my thoughts with words. And i know at least one person likes to read them (my beloved) lol :p So I shall continue to write 😀

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  7. I’m feeling like it is challenge to write something so profound, or so meaningful that Charley must read it. I am impressed though. I can’t get my husband to follow my blog with even one of his e-mail accounts. If I ever get him on WordPress I’ll have him come follow you.

    I like the description of your road and your house. I’m also really enjoying the Blogging101 experience this time. As a mom, I love telling my daughter stories and am looking forward to reading more from you.

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    1. Hello,Charley’s really supportive because he was the one who saw what I went through to get A Berkshire Tale published. I dedicated the book to him.He’s also supportive because I’ve been his most tenacious advocate in his 8-year battle with aggressive prostate cancer. I didn’t accept it when they gave him a few years to live and we searched for clinical trials that would keep him alive and well. As of last month, he’s been declared to be in complete remission. Johns Hopkins “miracle patient”. Next thing we work for is the cure! So, I’m encouraging him to write a book about this journey and, of course, he’s very curious about this blogging and twitter stuff because he’ll need to do it for his own book. Thanks so much for your wonderful comment. I’ll be stopping by your site again tonight.

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      1. Congratulations to Charley for his remission, and congratulations to you for going through it with him and not giving up. I’d love to hear his “miracle story” when he’s ready to tell it.

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  8. Our classmate deleted the thread we were conversing on; I saw your last comment though – it gave me a great laugh. 😀 I didn’t mean to be a party pooper!! 😉

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  9. Thanks for the encouragement on my blog, your’s is absolutely great too. If it wasn’t for the Blogging101 course I’d be stuck in the stone age, watching the idiot box rather than thinking up new content and making new friends. I was glad to read you persevered and launched your own book, something I’m sure many aspiring writers fail to do, this course may just tempt me to do the same 🙂 I hope your husband decides to write about his journey, it would provide inspiration for others I’m sure. Happy blogging!!

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  11. By enrolling in blogging101, a whole new world of friendship and writing ideas opened up to me. Blogging became fun and it feels great to read and share the thoughts of a variety of people from different parts of the world. Happy to make your acquaintance.

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    1. And joyously happy to have met you, too. I’ve taken today off from writing assignments to read blogs from people I’ve met and people I’ve not yet had a chance to meet.I’m so glad that I did because I found yours and I love it.

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  12. Thank you for visiting my blog. I love this response to who you find your target audience to be. I believe you are right that we are all seekers. I feel the same way also about the discovery of so many good blogs and the sheer amount of information that’s out there. I plan to take a day and just read as well. Thanks for your great perspective on this whole thing!

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    1. Thank you for your thoughtfulness in doing this reblog. I had visited your site earlier today and read your posts It was fun. And now I am part of your blog. I’m honored and grateful that you liked the sentiment. It was written for people like you and it is from my heart.

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      3. I had a lot of help with widgets and pingbacks. I still understand but they work. I found the most important thing is the right theme. Decide rather you want a single, 2 or three columns. Remember your writing needs to be the focus. Mine was for reviews so I want the books highlight. Dark background with white letters, it works for me. I wanted 2 columns. I don’t want page cluttered up with too much. I did the outline myself.

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      4. Yes, your theme is perfect for your site. The books stand out well on the dark background. I like Gateway because I have my writing and some photos and then on the left are the archives, categories, community, etc. I don’t want too much clutter, but am afraid that readers will find it too boring without more color.Thanks,

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