Anatomy of a blog and why I am failing anatomy

If you have been around the social media scene for anything longer than 5 minutes, you will have undoubtedly seen a pile of guides promising to make you a better blogger, make more money blogging, cure athlete's foot through blogging and so on. I have read a fair number of these guides. I have attended a bunch of classes and seminars about the topic. I am really not paying a lot of attention. Maybe that is why I am failing Blog Anatomy 101.

Rule #1 about blogging: you need to be prolific and blog often. Apparently search engines like this fact and if you want your blog to rank highly on the search pages, you need to pacify the search engine gods.

If you look over to the right hand side of the screen, you can see an archive of my blog posts. Clearly, I have failed Rule #1. I do not write a lot. My urge to write comes in fits and spurts. I cannot force a post out because I need a third post for the week. Heck, lately I would be happy to get out 3 in a month!

Rule #2: you must deliver a consistent message. Ummm, yeah. Not so much. Most of my writing surrounds woodturning but even in that, I wander over a lot of different topics. Taking a log to turning blanks, processing blanks into useful objects, storage and drying of blanks, where all of the wood comes from... A vast array of topics. Heck, my last post wasn't about woodturning at all. It was about kids sports! Hey, I am a dad, first and foremost, job #1, top priority. These things creep in from time to time. Sue me (ok, no, seriously don't do that. I have no money so you would be wasting your time).

Rule #3: engage your audience. Seriously? The blog gurus want me to beg you, the reader to comment on my blog posts. This is another thing the search engine gods really like for some reason. Personally, I think they (the gods) just want to spy on everyone. I've got my tin-foil hat. How about you?

Here's the thing... I am not comfortable asking people to comment on anything I post in order to further my own needs. You the good readership are busy people and the fact that you stop by this place at all is humbling beyond belief. I figure that if someone is moved enough about something I write or show that they feel the urge to comment, that's great! If I offer up some piece of advice that can help someone be a better or more efficient woodturner, that's great! I do not necessarily need to know about it. I am a big believer in karma so if I help someone out, even if I do not know about it, it will come back to me in someway. I'm good with that.

Now, this doesn't mean that I do not care because I certainly do. I like comments as much as the next blogger but I am not going to put that kind of pressure on you.

Rule #4: include pictures and video with every post. Hmmmm, nope, not going to happen. Lately I have done away with my fountain pen and I have been typing my posts into my iPad. I love this thing! The problem with that is that few of my pictures are on my iPad and I am not sure about how to get them here. Sometimes I manage it, but not always. Sorry. Besides, I like to think that my readers are smart enough to actually READ something and that they do not need a picture book to follow along. Everything in this world does not need to be flashy and sparkly, despite the influence of Paris Hilton and the nightmare that is the Khardashians.

Rule #5:...... Really, I have no idea. I stopped following along at Rule #1 because I failed.

Here's the thing... I write when I have something to say or something to offer woodturners, parents, or anyone else who wanders by in cyberspace. I write because I enjoy it. Occasionally someone asks me to write something for them, their blog or magazine. That's cool and flattering but I am not here to make money as the next big thing in social media. I am a woodturner who makes (mostly) salad bowls. I am brutal at self-promotion because if I try to sell you something, you will spot it a mile away and you will be turned off. Every now and then I will show you something I have made. I will probably tell you where it is available. That is as hard a sell-job as I am going to offer up.

My blog is not a business of it's own. I do not write to improve my Klout score or to sell 500 salad bowls per year. I am not after speaking engagements about blogging or social media. I am not trying to turn the world on it's ear or revolutionize anything.

And that is why I fail at Blog Anatomy 101.

Thanks for stopping by.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad