Since moving back home to PA, Tara has not met many new friends. Her choice to attend “virtual school” has not helped with this issue, but it is how she wanted it. The other day, she walked out of her bedroom and said, I have LOTS of friends, but they “live” inside that box in there (aka her laptop). I answered honestly, “you know, many of my friends “live” inside of my laptop too.”
I’ve been blogging almost a year now, and what I started as a way of sharing my photos and our adventures in Orlando with far away family and friends, has turned into so much more for me. I’ve “met” people all over the world. I’ve read and seen pictures of places and things I might otherwise not have know about. I’ve seen “how the other folks” live!
I’ve become a better photographer (at least I think so),by viewing all of the fabulous photos of other bloggers. My idea of what makes a great photo have changed. It’s not always the perfect focus or perfect composition, sometimes it is that I’ve captured a “perfect” moment. I realized I didn’t photograph people “candidly” enough!
I’ve met blog friends far and NEAR. These nearby friends have taught me things about my community, and the area that I spent most of my life in. One IRL “neighbor”, on line blogger friend and I realized we had crossed paths in our teens.
Blogging has allowed me to experience things I never will experience through they eyes and words of others. I have felt happiness when good things happen, concerned when they are troubled, and sad when difficult times enter their lives. I admire the honesty and openness of so many. Some are so brutally honest about how they are feeling. I have not gotten to that point, but then again IRL, I don’t “bare my soul” to many, I keep many of my troubles private!
Some bloggers blog as a way to make money and get “stuff”, some bloggers blog to be “famous” in blog land. Some bloggers like me blog for the fun of it! Some bloggers have more than one blog (oh, that would be me too!) Some are far better writers than me, but that’s okay too!
Some bloggers have hundreds of followers, I am closing in on one hundred. For me, it’s not so much the quantity of followers, but the QUALITY, and I have to say I think I have some top quality followers, and hopefully they feel the same about me. Those are the people I try to visit every day, those whose I anticipate their next post so I can see what new things they have to share! I do feel guilty when I don’t have a chance to visit as many blogs as I want to especially on some of the photo memes I participate in on my photo blog. Sometimes I just run out of time.
When blog friends “go missing” I get concerned, I hope they are well, that RL has just interrupted time for blogging. That happened last week with a couple of my OLF. I was very happy to see them posting again!
I’m hoping next month that Tara and I will be meeting one of my favorite blog friends who also lives in PA for a day in Philadelphia. That will be fun!
Oh, and Tara, she’s happy with her OLF. She talks to them on Skype, and even does something called I-Scribble… she has become a better artist because of her on line friends, and even a better reader (that is she is showing interest in reading because of a series of books one of her OLF told her about). She does have a chance to interact with IRL kids…. we spend time each week with her cousins, meeting up with friends from the past and she’s making friends at 4-H too!
Some of my online friends are having give aways this week, and I wanted to share those here today. I’ve won some cool stuff from giveaways!
First Stacy, at Stacy’s Random Thoughts is hosting a YoPlus Light Healthy Gift Pack giveaway. The giveaway ends on 10/31/09 at 11:59est, so hurry on over and enter! You might want to visit Stacy’s posts from this week, she is sharing recipes for an awesome Thanksgiving feast, with lots of time saving/do ahead recipes!
My other friend “JAM“, one of my first blog friends, is having a giveaway too. She’s got a great “Fall Fun” (just because giveaway) going on for a beautiful glass necklace. Her giveaway ends TOMORROW at 11:59pst time so hurry over quick and enter! Take some time to visit too, you won’t be disappointed!
Lolli at Better in Bulk is participating with some other bloggers in a fun Halloween week FLIP giveaway.
Oh, and I am having a Blogoversary giveaway. I’m giving away a fabulous necklace made by my favorite jewelery maker Kristen. You have until 11:59 pst on 11/6 to enter.
Have a fabulous day!
a
