I made up the following meme to learn a little more about my fellow bloggers. I tried not to duplicate the questions from other blogging memes I’ve seen. This one seems to focus more on the social aspect of blogging, though I hadn’t originally intended it to have that emphasis — but “Why do you blog?” and “How did you get started?” went around often ages ago. But if you have never answered those question, feel free to do so!

How do you feel about being tagged for memes?

I consider it an honor that the person tagging me thought of me. I may or may not participate, depending on how busy I am at the time and whether I can think of anything interesting to answer. I usually do them, though.

Do you participate in any regular weekly memes? Which ones?

I usually do Kelli’s Show and Tell Friday and TN Chick‘s Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt pretty regularly. I love the creativity of both of them. I used to do Wordless Wednesday and Thursday Thirteen and Friday Feasts pretty regularly but eventually ran out of interesting material for them, plus they have both gotten so big! I ran out of ideas fro Shannon‘s Works For Me Wednesday long ago, but I still participate from time to time when I come across a great tip. I’ve done others for a while here and there.

I think of memes as getting out to meet the neighbors. Sometimes new bloggers begin posting all their wonderful things for people to read and then get discouraged when no one comes around. But, unlike real-life neighborhoods, no one knows your blog is there unless you get out and around (even search engines don’t list you much unless you’re beginning to get some traffic, unless you’ve posted something unique). It is true in blogging as it is elsewhere that “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly” (Proverbs 18:24).

Of course, I don’t want to have just a meme blog, either — I strive for the right balance.

Have you found any bloggers that you began to read regularly after participating in a meme with them?

Yes. I always enjoyed Melli‘s entries and comments on Thursday Thirteens and Friday’s Feasts. and then began to read her regularly, and then subscribed to her blog. There may be others I found that way, but I don’t remember now.

Do you know of any readers who found you through a meme and became regular readers?

Jewel told me she found me through a Thursday Thirteen. It’s funny because it was at a time when neither of us was participating in it regularly, but we both happened to on the same day and liked what we read enough to keep coming back. 🙂

Did you find any favorite blogs through comments or blogrolls on others’ blogs?

Yes, especially in the early days, I’d click on the blogrolls of blogs I read to find more interesting reads. After a while you get too many to handle, though, and have to pare down. Every now and then someone’s gracious or funny comment on someone else’s blog will cause me to click over out of curiosity.

Did you find any favorite blogs from someone else’s recommendation?

Yes, I first clicked over to Barb’s blog because I had seen her mentioned several times as a sweet new blogger. There have been others, too, that I clicked on through some other blogger’s mention and liked what I read and kept reading. There have been others I read for a while but then stopped.

If you comment on someone’s blog, do you expect a response? If so, do you prefer that response to come through an e-mail, a comment from them on the same post, or a a comment on your blog?

I don’t expect a response, unless I asked a direct question, but it’s nice. Unless the post I commented on is a “hot” topic or has an ongoing discussion, I don’t usually go back to see if the blogger commented on my comment, so those kinds of responses are usually lost on me. An e-mail response is nice, but probably I prefer a comment on my blog in response. Though we shouldn’t comment on other people’s blogs just to get them to come visit us, it is nice when they do.

I usually try to at least click on the link of people who comment here and visit them and respond, but I know I have failed to do that sometimes.

Do you ever struggle with your blogging “voice”?

Yes. Sometimes I wish I were as funny as this blogger, as poignant as that one, as inspirational or able to convey spiritual truth as another. When I post a lot of memes or “fun” stuff, I feel perhaps I should be more serious and spiritually-minded. When I have had a lot of serious posts, I feel I should lighten up a little.

Sometimes I wonder if I should be more focused, but, really, I have felt from the beginning that this blog would be more of a hodgepodge, reflecting the many things I love and am interested in. I want to be a good testimony and an encouragement to other women spiritually, but I don’t think you have to have a strictly spiritual/devotional blog in order to do that. I am ministered to by others’ whole personality, not just their teaching.

I’ve also thought about splitting off into a separate blog, say, for book related things, but so far I really like keeping all the different aspects of my blogging here.

Are there certain types of blogs that attract you?

Well, as I said above, many of the blogs I read show something of another person’s personality that attracts me. There are some that I read because of the excellent writing: they convey everyday incidents in a funny or beautiful way. I also subscribe to a number of crafting and decorating blogs because they inspire me. There are some I read because of the spiritual truth they aptly convey. But honestly I don’t read many that are strictly instructional and devotional. I get a lot of spiritual teaching through many different avenues, and there is so much available, it would be easy to read those kinds of things every available moment — and not get anything out of them because I am cramming too much into my brain without thinking through any of it. So I read just a few with food for thought and enough time to “digest” them mentally and spiritually.

Are there certain types of blogs that repel you?

I avoid blogs with profanity and obscenity. I have unsubscribed from blogs whose views I agree with when their tone has gotten too harsh or when they constantly seem to have a chip-on-the-shoulder attitude. Blogs that seem to be too commercial or that overdo attempts to drive people back to their blog wear thin after a very short while.

What time of day do you usually blog?

It varies. I usually read blogs in the mornings with breakfast. Sometimes I post then, sometimes I post in the late evenings. A lot depends on my family’s schedule and computer availability.

Do your family and friends know about your blog? Do they read it? Do they mind if you mention them? Do they suggest posts for it?

My immediate family knows about it. I think my husband reads it pretty regularly, my older boys may glance at it occasionally. I have mentioned it to my extended family and friends in a Christmas letter once, but I don’t know if any of them checked it out (say hello if you did!!) I know of only one person from my church who reads it (Hello, Carol!) and one older friend who I think does (Hello, Valorie!) as well as a few people I knew in college. I don’t think my family minds being mentioned as long as it is not embarrassing to them. Just occasionally someone in my immediate family will suggest I blog something. Sometimes I do, sometimes I think, “Hey! Get your own blog!” 😀

I know as soon as I hit the Publish button, I am going to think of some more questions! But I guess I will save those for another time.

I won’t tag anyone, but feel free to take part! If you do, please link back to me as the originator of the meme, if you don’t mind. 🙂

(Photo courtesy of the stock.xchng.)