I know it’s been nine days already since my last post. My husband has been blogging more frequently than I’ve been. This is probably the most used excuse ever, but really, I have been very busy. Too busy to write on my own personal blog. It seems that I did stand true to what I told Abe before: designing will always come first before blogging.
I’ve had so much work backlog since organizing the Philippine Blog Awards. Kind of like the unwashed laundry, which kept on piling up the more I try to forget about it. I have to tie loose ends before I leave for Bohol next week. I’ve learned my lesson—I’m not bringing my work to the beach like I did in Puerto Galera. Doing so really took the fun out of a much-needed break.
Anyway, I wasn’t able to attend the first day of iBlog3 last Friday because of work—I was only able to attend the second one when I also I had my talk in the afternoon. And since I didn’t get any sleep at that time, I spent most of the morning getting coffee from a nearby kiosk—I couldn’t afford to doze off while giving my talk. Although most of what the other speakers said just breezed through my head, I was able to do was I was there for: network!
I’ve met a lot of bloggers last Saturday, bloggers whom I don’t see very often. Though the friends I hang out with regularly for the past few months are also bloggers, it never ceases to amuse me when I actually meet bloggers in person. Aside from the fact that it’s a great way to promote one’s blog, I get to see real people behind those entries I read on the Net. And what’s even more amusing is the fact that their blogs say a lot about who they are.
Connie and I have talked about how difficult it is to blog about something that you really aren’t very passionate about. Anybody can put up a flower blog, but not everybody can actually sustain it. You can have photos of the different angles of a rose, but it won’t be enough to keep the blog going. You either have to be a real flower fanatic or a botanist for the blog to really make sense and have a purpose. It would be difficult to create original content if you don’t really know the subject that well.
Which brings me back to the people I met at iBlog3. These people are really passionate about what they blog about—and I can’t see any other reason why they shouldn’t be. You can be driven by the need to monetize a blog, but the success of the blog cannot be determined by that motivation alone: you need passion.
Juned’s family ran a juice factory and he used to breed fishes for sale to pet shops. Pierre is going to be a lawyer soon (congrats, by the way). Manolo has a real passion for politics. Talking to Datu Jamal Ashley is like reading his blog—I learned a lot even in such a simple conversation. Marcelle practiced his creativity by “ambushing†unsuspecting bloggers with magic tricks while Jonas took the videos.
A blog can show a lot about a person’s personality and his passion, but meeting them in person can tell you how much it (the blog) really does.
As you can see from my lack of updates, web/blog design is my passion. I can prattle on and on about WordPress, blog design and themes, but this isn’t the right place for it—I would rather show this passion through the implementation of my blog and the free themes I release. I’m also nuts about dogs and have a weird fondness for weddings and wedding planning.
So, how about you? Do you blog about what you’re passionate about?
Hi Gail. Thank you again for taking time to share your knowledge at iBlog3. I agree with you that it is hard to blog about something that is not a personal passion. It is tough to sustain it. I blog on things that I’m passionate about or interested in and compartmentalize it through several blogs (functioning like folders or separate rooms).
Oh that reminds me… I’ll come up with a final comment on my theme before we meet. That way, one shot meet and install. Yipeeee! Excited na ako =)
You ask difficult questions. My girlfriend told me I needed an outlet. I do not really understand what she meant. Anyway, that is why I started to blog. Keeping it up to date is a good way to pass the time. Sometimes it feels a bit like an obligation.
Am bookmarking this blog.
Hi Gail, What I learned is that you will come to point where your blog will give birth to a few other blogs because you feel the need to focus what you write. Sometimes categories are enough and sometimes they are not. 🙂
Blogging about topics you’re hardly familiar with is a travesty! Unfortunately for those who insist on it, it shows in their writing.
I blog about the topics I’m really passionate about, precisely why I jump from one niche to another at any point in time. This is also the same reason why some of my blogs are not updated for certain periods, because they’re not the topics I’m presently interested in.