Something Nice and Less Whiny

I saw Thursday Thoughts while surfing the blogosphere today and thought it would be a nice alternative to Booking Through Thursday when I choose not to do that meme.

From Thursday Thoughts:

Why did got you begin on your blogging adventure?  Tell the who, what, when, where and why!  How many blogs do you maintain?  How often do you write on your blog and how much time do you spending reading other blogs?  Do you feel a compulsion to share your blogging experience with the people in your life?  Have you made real connections via your blogging?  And, last, but NEVER least…

ARE YOU ADDICTED?

Why did got you begin on your blogging adventure?  Tell the who, what, when, where and why! 

I began my blogging adventure back in 2003. I think it was October or thereabouts. We were still living in California at the time. Ahhh. Those were the days. Anyway, we knew that we were going on recruiting duty and while we didn’t know where, we knew it would be a big move. Our families tend to be worriers and nag us about this sort of thing so I figured that rather than fielding calls about where we were going, I’d set up a blog that I could update and not have to speak directly to anybody. It turned out to be a really great way to keep everyone up to date with our move, where we were going, and what it was like when we got there. Honestly, if I hadn’t had my blog those three loooong years in Vermont, I truly think I would have ended up in a mental hospital. No joke. Now, 5 years later, I don’t think ANYone in our family still reads my blog and it has evolved into whatever it is today.

How many blogs do you maintain?

This is the only blog that I maintain with any regularity. I have a blog that’s private that I put pictures of my kids on but haven’t updated it in forever. Also, there are WordPress and OnSugar versions of this very blog that I was experimenting with. I have no idea what I plan to do with them at this point.

How often do you write on your blog and how much time do you spend reading other blogs? 

I update 4.7 times a week on average according to Google Reader, heheh. I dunno. I try to update Monday through Friday and take the weekends off but sometimes I’m inspired to update multiple times a day (like today) and on the weekends and sometimes I don’t feel like writing at all. I try very hard not to let myself feel obligated to update because I’ve seen really good bloggers give up blogging for that very reason. As for how much time I spend reading other people’s blogs, well, I would estimate that it’s A LOT. It’s one of my favorite pastimes and these days, I read blogs more than I do books and that’s saying something.

Do you feel a compulsion to share your blogging experience with the people in your life?

Hmm. Well, I’m not shy about the fact that I blog but I don’t know how much I talk about it outside of the online community. When I do talk about blogging with real live people, I tend to become enthusiastic and I probably come off as insane.

Have you made real connections via your blogging?

I’m not sure how to answer this part. Some of the people that read my blog I know in real life because I either went to high school with them or they were friends and neighbors at some point. Also, there are some bloggers that I feel that if we were neighbors we’d be friends. But I just don’t know how much I believe that “real” connections can be made with people you’ve never met and will probably never meet. It makes me feel a bit stalker-ish to think I have real connections with people I “follow” online. Define “real connection”.

Am I addicted? I suppose I would say yes to an extent. I would be sad if I never blogged or read blogs again. Would I have withdrawal if I quit cold turkey? Maybe. I would definitely feel like I was forgetting to do something. I would also miss reading my regular blog haunts. You do feel like you get to know people when you read their blogs every day. I asked my hubby this question and he answered, “YES!!” without hesitation, lol. Oh well. I could be addicted to much worse things in life.