Best blog post title ever

I added blogger to my repertoire a little over a year ago. It seemed appropriate timing that the article How to Grow Traffic To Your Blog appeared in my GoogleReader recently, as it caused me to celebrate this “milestone” by reflecting on the 365 days of its existence.

The article’s list of eight tips and how Mac ‘n Cheese Lifestyle stacks up —

  1. Great titles help – mine aren’t amazingly witty but they’re not uber-dry either
  2. Graphics don’t hurt – occasional use of photos and video
  3. Brevity is the game – eek.  Some of my posts weigh as much as an encyclopedia.
  4. Share your blog – when I post here, the post is automatically shared on Facebook.  I’ll include links to certain posts in my e-newsletter [400+ readers] and my Mingler emails [700+ readers], as well as in pertinent comment sections on other’s blogs.
  5. Subscriptions or no? – I’m happy that just one person subscribes.  And I find the subscription list intriguing.  Random family members, random friends, strangers, random acquaintances, boyfriend, boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend.

(I like to joke that my mother and I are the only ones to read my blog.  But my mother doesn’t read it.  The one time she did, it was because a) her sister forwarded her a post, and b) the post was about her.  To my knowledge, she’s not been back.  I don’t take it personally.  There is no rule that parents MUST take an interest in their offspring’s activities.  I put the shoe on the other foot and concluded I probably wouldn’t subscribe to her blog; I just can’t get jazzed about dream analysis, life-changing ketchup, and food policy.)

6. Guest posts – never asked anyone.  I wonder what Ricky Gervais’ boyfriend criteria would be?

7. Consistency – I’m consistently inconsistent, does that count?  I like the once a day school of thought but life has a way of getting in the way.  And I don’t have something amazingly interesting to say daily.  Sometimes not even weekly.

8. Market your blog – the article suggests business cards or postcards with your blog address.  I can’t imagine ever spending money on this irrelevant tool of narcissism.  The time spent already boggles my mind.

I’ve also read in numerous places that encouraging dialogue via asking readers questions is key.  Often a blog’s comment section is more interesting than the actual post.  Not doing very well in that area, the question-asking.

So all this begs the question, why do I blog?  I’m not really sure.  It’s kind of like journaling.  Kind of like therapy.  Kind of like a soapbox.  Kind of a way to connect.  Kind of a way to stay on people’s radar’s.  Kind of a way to pretend I’m a writer.  Definitely a procrastination tool.  For now, I’ll leave it at I blog because blogging is what all the cool kids are doing, and since I wasn’t a cool kid in middle school [read 250 pounds, clothes ten sizes too big and only in hunter green or navy blue, front teeth you could stick a finger in between, frizzy hair, and a fear of having a personality], this is my time to wear Girbaud jeans, strut around with my yellow Sony Walkman, and sit at the popular table at lunch.