I've never really had much time for the 'meme' phenomenon, maybe because I don't find myself all that interesting, maybe because I don't want to inadvertently give too much away about my 'real' self, maybe both. The idea, though, found here, via here. of a meme about blogging itself has caught my interest. So, using the questions from the original, here goes:
What you like most about being a blogger?
Connecting with people who I wouldn't ever have met, aside from infinitesimal chance, in any other way, while having the opportunity to say what I think about issues of personal interest that would be, to say the least, difficult in my everyday life.
How many bloggers have you met?
Two. Both of whom I'm honoured to be able to call friends. Actually, I should probably say three, because my daughter has a Tumblr, and she, of course, is the most important person of all in what remains of my life.
Do you ever go back and read your old entries?
Fairly often, certainly in the case of my fiction blog, somewhat less so in this main, journal blog. Masturbatory as it may seem, I actually like reading some of my own stories, particularly the magnum opus (so far) that I wrote earlier this year.
Do you share your job skills here?
No - I try to keep my cyberlife and my 'real' life as separate as possible.
Have you changed your views about anything thanks to blogging?
I don't think any fundamentals have changed, but there are probably some issues I feel more strongly about now than I did three and a half years ago when I started. Perhaps the post I wrote earlier today might be illustrative.
Do your coworkers know about your blog?
It would, frankly, be a disaster if any of my colleagues read my blog, given its principal subject matter. I move in horribly homophobic circles at work, and that's before we even get started on the boylove side of things. If my 'wall of pseudonymity' was ever to be breached, I think my career would be over immediately.
What advice would you give for successful blogging?
Be yourself, and if you don't enjoy it, don't do it.
What is your opinion of aardvarks?
They successfully occupy their ecological niche, and should be able to continue to do so without interference from invasive, parasitical species - such as Homo sapiens.
Do you publish everything you write ?
In the main blog, more or less everything - I've only ever deleted one post after publication, after finding I was completely wrong in what I'd written, and have only deleted a very small number, probably in single figures, at the draft stage. The fiction blog is a completely different scenario, though - I have literally dozens of stories at various (usually early) stages of incompleteness, most of which will probably never see the light of day.
If you could make ‘three rules’ for blogging, what would they be?
1) Tell the truth, at least as you see it.
2) If you've got nothing to say, say nothing.
3) If people are kind enough to visit and, particularly, to comment, have the courtesy to acknowledge/reply.
Do people help you write your blog?
My daughter has written one comment, in response to something nice someone said about an artwork of hers I posted, otherwise every word (apart, obviously, from quotes) is 'all my own work'.
Who are your blogger super-heroes?
In the sense of 'role models', no-one - I've always tried to make my blog my own - but in terms of people I've come to care about and wish the best for, there are a number, Mark, Jay, Randy, Tony, Rowan, Lauren, but, most of all, and, doubtless, to the surprise of no-one who's read my blog for any length of time, David.
Final question (if you dare!) :
Have you slept with any of your fellow bloggers?
No. A very unlikely scenario, to say the least.
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Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B
