To Blog or not to Blog?

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Today’s Blog Post

To Blog or not to Blog?
I have been a Blogger for 4 years now… having posted the first time on Feb 22, 2006. In 18 days I will have my fourth anniversary. Wahoo! That is 1185 times to have blogged.

I have taken about 1185 hours of time to write these words – 29.625 work weeks that consist of 40 hours time. Hmmm – just over a half year of pecking out words.

Blogging is something like doing a Radio Program. You prepare your thoughts and material getting ready for that moment that the indicator on the panel show you are live. The anticipation builds and the excitement increases… and then away you go… “Good afternoon, Good morning, or Good evening ladies and gentlemen – wherever you are out there in Radio Land… wherever you may be listening… welcome to the program we have prepared for you. I am sure (or maybe not) that you will enjoy what is going to be presented. We would love to hear back from you…”

And then on and on… the words flow out to wherever they might land and whatever they might do – good or bad.

When I first began blogging my friend Hervey Shank was very sick with cancer. Not long after that Hervey passed away.

I was the Pastor of Northview Church as some of you know. In February 2006 we were going through more upheavals internally as a church, with huge attitudes appearing from no where. Looking back now it was the surge or ground swell of mini leaders doing their stuff to get their way.

We attempted a Mid Week Bible Study and Prayer time that would possibly bring folk together. Guess what… no one came. Yikes what a memory. The first Blogging was an attempt to publish the bible Study Notes… and the prayer requests… and even victories that we were celebrating.

I shudder with the thoughts that flood back from that time. The grumbling and complaining that came regularly from Brother Grumble and Sister Complain erupted with a new life… “How dare ‘he’ put the stories out their about poor “******”! Who allows him to do this!?? He has to stop!”

The ‘he’ was me! Because “Brother Grumble and Sister Complain” are still alive I dare not put real names into the text. Oh boy!

What started as a great idea changed slowly. People didn’t want Bible Study Notes… so I stopped publishing them. They didn’t like compassionate stories that shared too much info (in their opinion) because perhaps I might share something about Brother Grumble and Sister Complain! They didn’t like good news stories about anyone that they knew either.

Too funny - Brother Grumble and Sister Complain didn’t like anything. So it seemed.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that Brother Grumble and Sister Complain are reading these words today as well. Brother Grumble and Sister Complain follow me and what I am doing wrong.

(Taking a deep breath… good stuff in… bad stuff out… whew… that felt good. Do again Murray… oh yes.)

Blogging definitely messed with the Grumbles and Complains as they kept guard on everyone.

Now 1185 posts later I posted at least that many different things… with Grumble and Complain not following it real well anymore. (note that the words ‘Brother and Sister’ have been removed).

The next generation…
Blogging was new when I began. At least new to Old People like me… and the people that were reading.

Now it is Old. The new generation coming along don’t do Blogging as much any more… nor do they read Blogs as much.

In an article and report that came to me today it states that… Quote…
"The number of 12 to 17-year-olds in the US who blog has halved to 14% since 2006, according to a survey for the Pew Internet and American Life Project.” End quote

What began with the Youth or Younger Adults has now changed – they have dropped it or slowed it in favour of the more modern social networking methods… like Facebook, Twitter, Messaging whether Text Messaging or some other form.

The article that I read states simply…
“One student said teenagers had lost interest in blogging because they needed to type quickly and "people don't find reading that fun".”

Okay… then who reads the things that you publish?

Good question. The answer is very different now from the first days that I first published Prayer and Praise Reports… and angered Grumble and Complain so…

It is people from all over the world that come to the Blog. Sometimes it is for info that is relevant and other times it is out of puzzlement with the topic that I hit on.

I had a number of Doctors contact me by telephone about the story that I did on MS.

One of the top articles that I published is the one entitled, “Breast Milk Ice Cream”. Which if you missed it – take a look at January 17, 2009.

This was a complete spoof about a real suggestion made buy some nutcase by the name of Tracey Reiman, executive Vice president of PETA urging Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream people to stop making Ice Cream from Cow’s Milk and rather use Human Breast Milk!!!!

No kidding.

And guess who comes to read that article the most? It is people from Islamic Countries like Turkey and other Arabic speaking countries. Dozens upon dozens of times they read it.

Truly it has helped them to be reminded that the “western culture” is nuts. I agree with them – and it makes great blogging.

Yesterday another series of articles came my way suggesting that my blogging is great material to make huge amounts of money for people. I haven’t sorted that one out yet… not sure what to do or how to do it yet…

This AM as I sat again to peck out familiar words I think of my grandson’s comment when I told him that I published his story on the Blog. He said, “I can’t read it on my IPod – the words are too small…”

No wonder they are not Blogging so much anymore!

But thank God for old people… they read and can see larger words on their computers.

And thank you for making my day today! You read down this far! Wahoo!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

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Source
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8497427.stm
http://murraylincoln.blogspot.com/2009/01/breast-milk-ice-cream.html