Post #8807

Oops, I missed announcing Post #8800 because I wasn’t paying attention to my stats. In honor of that large number, I’ll write a little bit about blogging, but first I’ll show a sunrise from Tuesday.

I’m sharing this picture with Alan‘s Skywatch linkup, one of the most popular blog hops. It still has a large number of participants, even though blogging in general has dropped off. Quite a few linkups have ceased to exist in the last couple of years.

I think many bloggers have found that other social media sites are taking up their online time and energy, Other people have virtually retired from the Internet. I like sharing photos and short updates, and while I also do so on Facebook, I don’t spend much time on the various other social media sites. I already spend more time on my iPad and phone than feels healthy. At some point, a person needs to get up and move around and do other things. 

I’ve been blogging since 2005 and you may wonder why I don’t get bored with it. Well, I love photography and I have a variety of interests. I try to guard against repeating myself too much. Sometimes I notice that I took a picture that is an awful lot like one I posted before. That’s not always a bad thing. I don’t think anybody is going to remember what I posted a few years ago.

Sharing to linkups on various topics helps keep me interested by challenging me to come up with something that I might not have photographed otherwise. I try to find a new mural to post every Monday, and that takes effort. Tuesday is easier because I can just post a picture with a title for the Wordless linkup. The next day is Wild Bird Wednesday, and that can be challenging too. I am not a real bird watcher who hikes with a zoom lens in an area known for birds. I just happen to like birds, and I enjoy pursuing a topic. On Thursday, I often participate in Skywatch, although I can also post to that one on Friday. Friday is a good time to post a black-and-white picture and a reflection or street scene, and getting all of those on one day is tricky. At one time, my posts sometimes covered multiple topics, but now I like to keep them more focused. Saturday is critters day, and a couple times a month. I turn the task over to Charlie because he has fans.  (Okay, a beagle does not literally type out posts, but he inspires them.)

Sunday used to have a linkup for churches, but it went away after there were only three people participating. I was running out of churches to photograph anyway.  I still try to post something positive or inspiring on Sunday, at least most of the time. 

There are other linkups that I like, plus the monthly topic for City Daily Photo. 

Note that I use the words linkup and blog hop interchangeably, but there are other terms that mean the same thing, including linky and link party. Whatever you call them, they are online networking opportunities that connect bloggers with common interests. I have found dozens of great blogs through these pages. 

Did I tell you that I prefer posts that are fairly short? Yet I’ve rambled on the limit of my eyesight’s ability. Come back tomorrow and I’ll try to be succinct.