What a Ride It’s Been – Two Months in the Blogosphere

I published the first post on my blog exactly two months ago. I did not know if blogging would be something I would enjoy but I needed to jump in and give it a try.  I simultaneously enrolled for WordPress’s Blogging U 101 class.  I can hardly be considered an expert with such a short tenure but this post reports the state of my blog today.

Nobody warned me that it would be addicting. But what a joy it has been.

I extend sincere appreciation to those people who have connected with my blog, whether or not they choose to follow me.  I am always happy to receive feedback and constructive criticism which will help me to improve my product.

I have learned so much! I had never really looked at many blogs prior to jumping in. I had absolutely no idea how huge and widely diverse the blogosphere was.  I had not gotten into Twitter or Instagram and the same reluctance to brace that technology also kept me out of the blogging world.  The number  of blogs and the varied topics astounds me.  I have found many blogs with similar interests to mine and others with topics that I initially had no interest in, but which now appeal to me. I have laughed and cried over blogs.  I have been inspired. I have been called to action. I find myself cheering for underdogs, being moved with compassion, being angered by rudeness and misunderstanding, and praying.  I have expanded my knowledge base in a very positive way.  The blogosphere is a microcosm of society.

Probably the most important thing I have learned regarding blogging is the importance of building community by checking out other blogs, following those that interest me and commenting.

I found that I have a lot to say and I have some people who want to read what I have to say. My advanced composition teacher would be so proud that after years of doing little writing other than keeping a journal, sending an occasional personal letter, and doing business and technical writing for my job, I am actually using the skills she attempted to instill in me.  Yet I do not consider myself a writer.  That title I attribute to those people who write poetry and fiction and other literature, plus those with a specific purpose or focus in their blogs.

At a very young two months, I report the following:

• I have 158 followers.
• I have 2,707 hits from 36 different countries.  By far the most visitors are from the United States, followed by  the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.
• The most commonly viewed post or page About Good Woman, not surprising since most people who visit a blog want to learn about the author.
• The category of posts that was most popular was the Awards category. Each of the posts in that category had among the largest number of views.  This is also not surprising because the award posts contained links to other blogs and other bloggers would link back to those posts.
• My favorite post is 93,100 Stitches which combines my love of cross stitch and family with a bit of an emotional twist.  In a similar vein Grieving Woman in which I bleed emotion was also among my favorites.
• My post that in my opinion is the most significant is Introverts Unite.  Many readers gave positive feedback on that post.
• A post that did not get much attention was What Is In a Name.  It explains where my blog name of Good Woman came from.
• A post that was out of my normal style was Words of the Wise. I thought it was humorous it but it did not get many views.
• I have severally regularly scheduled posts:  a) Top Ten Tuesdays – A list of ten things in a category of my choice;  b)Words Crush Wednesday Favorite Quotes Challenge – A feature sponsored by Rebirth of Lisa for which I publish a quote each week;  c) Throwback Thursday – An anecdote or commentary from my earlier life; d) Casual Fridays – A feature sponsored by Amie Writes with “with no structure, no rules, anything goes”; e) Saturday stitching post – A post sharing cross stitch projects, cross stitching being my #1 hobby.

 Where do I go from here?

• I  intend to continue blogging.
• I need to continue to build my readership, my community.
• I need to become involved with social media such as Twitter or Facebook as a way to increase my traffic, but that will probably wait until I have more time to do those things justice, possibly once I do retire.
• I have to work to have a better balance in my personal time, so I still have time to do the other things I really enjoy like reading and cross stitch.  Blogging tends to be all consuming but I don’t want to burn out or have my other pastimes suffer.
• I need to figure out the best time to publish posts to increase their visibility.
• I want to improve my photography skills so I have better images to use in my post.  Photography is one of those things I used to love but over the years I have not kept up with it.
• I want to improve my content and its overall appeal.
• I need to figure out which topics and posts are most effective.
• I really need to work on my stated goal which is to figure out when I will retire!

I love receiving feedback, ideas, criticism, answers to life’s  biggest questions and anything else that can help me in this endeavor.  If you have anything to share, please do so.

Thanks for reading another thread of my life.