Thursday, April 24, 2008

Everybody Has A Blog

It took me nearly a year to admit in public that I have a blog. There's a funny little look people give you when they find out that you blog. Especially if they aren't very active online. I think the perception is that you are publishing your private diary online for everyone in the entire world to read.

Clearly not true because some people in Africa don't have internet access.

I don't have a problem emailing a link to a post I've written or putting my url in our family Christmas letter. But to tell someone face-to-face that I have a blog...well....I get all shy about it. And God help Michael if I ever find out HE'S told someone about the blog. I need every detail of the conversation and I must be reassured that he kept the expectations very, very low. I nearly passed out when I found out he'd told his songwriting friend, Matt, in Georgia, whom I've never met!

I totally love my blog. It's my creative outlet and my family record. But the whole confidence thing has taken a little while to develop. Someday I'm going to be proud of my blog. Someday.

In the meantime, it helps a lot to see that blogging is becoming more and more popular. Last year my favorite Bible teacher, Beth Moore, started one with her daughter. They post encouragement, funny stories, pictures, conference recaps, and lots of everyday family life.

In the past few weeks, I've stumbled across a couple of other famous people blogs still in their infant stages. Ed Young, pastor of Fellowship Church in Texas and our small group mascot (just kidding), began writing at EdYoungBlog.com.

Patsy Clairmont - THE Patsy Clairmont of Sportin' a 'Tude fame - has one too.

And then today, I followed a link to Travis Cottrell's blog. Travis Cottrell - who leads worship at the Living Proof Live conferences and was nominated for THREE Dove Awards this year. And Travis even blogs about American Idol! I'm not kidding.

Most of these are still getting under 20 comments a post, which means they haven't been discovered by the masses yet. How else do you get to send a direct message to someone like that...without getting a form letter back saying so-and-so isn't able to answer, or even read, all of their personal mail anymore, butthankyouverymuchforwriting.

So the way I've got it figured, if Beth Moore, Ed Young, Travis Cottrell, and Patsy Clairmont have blogs, I need not be ashamed of mine.

Right. Yeah, I'm working on it.

3 comments:

gail said...

oh julie! you and me both! i rarely tell people i have a blog. i'm going to have to check out the ones you've mentioned. i got to see patsy at a women of faith conf and she was hilarious!

mine hasn't hit the big time either, but that's ok. for me, its an outlet and a record of our lives. and that may be what it will always be.

hugs, gail in idaho

Dena said...

Hee hee, me too.
I remember a while after I started my blog, I read someone else say something about how they would be so excited the day they got 20 comments. I was completely perplexed. It had never occurred to me that someone would want other people to read their blog that they didn't know.
I had the attitude that if someone accidently found my blog, then great. I couldn't imagine them wanting to read it, but they were by all means welcome.
When we went to China, we gave out our address to our family and friends. It's interesting to me the people who've ended up being regular readers. They are friends, but not close friends. I'm always surprised when people comment to me in person about something they've read on my blog - and embarrassed!
Dena

KarenW said...

Hee hee! It's hard to believe that there are people out there that don't have a blog now a days. My parents ( in their 70's) each have a blog, but my younger brother doesn't.