Birth of a Blog

Some of my favorite blogs are evolving. 

  Bloggers are talking about and evaluating the makings of an outstanding blog and how to maintain the flow of their own space. Justin (More Cowbell) has a brand new intriguing template. He'd like your opinion. Check it out.Bobby Griffin (Bestest Blog of All Time)- a guy many of us can thank for the attention we've received after winning his Bestest Blog of the Day award - has revamped his format by posting a new theme each day written by guest bloggers. I'll be a guest blogger soon as well as Julie (Flip This Body)and Morgen's kickoff feature this week with Morgen Mondays.

Technical difficulties have plagued even the great Bobby Griffin this past weekend. We all wish him well in working the kinks out. He deserves a lot of credit for attempting to maintain his par excellent weblog and teaching school each day. Not an easy task!

Gale Martin (GEM'S BLOG) contemplated recently the wisdom of posting so many pictures with her posts. Fellow blogger friends encouraged her to continue enhancing her blog with photos. She has a knack for picking just the right one to complement her strong content and wit.
The format works well for her writing style.

RHYS Postlewaight (A World of Bloggers) is due back anytime after taking a short hiatus to travel and bring back some of those awesome pictures of his. We can't wait to see them!Another great blog with fabulous visual merit is Bazza's Blog (Normal Life). A writer from United Kingdom with a wealth of literary knowledge to share and an eye for beautiful landscapes, art and words, his daily posts are intellectually stimulating and delightful. If you haven't discovered Bazza's blog you absolutely must visit! Note: Bazza's original blog has evolved into a new blog called To Discover Ice. Check it out.

So you see.....blogs are evolving and morphing into even better presentations. We're learning the visual/technical tricks of the trade as well.

I've made a list of my own strengths and weaknesses, experimenting with template changes in a separate blog just for that purpose and thinking about a new format for Mimi Writes. Trying to streamline the blog writing process in order to have time for my novel and my life without losing my mind! (I regularly fall asleep at the keyboard).One thing I've learned from writing Dating Profile of the Day is to keep it simple. People like to know what to expect from your blog and don't want too many surprises - especially if your blog has a solo theme. Bobby Griffin mentioned having a FOCUS and how important that is to keep readers coming back. Reminds me of the magazine "Reader's Digest" They've had the same format for eons and we love knowing what to expect and can be assured we'll always be entertained.

I've found that to be true. My format for Dating Profile has basically remained the same for the last 83 posts and the site is growing, picking up new visitors daily. I may change the look but not the premise, except for adding a Scarlett Sundays feature. In the blog world, remember this: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I'm going to heed the advice of some sage bloggers out there who've decided to stick to a daily theme instead of coming up with something unrelated to talk about each day. Those of use who are not true "personal journals" (ie: baby pictures, family reporting, mundane ramblings just for the sake of journaling) and would like to reach a wider audience and promote our writing/art/photos might do well to find at least one focus for one day of the week and stick to it.
Lizza (I Am Woman, See Me Blog!) has done well with this with her Saturday blog, which I really enjoy. She has a talent for finding and describing good blogs. She also comments faithfully on the blogs she reads.

I've decided to add a feature to Mimi Writes in which I'll choose one day (not sure which yet) to actually go out and DO something I've never done before and then write about it. This will get me out of the blogger's seat for awhile and force me to get a fresh perspective. Something I might do would be to simply wear a ridiculous (or frilly) hat out in public one afternoon, or visit a different denominational place of worship on Sunday, or conduct an impromptu survey at the mall as people pass. The wheels are spinning. Stay tuned for Mimi Morphs!
I think it's important to list your strengths and weaknesses. I'm particularly interested in finding wisdom and humor in mundane happenings, unusual news stories, well-written websites, discovering new talents and fascinating people - and not unsung heroes necessarily - maybe just unsung everyday people.

So those are my thoughts on blogging for today. If you know of any really cool sites that offer template help, graphic designs, add-ons and would like to share, please write!

There's never a shortage of good blogs out there. I'll keep searching and evolving as I go along. Hope to see you there.