Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Blogging Survey/Meme Thingy

As part of her Seven Days of Blog, Blest with Sons created a fun survey for her readers. I'd be interested in your answers, too. Here are mine.

Blog Reading

How many do you read regularly?
I try to stop by all of those on my blogroll fairly regularly; but truth be told, I frequent about 21 very regularly.

How many are written by women? By men?
Most are by women, but I do love some men's blogs. Wow, I just did a count. There are 25 blogs by men on my blogroll!

Are they all Christian? How about the same denomination?
They're all Christian, but hardly the same "denomination," since I don't have one. I link to many bloggers whom I love but who have vastly different theology from me.

What kinds of posts do you like the best?
I love posts in which the author ruminates in a lively, witty, thoughtful or interesting way on a topic (preferably something pertaining to God, the Bible, the human condition, or current events).

What kinds of posts are you most likely to comment on?
I am most likely to comment when I have something substantive (in the case of a topical post) or encouraging (in the case of a "personal," here's-what's-going-on-with-me post) to say. Many times I will read without commenting.

What makes you add a blog to your favorites list/bloglines? Or conversely, what drives you away from a blog?
Makes me add: Interesting writing; engaging personality; similar interests. There are SO MANY blogs out there, and so little time to actually read. I like good content, and that's usually what draws me, but if we develop a relationship (as has happened with so many brothers and sisters here!), I am also interested in the minutae of your life in a way I wouldn't be if I didn't know you.
Drives me away: Fighting/arguing (as opposed to discussion); boring writing/topics; politics. I'm just not that interested in politics; so many people seem convinced that the answers are there, or that the end-all be-all of existence is there. It's not.


Blog Writing

What’s your favorite kind of post to write?
I love when I read Scripture or someone else's post, and I feel the inspiration to write something. Many times ideas for posts come in conversation with a brother or sister, or through reading the Word. I'll just think of something--like Is all sin equal? or Let's talk about angels--that I want to discuss with people I now consider friends (or that I want to inform people about who may not know).

What do you think is your biggest strength blogwise? Biggest weakness?
Strength: Ability to write well (or, at least, clearly) to communicate my thoughts.
Weakness: Like I have one! Just kidding. My weakness is probably caring what people think. It doesn't stop me from giving my opinion, but it can make posting emotionally hard at times. I don't deal with that as much now as I did when I started blogging.

What do you want to change, if anything, about the way you blog?
I used to think that I needed to post every day, and in time that added an element of stress to blogging that is totally unnecessary. (From what I have seen, many bloggers go through this at some point. Many blogs are shut down because of this.) I realized that there are no rules regarding my publishing, and now I blog when I want to or when I have something to say.

How many times a day do you say the word blog?
Not many to none! I don't talk about it much, if at all. If Amy and I talk on the phone, we might discuss it. But other than that, it's a private thing. Once in a while I'll mention something particularly noteworthy to Ryan.


Interpersonal

How many bloggers have you met in real life – not counting the ones you knew before they started blogging?
Hm. Some of them, like Amy Jeffus, Amy from Amy Loves Books, or Roddy, don't count because I knew them before they started a blog. But I met Amy Scott in Santa Barbara (you can read about that here, see a picture here, and read Amy's "version" of what happened here. It was so wonderful!

AND, later that year I met my dear Rachel. You can read my version here, and pictures are here, here and here. Her version is here, and she has more pictures.

Were they what you expected from reading their blogs? Got any interesting stories? Do tell!
Yes and no. I think my (and their) posts say it all.

Contributors