…while you can’t really do much of anything else. For instance, in response to a query about the apostrophe placement in today’s holiday:
In 1912, Anna Jarvis trademarked the phrases “second Sunday in May” and “Mother’s Day”, and created the Mother’s Day International Association.[7]
She was specific about the location of the apostrophe; it was to be a singular possessive, for each family to honour their mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world.[8]
This is also the spelling used by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in the law making official the holiday in the United States, by the U.S. Congress on bills,[9][10] and by other U.S. presidents on their declarations.[11]
Common usage in English language also dictates that the ostensibly singular possessive “Mother’s Day” is the preferred spelling, although “Mothers’ Day” (plural possessive) or “Mothers Day” (plural non-possessive) are sometimes used.
Then someone posted a link to this blog post about plotting stories out in advance and why it might not be necessary. That was certainly my happy experience in November, going into NaNoWriMo without much of a clue as to what might happen along the way.
Best of all though was a link that apparently I just hallucinated in a cold-brain-supressed-fog (found it!). It was a great article about who should and shouldn’t have a blog (have you journaled in the past? are you too shy to post regularly? Do you want to show people your process?) and gave a list of reasons for and against using a blog as part of your marketing plan. One of the points was that you should be willing to read and comment on other people’s blogs and be ready to post in a personal way about things happening in your life and work.
My main caveat when people ask me about blogging is that you have to consider it a social interaction. You need to be wanting to post about what you’re doing and to do so regularly.
Facebook, twitter and blogs work very much the same way. People show more interest in you if you show interest in them, reading and commenting on their posts. I tend to ditch people who follow me without posting anything of their own. On the other hand I also ditch people and businesses who spam me with posts in big waves, blocking out everything else I see.
If you want a web presence you can have a website without committing to a blog. Update your pages and calendar with useful information and send out word when you do. If you enjoy blogging for the journaling aspect of it and the social interaction then go for it. I don’t go running to blogs when someone emails a list “I finally put up a blog post – go here” with a link. If you’re not participating in the list, then why would I be interested in the ad for your blog? Just saying.
It’s a social place this internet – commit to being a social citizen in it or don’t plan on using it that way.
