First I thought I'd write only about the boring topic of "things I learned reading blogs, blogging and thinking about blogging". After I got started, I decided to write personal stuff as well, more in the way of the original 100 posts I'd read. So I divided the list in two, since it's ridiculously long anyway. I'm too prolix, unfortunately. And I use too many adverbs, it's pathetic. Really.
Without further ado, here it is:
1. Blog reading and blogging are addictive.
2. Blogging makes you live composing blog posts in your head, like Dawn quoted from someone else here. “If, as you live your life, you find yourself mentally composing blog entries about it, post this exact same sentence in your weblog.”
3. I keep composing these “entries” in my mind, but never get to post them.
4. That’s one of the reasons why I decided to do this 100 things list.
5. I’ve learned so much from blogging that it’s hard to list.
6. A second strong reason to do the list post!
7. The first blog I ever read was Invisible Adjunct, but it didn’t get me blogging.
8. Then I read a former teacher’s blog about his experience in
9. Reading This Woman’s Work fascinated me and soon after I started the blog.
10. I read all the blogs in my blogroll, that’s why it’s not a really long list.
11. Before adding someone I usually read or browse through most of their blog archives first.
12. The obvious (though it took me a while to realize this): there are “cliques” or niches in blogosphere (even inside the “mama blogs”). E.g. adoption, infertility, academics, politics (never read those), etc.
13. People in cliques usually blogroll each other, but not very often other people
14. I like to be “eclectic” in my tastes, and not to try to hang out only with “the likes of me” in blogosphere.
15. That way I can learn something too, even though I know some people from “other cliques” will never care to read me.
16. I just updated my blogroll, trying to classify the blogs I read into some of these “cliques” or areas out there (in my own way, of course).
17. It may, or may not be true, but I have a feeling that “Typepad” people tend to prefer/attract other typepad people.
18. I find the tiny piece of “blog gossip” I’ve come across fascinating (i.e. Dawn said that Chez miscarriage withdrew her archives because of a “secret” book deal – as a result, I started reading her blog – I had already read the great “mommy drive-by” thing, but not gone back)
19. At first I was a bit taken aback by her “celebrity status” in blogosphere, and the hordes of faithful commenters who believed everything she said, but then I “got it”. I mean, she’s really insightful, and her wry, sarcastic humor is refreshing (if not depressing at times). I’ll read her book.
20. (As some of you know, I’m the biggest fan of Catherine Newman and her “column”. I bought her book and went to a reading. I have yet to read the two books by “Philly mamas” Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz, I check their blogs once in a while)
21. One of the things, I learned the most about in blogosphere is adoption.
22. I had “lightly” considered adopting in the past but now, in light of all I know I think it wouldn’t work for our family.
23. From Dawn (This Woman’s Work) I learned that a domestic open adoption is a very complex thing, which can also be profoundly beautiful (in spite of the sadness).
24. I learned from Kateri (Wet Feet) a bit (just the tip of the iceberg, I’m sure) of what being a birth-mother feels like.
25. I have been deeply touched by these women’s stories and feel grateful they have shared them through blogging.
26. I also learned about the pressure young mothers feel to give up their babies (and found/read Allison’s Crews beautiful essay), felt broken hearted about it, and saddened by her death.
27. I gladly found out about other expatriate moms/ multicultural family bloggers and felt/feel enriched by their experience.
28. I finally felt “part” of something when some of them started to read (comment on) my blog (big thanks to you, Kate, Stella’s mami, “Sophie”, and Sandra).
29. This is probably the small “clique”, or “niche” I belong to. Oh, and because of them I got encouraged to comment on other blogs as well.
30. I sought after some academic mama blogs, and started to read them, but I don’t really “belong”, I guess, at least not yet.
31. Part of it is probably because of my ambivalent feelings about academia, as I have already posted about. I usually care more about personal matters than academic ones
32. (and I have to finish writing a dissertation, instead of keeping a blog, I don’t know how I’ll do it, but I hope I can : )
33. I am aware now that I may not get a job in academia because I blog (or, if I’m a nanny and my employer reads my blog, I could be fired : )
34. Oh, yes, and I know now that being fired for a blog is to be “dooced”
35. I wonder everyday whether I should edit my blog and make it anonymous. (should I even use my kids’ names here? I don’t know)
36. I definitely like non-anonymous blogs better, though. Why hide?
37. This is no reason to stop reading anonymous blogs, I realize.
38. In spite of the apparent threat, I don’t actually fear for my future employment or anything like that because of blogging.
39. What I am a bit afraid of is “trolls”, or being attacked via comments, but I doubt that will ever happen.
40. (I’ve found it is a “mixed blessing” when that happens, because it can bring tons of attention and readership and to one’s blog)
41. I’ve always been an over-sensitive person, and I might feel really hurt, even though it’s just stuff going in on in “virtual space”.
42. That’s probably why I’m always careful not to share too much, to try to choose my words carefully.
43. I’m already “the other” being a foreigner, why risk being attacked?
44. Risk what? Perhaps it’s just foolishness to be afraid, I should be able to speak my mind, talk more about myself here.
45. I’m afraid of not having things to say, or not having good arguments… or something to “contribute.”
46. It’s the academic in me who’s feeling the pressure to be always doing “new” things. But isn’t that true for “creative writing”, literature, in general (not just academics)?
47. I wish I could be a good writer, but I earnestly don’t think I am.
48. I’m not concise enough, I just “blabber on” (you know that thing about “showing, but not telling”? I only tell everything. I explain too much, can’t be artistic enough)
49. (All right, that’s why I am a “comparatist”, after all, and not a “Fine Arts” writing major)
50. I guess blogging is not completely useless. Here’s a “funny” thing my husband said to our best friends from
I’m sure there were more things I had to say about blogging, writing, and what I learned but I’ll stop here, and move on to the more “juicy” personal stuff : )
oh wow that was soo interesting! Thank you for posting this, I agree with so many things that you said & you also clarified things for me (I had no clue about "doocing" either - are you being serious when you say that people really could get fired for blogging?!? That just blows my mind.) Also I agree with the cliques thing and so forth. Interesting!
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