My Own Personal Blog Rules*

* subject to change often as new ones occur to me.

As my first blogging anniversary passed by, I reflected on blogging, why and how I do it, what I like and don't like in my own blog.  I though I would share a few of my own personal blog rules for  my own personal blog.

My Own Personal Blog Rules*

1.  I won't use our actual names or location.  I realize that it might be easy enough to discover these, but I do not intend to just hand over that information.

2.  I strive to be much more positive than negative in my posts.  My blog is nicer than I am. (Side note - I try to be more positive than negative in comments I leave on other blogs, too.)

3.  No "rants."  I might rant a little in person, to my friends and family, but I usually regret it.  Therefore, I avoid putting "rants" out there for all to see.

4.  I strive to not embarrass family and friends with my words or pictures.  

5.  I strive not to embarrass myself by sharing all my faults. If you know me in person, you'll find out most of them pretty soon.  If not, well, you still might figure out my faults.  But I don't plan to announce them all.

6.  Though I embrace the opportunity to encourage with scripture and talk of spiritual things, I avoid theological and political controversy and argument in this format.   There are so many other places these issues can be addressed, and I'm not that good at it.

7.  My goal is to post at least twice each week.  Why? Because I lose interest in blogs that have posts widely spaced.  That said, it is my blog, and I am not making it a ball and chain.  Sometimes a week goes by...

8.  I try to catch typos before I post, and, if warranted, edit after I post.  I am not offended if a friend leaves me a little heads-up about a typo. Sometimes, though, the apparent poor grammar is just a Southernism - y'all OK with that? {Quick note - I just pulled this post to correct a typo I had not seen in the very first sentence, even though I had read and reread this post at least 8 times before posting.}

9.  I vet my links sufficiently to feel reasonably certain they will not offend my friends.  That said, I don't avoid links to big sites that will certainly have some objectionable content  (e.g., news sites, Wikipedia or Amazon), but check out the info on the specific little item to which I link, trusting  the reader to know that linking to, say, Little House on the Prairie on Amazon does not mean that I endorse every book Amazon sells.



My Own Personal Blog Style Guide**

** Also very much subject to change

1.  I write about different topics that interest me, and about which I know something, in hopes that they will interest my friends, and bring new friends.

2. I keep my blog relatively simple and readable.  I like a pretty background, fun sidebar goodies, etc., but sometimes I become frustrated trying to find a post in a "busy" blog.  I also feel headachy trying to read light-color type on a dark-color background.  I avoid blog templates that have swirlies under the text.  Same reason - headachy.  

3.  I use pictures in most posts. I like to see pictures in other blogs, so I put them in mine.  A picture is worth, you know, 1000...


4.  I avoid using very many pictures.  I mean, my daughter is cute and we love her, but I try to not make a post with 22 pictures of her in her newest dress.  Unless, of course, I am doing some sort of tutorial for making this dress. 

5.  I mix decent writing with conversational writing - lots of dashes, (asides), and incomplete sentences...

6.  I use plenty of links.  My huge list of Bookmarks was one of the reasons Crispy encouraged me to blog.  I am a resource resource.

7.  Re: Links - I try to avoid saying "here, here, and here,"  but rather give an idea of what the link is: "This pattern and this cloth."  (those are not real links; just color samples)

I wonder if some of you have  your own set of Blog Rules and Blog Style?