C4Ta #3

In the first blog I read by John Spencer,Seven Ideas for Avoiding Blogging Burnout, I found his ideas about blogging very useful. I can see how someone could become burnt out on blogging, especially if you're posting multiple times every day. Spencer gives many tips on how to prevent this.

1. Keep it broad: Spencer suggests that many blogs die out because the author has focused the subject on something that is too narrow. He suggests that having a more broad topic will allow your blog to have a longer life.
2. Keep it long term: give your blog a name that will still be considered "new" a year from now.
3. Figure out the medium you love: if you love media, then maybe post more videos on your blog; if you're a writer, write your heart out.
4. Create a thinking space: create a checklist or use other blogs or newspapers as inspiration for your own blog.
5. Have fun: Don't be too serious. It is your blog, your thoughts, have fun with them and do whatever you please with them.
6. You can't please everyone: you will at some point write something that offends someone. If you try to write things that won't offend anyone, your blog will get boring fast.
7. Ignore the metrics: don't worry about how many views your blog is getting. Just keep writing about the things you like and those who like what they read will share it with others.

In the second blog post I read by Josh Spencer, he starts by talking about the fireworks he watched with his daughter on the Fourth of July. He says that watching the fireworks reminds him that life is short and magical and beautiful, even if it is scary at times. He relates this to his own art by saying "the act of making art forces me to remember that life is fragile and powerful and beautiful and magical if I'm paying attention to it. And that, right there, is a key reason to keep the arts in school." Spencer believes that while students create their artwork, they realize that life is short and beautiful.