BlogWritingCourse

I have been following one of our recent Blog Writing Course graduates very closely since we kicked her out of the nest and asked her to fly on her own.  For one thing, we have a lot in common, so it was easy to add her new blog to my ever-lengthening blogroll.  But also, I was interested to see how she did with the information and experience she got during the 8-week training.

I’m thrilled to say she is doing superbly - - often far out-doing myself in terms of weekly posts!  So I asked her if she would consent to an interview so that I could present to our readers what a real-life graduate of the Blog Writing Course might be like.

Today, I present to you: Sarah, author of the blog: Homeschool On The Edge of Nowhere.

(My questions are in bold print)

Sarah, I’ve been following your blog closely since your graduation from the blog writing course, and it looks like you are doing great!  Tell us a little bit about what your blog is about, and the types of things you write about.

Homeschool on the Edge of Nowhere is about the things we accidentally learn while we are enjoying real life adventure. I include funny and true stories about rural life, frugality, gardening, "school", baking and making, discipline; basically if it happens in our lives it’s fair game for the blog.

What got you interested in blogging?

It started as an outlet for myself as a stay-at-homeschooler mom. I needed something that would somehow be both exclusive from and inclusive to my daily roles as mom, teacher, master organizer, and disciplinarian. Blogging fit the bill very well.

Now that you have been blogging for a couple months, how about looking back for a minute.  Would you say that the Blog Writing Course adequately prepared you for the world of blog writing?

Yes.
Oh, you wanted more than that?
The Blog Writing Course helped most with blog creation and start up. I was able to jump off and write from an informed position and a solidly built structure. Brainstorming practice during the course helped immensely with finding something to write about after the course was finished. I’ve felt ready to deal with potential problems (haven’t had any!) as well as being able to come up with subject material on the fly.

What was your favorite part of the course?

I really enjoyed the camaraderie of participating in a course with other folks interested in blogging. It was great to get their constructive feedback before my blog was even online. I also really enjoyed the breakdown of lessons; they were easy enough to complete and built steadily on one another toward the "finished" blog.

How do you think the experience you are having now with your blog would have been different, if you had tried the process from scratch on your own?

I’ve actually had both experiences and while it’s possible to create your own blog from scratch and enjoy it,  I liked this much better. I now understand terminology I didn’t before, I know about more resources and tools (and how to find them!) for blogging than I did previously. I think the course is especially helpful if you want to eventually make money from your blog. It’s also been easier to keep my blog somewhat more anonymously written than before. I understand more about the blogging community and how to respond appropriately to others in the community, as well. There’s a whole set of manners and rules of conduct that I didn’t fully understand before!

What has your experience been so far with drawing traffic to your blog?  Have you put any of the traffic-building suggestions from the BWC to use?

Traffic has been pretty good, actually. BWC suggested many different ways of building traffic, some of which I’ve used and have found to work for me and my blog type. One challenge I’m currently facing is getting readers to comment! While the traffic is pretty nice, it’s really the icing on the cake to see loads of comments too. Part of the challenge is to write in a way (and on a topic) that folks *want* to comment while not straying too far from what your core blog is about, another fine BWC lesson.

Has the blogging experience been positive so far?  Do you see yourself continuing to blog, at least into the near future?

Blogging has been a fabulous thing for me. It’s allowed me to stretch my horizons and gain support as a homeschooler. I’ve "met" some pretty terrific people though blogging who come from all walks of life and learned neat things from them. I see myself blogging for as long as my fingertips hold out.

A big thanks to Sarah for taking the time to fill us in on what has been going on with her blog since her recent graduation.  I hope you will take the opportunity to head over to Homeschool On The Edge of Nowhere and check out her blog for yourself!

If you would be interested in signing up for the 8-week course that helped Sarah on the road to becoming a blogger, then sign up today to be included in the next Blog Writing Course! 

Until Next Time,

This slogan, sassy as it might be, is a popular one on homeschool t-shirts and bumper stickers.  It speaks volumes of the attitude and importance these families give to schooling their children at home.  It also shows that they can be an opinionated lot. I’m not passing judgment, because I happen to be one of those homeschoolers with a lot to say. 

I’m not sure why homeschoolers have so much to say.  Maybe it is because we are continually in “learning mode.”  We are always learning…and it doesn’t stop at 3:00, either.  Maybe it is because we are so enthusiastic about getting to watch firsthand as our children become the people they are going to be.  There just isn’t anything more exciting than watching your son or daughter develop their individual personality.  Or maybe it is because we never get a word in edgewise.  The flies on the wall in our house had to buy earplugs. 

Whatever the reason, we are a wordy lot.

But thankfully, there is a tremendous outlet for all those words….blogging!  So far, I am finding enough verbiage to fill four blogs, and I still haven’t run out of things to say.  But I’m not the only one.  Homeschool blogging is a niche that is growing daily, and now includes entire social networking sites devoted to it.  Homeschoolblogger.com is a host site specifically for homeschool bloggers. Homeschoolblogbuzz is a great homeschool blog registry site where you can see the most recent homeschool blog posts across the net. And there are some wonderful homeschool blog carnivals taking place on a continual basis.

Homeschoolers blog about an incredible variety of things.  Of course, many of them talk about what is going on in their homeschool and with their children.  Others offer up advice and resources they think will be helpful to other homeschoolers.  Some homeschool bloggers closely follow the politics of homeschooling and report news of laws and controversies related to a family’s right to school at home.  There are also homeschoolers dealing with unique homeschooling issues, such as teaching special needs children, or handling families who are entirely unsupportive of their choice to homeschool.

One of the most wonderful thing about homeschool blogging is the community.  Sometimes homeschoolers can feel a bit marginalized, even in a homeschool-friendly area.  But similar-minded homeschoolers have a way of finding each other across the blogosphere, and connecting in a powerful way.  I have found some great new friends as a result of my homeschool blog - - ones I might have never gotten to know if I had just read their messages on a forum or mailing list.  Blogging breaks down barriers and allows you to truly feel acquainted with your fellow bloggers.

If you are a homeschooler who has been thinking about writing a blog, but didn’t know where to begin, I’d like to suggest a terrific course for newbies.  Blogwritingcourse.com is an eight-week online teacher-led class.  There is someone holding your hand every step of the way from creating and designing your blog, to learning about blogging safety, to writing quality content, to building your readership.  This fun and easy course lit the blogging fires underneath me, and I know it could do the same for you.  So sign up today, and get started blogging!  Come on..you know you have something to say!

Until next time,