søndag, marts 12, 2006

This post is all about your blog...yes, yours

Whenever I look at your blog...yes, yours...oh, yes, and also yours...and of course yours, lots of questions come into my head. Mostly, I want to know how you can be so imaginative, insightful, and sometimes, just so plain cool. But that's not all I want to know. In fact I am very curious about every aspect of your amazing blog. So I have decided to share my curiosity with you, and ask all of the specific things that I wonder about, in hopes of finding out what makes your blog work the way it does. You can think of it, if you want, as a blog meme about your blog. To get it all started, I'll answer the questions for my blog as I ask them about yours.

1) Why and how did you start your blog? I had the thought of starting a blog for several months before I actually started it. What got me to finally do it was when my friend James started his, and I could then see how easy it was to start a blog on blogger, and how interesting his posts were. I'm not sure why I wanted to do it at first. Perhaps just to see if I could keep it going.

2) If you have a special 'nom de blog', how did you choose it? A long time ago, I made a lesson plan for examining the use of 'will' for predictions, based on fortune-telling. The build-up involved a bit of fake hype about how I put myself through college by foretelling the future, where I was known as Kimananda. Swami Kimananda. I would then produce my original business sign, to be used as material for one of the lesson activities. 'Swami Kimananda's House of Fortunes'; catchy slogan, 'The Swami is in'. I then used the sign to work under when giving tarot readings at the odd party or two. And, when it came time to get my first web-based e-mail address, all my original ideas for names being taken, I ended up choosing Kimananda. So, basically, something originally quite inconsequential has defined my internet identity, probably for life. I don't mind.

3) How did you come up with the name for your blog? Same as above, basically, except for the 's' at the end. The emphasis behind my blog 'house' is more on 'fortune' in the larger sense of good luck and blessings, rather than on individual 'fortunes' or fortunetelling. And of course I'm not really a Swami, so that had to go, also.

4) What things do you tend to blog about the most, and why? Like many, I suppose, I blog mostly about myself. Where I am, where I travel to, any events which happen. Occasionally, I'll do a meme or, less often, a quiz. My ideal is to find things in my life that will have some applicability to others. Sometimes I achieve that; other times, it's just me, me, me.

5) Are there subjects you'd like to blog about, but don't, and if so, what is stopping you? I'd like to have more visuals in my blog, but don't take the time to take more pictures, or to work on the quality of them. I'd like to look more at the outside world, but at this point in my life, I'm simply more inspired to write about the personal things.

6) How do you organize your blogroll/links? I used to have blog links in the order in which I found them. Then, I decided to play around with them, and put people who hadn't posted in a long time at the bottom. I was very unhappy with the result of this. But, I was equally unhappy with the idea of alphabetical order, or reverse alphabetical order, as both seemed somehow not balanced. My compromise solution, which I have now, and which is very workable, is my brother comes first (as of course he should), and then everyone else I link to in alphabetical order by blog name.

7) How do you feel about the design of your blog? Are there any changes you'd like to make to it? I've been quite dissatisfied with my blog layout for a long time. It's far too messy, and generally aesthetically unappealing. I'm working my way up to getting my own domain name, and will then probably re-design the whole thing with a different software package. However, I've been saying this for several months now, so don't hold your breath, or you will turn blue and then faint, and that's not healthy. I'll make it very clear and public when/if the move occurs.

8) How often do you post new entries on your blog? Would you like to post more (or less) often? I aim to post every other day or so, but that doesn't happen too often. Maybe once or twice a week is closer to the truth. So, I suppose I would like to post a bit more often.

9) How often do you read and/or comment on other blogs? How do you find new blogs to read? Anyone on my blog roll who uses a stat program knows my answer to this one already. I visit everyone I read compulsively whenever I'm in my blog, which is to say whenever I'm online, which can sometimes be a lot. I try to comment on anything I find interesting, and/or anything where I feel I have something to say. I like looking at blogs which are linked on blogs which I read already, but I find the 'next blog' button to be a procrastinator's best friend, and I've found some amazing stuff that way, too. Then too, I will often comment, but as a rule I don't comment just for the sake of it.

10) Have you done anything special to get others to read and/or comment on your blog? I don't think so. However, I of course am thrilled when someone I visit pays me a return visit, especially someone I've just found for the first time.

So, if this can be considered a meme, then if you're reading this, then consider yourself tagged! Please let me know if you take this one up. I am really, genuinely interested in hearing all about you and your blog!

25 kommentarer:

Vanessa sagde ...

I've posted my answers on my blog.

Dok Holocaust sagde ...

I steal for my own blog like unto rampant politician!

kimananda sagde ...

Sangroncito, I'd always wondered about your name. I'd love to hear some of your other nicknames, if you ever want to write a post about that.

Vanessa, your answers are great!

Blue, hi there back! I look forward to finding out what makes your blog as cool as it is.

Madelyn, yes, chocolate is how I keep my readers. ;-) And why 'even though it's digital'?

And Morose, like a rampant politician, you are a fine manipulator of words. And you steal great stuff.
;-)

Connie, I look forward to finding out about your blog. It's one of the most 'feel good' places in the blogosphere! :-)

Mr. American, no hurry. I keep forgetting about tax season. You must be run off your feet.

JM sagde ...

I like learning about people that is why I blog, or rather why I read other people's blogs.

Great post. See, I've learned something new about you.

x sagde ...

i'm going to do this tomorrow. xxx
although we agree on most things, so don't expect to be astonished by my originality.

HB sagde ...

I'll do this in the second half of May, when my thesis (hopefully!) is finished. I just started counting days and looked at what I need to write in those days, and got extremely stressed immediately. You know, even this post comment takes too much time to write;-)

kimananda sagde ...

Angel Jr., that's a good reason to blog. And this means I've learned something about you, too! :-)

Chloe, I look forward to reading about your wonderful blog. :-)

Sangroncito, what a wonderful set of names you've got!

hb, I know what you mean. I should be starting on my next academic project, and the thought of it makes me a bit nervous. What are you doing your thesis on?

Kim sagde ...

My blog name was easy, Question of the Day. That pretty much tells it all!

The mini ninja sagde ...

Oh I like this, Kim! Look for this on my blog very soon.

Chipper sagde ...

Dear Swami,
I am so hapy you posted this as these are all questions I have wondered ab. your blog adn others as well! I will post this soon.(Or did you already forsee that?) ;-)

mary bishop sagde ...

All my answers would be so mundane...I wish I had put more thought into a blog name and identity name prior to starting a blog...now I"m stuck with what I've done...

I love your blog name...I always feel I'm going to find the key to love, happiness and success when I see it.

Devil Mood sagde ...

It was interesting to read your answers. I may post mine this week but I'm more interested in other people's business ;)

The mini ninja sagde ...

Finito! Check out my answers.

theblackscorpio sagde ...

Dun ... dun ... dun ..., yes I will make them, someday over the weekend :)

Daphnewood sagde ...

twice this week I have tried to post a comment and twice this week I have lost it so this one will be short and sweet- I will do this "meme" this weekend. And I I too want to put more visuals in my blog. You have inspired me

xoxo

HB sagde ...

Religionsvitenskap. Skriver om seksualitet og kristendom.

kimananda sagde ...

Indigo, yep, the name says it all. But, why Indigo? Is that your name in real life?

Leslie, your answers are fab. As are you. :-)

Etchen, nope I didn't forsee it at all...must have given up my psychic powers when I stopped being a swami.
;-) But I'm so pleased that people are doing this...it makes it my first meme. And, quite possibly my last, as I didn't write it as a meme.

Mary, I truly like your blog. And I'm glad that you have such good thoughts when you see the name of mine.

Ms. Mood, you also have great answers to these. It's good to be interested in others, but others are also interested in us, so there has to be a balance.

Ms. Black Scorpio, I look forward to finding out more about your truly cool blog.

Mr. American, I had fun reading your answers. :-)

Daphnewood, I'd love to see what makes your blog tick...your blog is the first I started reading regularly (apart from friends and family blogs), and I am curious about it!

HB, det lyder spændende og også lidt omdiskuteret. Har du bloggede om dine meninger i forhold til emnet? Fordi jeg faktisk gerne vil læse mere.

HB sagde ...

Nei, har ikke blogget om temaet ennå. Har tenkt å gjøre det etter at jeg er ferdig:-)

theblackscorpio sagde ...

Done :-)

kimananda sagde ...

HB, det lyder godt. Jeg vil meget gerne læse om det.

Ms. Scorpio, yea! I'm off to look at it now....

Scholiast sagde ...

I'll write about this in my blog, methinks...

And I've finally gotten 'round to linking to you, been thinking about it for a long while! :)

kimananda sagde ...

Thanks, Scholiast...I look forward to reading it...I especially hope you explain your web address (I assume it's something in Greek?)

Nick sagde ...

Hey Kimanda,

I'm conducting research into the reasons why people blog and so you're meme is a godsend for me. Thank you!

The research I'm conducting is on behalf of my new employer but is not for commercial purposes. We are a qualitative market research firm and we just feel that we should know about what is happening out there in the blogosphere. Please check my blog for more details:

http://vox-blog.blogspot.com/

Although my blog is only 3 days old, I'll be completing the meme myself, partly as a way of showing my gratitude but also because I want to do my best to help spread the idea as far and as wide as possible. My research so far has been revealing that the purpose for which people originally started their blog does not always remain its reason for existing and so I will complete the meme again at a later date to test this theory out on myself.

Once again, thanks for starting up this meme. I'll do my best to keep it spreading. Please come to my blog to check my own answers to your questions.

Best regards

kimananda sagde ...

mres, you're welcome, and I'll check out your answers and your blog when I have the time.

kenju sagde ...

I strated my blog in January 2005. I thought it would be a helpful read for brides and their mothers - since I am a wedding florist - but it evolved into something entirely different. The name was my second choice (Justaskjudy); the first choice was the name of my business (Tickle Your Fancy), but that didn't work for some reason. I blog about my observations, my collections (fans, frogs, sheet music, etc.), my memories and the like.