I’ve Been Freshly Pressed…And It Feels So Good!
Since I first started blogging on WordPress in 2009 I wondered how the blogs on “Freshly Pressed” ( a showcase of daily editors’ picks from across the WordPress community) were chosen and truth be told harbored a hope that someday mine might be one of them. I am still not quite sure how the blogs are picked, but was thrilled to receive an email to say my post on The Stories We Tell Ourselves had been chosen as one.
The reason I am sharing this with you today is that I want to encourage those of you who blog to keep on blogging. Don’t get disheartened if it takes time to “grow” your blog. Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint. With so many blogs out there, it takes time to develop your blogging voice and to be heard. And I want to encourage you to set goals for your blog. If you want to get more comments on your blog, then ask questions of your readers, write about engaging topics and comment on other blogs. But don’t get dismayed if the comments don’t materialize. More people read blogs than comment on them, as Chris observed in his blog earlier this year:
Bloggers get wound up by lack of comments, but do we comment when we read a newspaper? There is plenty of area for thought, but generally we move on to the next unrelated article, having consumed that one.Also, more of us are reading from smart phones and tablets on the go, which is not conducive to writing comments, even if we are thinking them.
Do you want to increase readership? Don’t forget to share your blog on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and other social sharing sites and add social sharing buttons to make it easier for others to share.
But the best blogging advice I can give is to write for yourself, write from the heart, write with passion and feeling. My favorite blogs all follow this “formula” which is a formula you can never manufacture.
How do you feel about your own blog? Do you set goals? Have you reached those goals? I’d love to hear about your blogging experiences and if you have a question to ask about blogging, then let me see if I can try to answer it for you.
Many congratulations and its good to see you in blogging flow. Great advice too. I agree from the heart feels best so it must be when we are at a our best. Then its being brave enough!Ax
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Thanks Audrey for you continuing support – I appreciate it very much. Wishing you and yours a peaceful and joy filled Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year
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Congratulations… Blogging for me is very new… March 2013 start!!! However even though a mear infant in the blogging world I just love it… The people you reach and connect with … This has helped me and I hope and believe has helped others…
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It’s a wonderful way to express yourself, work through your thoughts and feelings and connect with others and feel less alone. Keep up the great work 🙂
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Congrats! That’s a huge honor and it couldn’t happen to a nicer blogger!
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Congratulations- well deserved!
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Well done!
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Congratulations Marie! and many thanks for the helpful advice and all your support!
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Congratulations! Very exciting!
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Congrats, my sweet friend! Well done and very well deserved.
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Congratulations! What a lovely gift before the holidays. I also appreciate the tips for succesful blogging. Wishing you continue success and more of all you wish for in 2014. You are a courageous spiritual warrior woman and an inspiration. Bright blessings.
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Oh Marie I am so excited for you. Congatulations!
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Congratulations, Marie! I can’t think of anyone who deserves this honor more. You asked how we feel about our own blogs–boy, what a timely question. Like you, I started blogging in 2009. I faithfully posted something every week for about a year and a half, then receded to twice a month, then monthly–and now my most recent post is two months old, and that was a repost of something I wrote a year or two earlier! I really don’t know where I’m going with this. I’m not ready to formally end it, or to shift focus like others have done. I just don’t feel like writing for some reason. Thank you, as always, for providing a forum for us to air our comments about our own lives and writing. You continue to be one of the most inclusive bloggers out there.
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Jackie, I have to say I miss your blog. I always enjoyed reading it and check in each week when I am doing the round-up just in case you have resumed writing. I have abandoned other blogs in the past because I have run out of things to say or it just doesn’t feel right anymore, but I have never once felt like that about Journeying Beyond, I would love to see you writing again and in the New Year I am going to think of something to get everyone whose blog has run into a trough to get started again… so you’ve been warned 😉
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Sa-weeeet! Congratulations. xoxo
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Yeah! I’m happy dancing for you Marie! That is just such wonderful news 🙂 Woohoo for you! (And for the editor who noticed your excellent blog) ~Catherine
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Thanks everyone for your kind words – I really did post this because I want to encourage everyone who has a writing, blogging or any dream, to stick with it. Love to you all – this blog would be nothing without your support xxxx
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oh, Marie, I am so thrilled for you! how exciting! and you are amazing – just the title of this post is so intriguing and very clever. I love your blog, and I love you.
much love and light to you my friend,
Karen XOXO
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Congratulations! I am brand new at blogging, hoping to share my love and passion for jewelry-making! Just wanted to say that you have inspired me 🙂
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Nooowww I understand what ‘Freshly Pressed’ means. Congratulations clever clogs. I have got as far as setting up a WordPress account so might even get to actual blogging. Will stay inspired by you.
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hey Marie!! i’m very glad i read this article! i have a blog : http://shreyagiria.wordpress.com/
i started it a few months ago, and yes, i do want to be featured on freshly pressed. but more than than i feel very happy writing , and if people appreciate it, i feel even better. i am hopeful , and will continue writing with my heart, as i have.
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Congrats Marie. I’ve been Freshly Pressed too and it’s a great feeling.
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Well deserved, thank you for the motivation. I hope all is going well for you Marie.
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