Almost on number five. I know it has taken a few days to reveal the next person on the list. Time caught up to me and I got busy! No excuse. I will tell you the 2nd to last person that has influenced me who I met strictly on the Information Superhighway, also known as the World Wide Web, the Internet, the Web, the Net, or... Cyberspace. As you are aware, this world is vast. I have met so many writers that have left an impact, it has been difficult to choose only five from such a long list. But first...
Update on my blog journey since last post.
After resolving to put more energy into my blog, finding the tips from ProBlogger, and the inspiration from Zen Habits, I wanted to change the format to make it more my own. So, I shed the (dot) blogspot and bought my own domain. Then, I changed the background for my blog for aesthetic reasons.
I decided to focus the blog on writing inspiration and anything that is somehow related to the writing experience. It made perfect sense to me. Since I have changed the blog name from 'Julie's Journey's' to 'Inspired to Write', magically ideas came into focus. By simply changing the name, I felt inspired to also share my journey and find out about other writers and blogger's journeys. This may be a great way for people to find that inspiration - change the name of your blog!
I still had many questions on what makes a good blog. I was also painfully and well aware that it was a tough, competitive world out there in the blogosphere. I wanted to deepen my education on creating good ideas while capturing new followers. I was still a beginner. So, I Googled "blogging for beginners" and there in my search results was my answer. It was as if I struck gold. Well, that is an exaggeration. But, it was a sort of treasure for me.
The Fourth Person I Met In Cyberspace
The blog post was titled, The A-Z Blogging Guide for Beginners. What else could a blogger ask for? A reference with 26 (yes, even Q and X) tips on managing a blog - for beginners! The author of Thou Shall Blog is Yan Susanto and that post is actually currently his featured article. What I liked about this blog was that it was for beginners and not for the people that were interested in making lots of money with their blog. That fit my description. So, I read on.
Yan describes his blog as a place for "sharing and learning." This is where I was at (and still am) in my new blogging journey. I think it is important to share your experiences as a writer and / or blogger.
I also liked the posts on his site and noticed he had guest bloggers which can provide a different perspective. I left a comment or two on his posts and added him to my Google Reader. Then, I decided to contact him, first on Twitter, to ask questions and he was helpful and responded to me. Since Twitter only allows 140 characters, he gave me his e-mail so I could elaborate.
This is where Yan stands out, compared to the last two people in this mini-blog series. He reached out and communicated with me, and he even left a comment on my little ol' blog! What else would you expect from "The Smiling Blogger"? This means a lot because many bloggers, especially busy and successful bloggers do not take the time to personally help us newbies. This earns points in my book and should in yours, too.
