I first started blogging in 2003 through a site called LiveJournal, where I held several accounts there that I updated regularly. All of them were wildly personal, usually private to friends only, and were true to the journal format. I kept my account current until a few years ago, when I started putting more of my daily events and thoughts onto Facebook posts instead. It was there that I merged my professional life with my personal, and started writing entries for the public view instead of catering to close friends with my more intimate thoughts or moments.
Since then, I have tried to keep my public posts as positive and cutely personal as possible, staying away from aggressive venting or aggressive language whenever possible. Sometimes I would slip up and Facebook would see a glimpse of my more immature moments, but eventually, those became more and more rare. Since my modeling, styling, and performer personality were what got me jobs, I stuck with putting on the most professional face I could manage, and gave people just enough personal information to feel like they knew me. Even with this mentality, Facebook was still a negative environment at times, as everything was subject to another body of people with argumentative or judgemental demeanor's with a whole lot to say. Facebook had quickly become more of a soapbox and less of a way to keep people connected to each other, or to express positive ideas.
Enter other social media outlets. After a little research (and okay, a few failed attempts at Blogspot), I decided to start a new blog dedicated to positive things. I noticed that the entire blog community was this wonderful group of (seemingly) happy individuals who acted like personal cheerleaders to one another. Friendships formed between writer and reader, between writers themselves, and between real life friends who are also bloggers. Within just a few weeks I had started my own connections with various other bloggers, who are also wildly positive and cheerful, and had nothing but nice things to say in response to posts. It was simply amazing.
Personally, I think that this is why so many people start and write a blog. There's nothing else like it, no other place where you are universally supported and cheered on, regardless of if it's over a paint project, a book review, or over photos of a pet. It's a great example of getting back what you put in, as every sweet comment gets a sweet comment back, and anything negative gets removed or ignored. And for the most part, we all make it a point to be as nice as possible to one another, something that is sorely lacking in any really other online forum.
So, if you've been thinking about starting some sort of online journal, be it a blog, or a vlog, or a LJ, I encourage you to do it! Take that plunge! If you're looking for inspiration, or an idea for a blog, I've listed a few here that I love and read every single day. I hope that checking them out sparks some sort of idea for you, or that at the very least, you find a new voice online that you can connect with.
Now, without further adieu, I introduce to you....
Shout-out Friday!
-Love Taza: Naomi (Taza) is the sole reason I started blogging. I seriously love every bit of her life.
-Oh Joy!: The writer of my favorite blog book, and a great blogger all around.
-A Beautiful Mess: An all-time favorite of mine.
-A Beautiful Mess: An all-time favorite of mine.
-Ending Up Here: My new enigmatic BlogSister, who inspires me regularly to be as happy as possible.
-Charlie Cecile: A great new blogger, Charlie has a fantastic eye for images.
-Jessi!: My lovely friend (and book fiend), Jessi, just started her blog yesterday. I'm very proud and excited for her!
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Ps- If you're starting up a new blog, or are relatively new to the community, I want to hear from you! Comment with a link back to your site and I'll be sure to check it out!
