"Dope" Blogger or Just a Dope?

Blogging is hard.  I have greater respect for writers and creators who make a living giving us daily reports and points of views with words or images (dynamic and static) on a myriad of topics.

My first impulsive thought about blogging was, “hey wouldn’t it be dope (as in slang for cool or awesome, not drugs) to talk about all the fun, funny and in-furiating things going on around this election cycle.”  Now, two weeks “in” to daily blogging, I think I am a “dope” for thinking I have enough to say about just the election.

I tried to center on the election and topics that are relevant to current and pop-culture events happening in October because that is what people are buzzing about and sharing.  What other dope things have I learned to date in Blogtober?  Here are four D.O.P.E. things I have learned about what it is going to take to be a good blogger:

D = Discipline.  Every day like brushing my teeth, my new routine is to scour my feeds, favorite sites, social media platforms and emails for topics to blog about.  Admittedly, some blogs like “Mean Tweets” write themselves.  Others like “Shake and Bake” are just what my never at rest brain thinks of when confronted with a blog topic on a Sunday afternoon.

O = Opinions.  Duh, this seems obvious, but sometimes you will disagree with an opinion of someone else as the main reason for a blog.  I may not have had a strong impulse to blog about a topic like sexual assault, but blog I did for the victims, survivors and my gender!

P = Patience.  Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint.  It takes time for people to first discover you are blogging, then get them to read a blog or two.  Over time the “social media” buzz amongst friends and colleagues gets out and finally disagreement, acknowledgement and/or praise happens with a larger audience and you know you ARE a blogger.

E = Engagement is Everything.  I admit I am not good at putting my fate in the hands (or eyes) of others.  BUT, to be a good blogger (not just someone writing their daily journal on a public forum) you have to engage others in your content and ask over and over that they like or dislike, comment, share and suggest feedback. 

So, thank you one and all (probably like 10 of you) for engaging in my content thus far and I promise I am committed to be a DOPE (as in cool) Blogger for the long haul, not just Blogtober!

Peace and Love,

Tomato

Picture Credits/References: http://allisonanderson.com/