I’m my own worst critic

I was chatting with my buddy Mike McCarty via email one day recently, and he asked if I’ve ever compared my blogging efforts of today to when I first started? Well, I’ve never done that, so I put some thought to it and went digging back through my blog articles. I got a chuckle out of one of my first blog posts and I came to see that the blog has come a long way.

Does this make me a pro blogger?

I got to thinking about my early days when I was starting this blog. I can remember leaving comments on other forums lamenting the fact that I don’t even know what a blog is. I wrote on one person’s MySpace account: "What is a blog? What am I supposed to do with a blog, and why does anyone care to hear what I have to say?"

I’ve never been the one to be real good at the small talk and the chit-chat, so I found the idea of blogging to be quite strange indeed. There’ll be times when I’m sitting amongst a group of people listening to the idle chatter going back and forth, and I just can’t imagine opening my mouth to say the same things that these people are saying. Everyone around them acts polite and pretends to be interested, but it seems so foreign to me to let you know that I switched sock brands and saw Tom from middle school and hate this flavor of tea that is being served and that I didn’t sleep well last night. Who really cares about the mundane aspects of what’s going on with me? It just feels very ego-centric to think that I have to command the center of attention or that my “stuff” is mesmerizing. My stuff isn’t mesmerizing. My stuff bores me.

I’ve learned a lot about blogging

My knowledge and appreciation for blogs has definitely grown over the least year. As the idea of building a social network as a way to reach more people as a banjo player was coming to fruition in my mind, I began to realze that a blog is a necessary tool in today’s marketplace. My view of blogs grew and matured quickly, and I came to see pretty quickly that people would enjoy and value reading a blog that I write.

I still wouldn’t use a blog to rail about political issues or to spout personal diatribe…no one cares about that!! But I’ve discovered that I can use a blog to help, encourage, and entertain other banjo players. That’s a rewarding thing indeed.

In taking a look back, I got a big chuckle out of one of my first blog posts, because I say much of what I’ve said in this article. I wondered what the point of blogging is, who cares, and can the blog survive. I think it can! I’ve done very nicely with mine, and I’ve built up a loyal following, which is very rewarding.

To view one of my very first blog articles (you have to promise not to laugh) click here.

The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades

I think it goes without saying that I am having a ton of fun with this blog. I appreciate you being here for me, and I’d love to get your thoughts about all I’ve written here. You can leave comments to this and every blog post in the area below the signature. Thanks so much for the past year, and I look forward to the next one! Bye for now.

Banjo Paul
“Wunse, I coodn’t even spel bango pikker…now I are one!”
www.banjosrule.com (main site)
www.mybanjolife.com (blog)
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