Saturday 16 January 2010

Shall we have some more questions?

Talk about self conscious blogging, but recently on my Creative Writing course, which actually encompasses all styles of writing including blogging, the teacher described it as a very interactive process with lots of questions to engage the reader. I realised I consciously did do that a year or so ago, and have slipped back in to simply noting things down and expecting you, dear readers, to know I love comments, and involvement. Maybe that is not good enough though and we must have more questions.

So - what do you think? Would it seem a little false if I ended more posts with a question? Or is it an excellent way to get reader participation in the blog?

9 comments:

Boadicea said...

I'll take the bait then! Should I ask more questions too? I hardly ever get any comments on mine, but then I suppose that's because hardly anyone reads it!
I did want to ask you how little Bill was doing.
Our hamster grew a winter coat in December - I didn't know they did that! Wish she kept still long enough for me to get a photo! It looked like she had a long furry skirt, trailing like a wedding train, picking up bits of sawdust and bedding, but now it's disappearing, just a few long strands left. Weird!

J said...

Ah um not sure really, depends what you want from your blog I suppose.

I get comments on subjects with questions and without. Guess it just depends on folks moods when they are reading.

How is M doing in the new job?

Sandra Morris said...

OH, Boadicea, you DO get comments. You just don't often respond to them!

I think that blogging is essentially a solitary experience. I write primarily to amuse myself, but with the awareness that other people read what I have written.

I've learnt that people who comment on my blog will often come back several times to check whether I've responded. Sometimes, if I haven't, they will 'poke' me to see why.
Sometimes people comment, sometimes they don't. It doesn't really matter as blogging is an end in itself.

People will respond if something in a post inspires them to do so. That 'something' can be anything (amusing, annoying, intriguing, touches on a personal experience etc)

Establishing a dialogue via comments is a good way of building a relationship, however virtual, between the blogger and the blog-reader.

Is blogging a separate writing style? Is it any different to, say, writing a diary/journal?

Answers on a postcard please.....

PS Tonight is not a non-wine night.
Hurrah!

Bev said...

Boadicea - wnter coat, wow. Didn't know they did that! Billy is fine -lovely in fact, adores scooting about in her ball. And without it when she escapes...
Jen - I had no idea you still had a blog. Will see if its linked...if not you must give me your address. Oh and M's fine - liking the challenge most days.

Bev said...

Ha, Sandra - good question, I blog for me too. Keeps the sanity I think. And as for wine nights - They rock, as do beer nights like tonight, and vodka shots nights like last night..boozer,me...oh no.

Sandra Morris said...

I have been 'non-resolutionally' keeping to the 'no wine weekdays (except Friday, which is technically part of the weekend) rule.

So wine nights are all the more precious....

J said...

I've a newish blog, started again in October last year. Due to the type of stuff I'm writing about I've not mentioned it too many, not keen on it getting back to the folks that I've got one! If you click on my name it should bring up my list? It should be able to link in from there but if not give me a shout and I'll text you the addy.

As for wine nights, i've not drunk booze for yonks, had a tipple tonight and think that if there is one thing comments should have its a spell check. A right pain trying to retype to get it correct when pickled.

Bev said...

Well done Sandra - excellent non resolution skills. My friend Jules came to join me for vodka night on Friday, she used to live by St Ann's and famousl once took a friend of ours with a hurt ankle to their emergency room to be told' 'This is a mental hospital'.

Unknown said...

I sometimes end with a question, or have one mid way through and ask for thoughts and comments.

I don't get too many followers who make comments, but when they do, I don't respond in the comments section, I do this in the next post if they have brought up anything particularly of interest or if they have asked me a question.

Hope this helps.