The rewards of blogging.

Now that I am feeling like a veteran blogger (LOL), and especially after my recent flurry of blogs about the Symposium, I have come to realize that it is a gratifying exercise in many more ways than I ever expected.

Sure, the writing is great - especially for someone who has been writing for a living for so long. In this space, I get to write what I want, not what a client is paying for, and my writer's voice gets stronger and more familiar with each post.

Instant Gratification - it doesn't take me long to write a post. For me, it's like a conversation to a friend and if I have a topic, the words just flow. I get to write it, edit it, preview it, post it and view it in as little as 10 minutes. (Not all posts, mind you, but many are this fast for me.) It's not really prose - not something that is going to be published in the real sense, so I don't agonize over every word.

Connections - amazing people visit and leave comments and I get to see where they live in the blog world and leave them notes. Some people I met at the Symposium have left comments on my commentary posts, along with people who only shared the experience on my blog. It's amazing how quickly my links list has grown and I love sharing these new places with everyone who visits here. I am going to have to try to find a regular timeframe for updating new blogs, so that I don't overwhelm my visitors with too many places to go.

A Quick Visit - in my spare time, I return to the blogs linked on mine and see what folks have been up to. Even though I am in touch with Jennifer on a regular basis, her blog is what lets me actually see what she's been up to. Leaving a comment on someone's blog is a fast and easy way to keep in touch.

A Virtual Diary - time passes so quickly these days and my blog helps me remember what I have been up to - what events happened - what projects was I working on. They're all here for me to go back through and reminisce. And if anyone asks me what I have been up to, I can tell them to go and see.

Online Portfolio - this has quickly become the place that I send people to see my work. Since I don't have a website - yet, my blog is the viewing place for all my projects, both in progress and finished. Some folks from Fredericton came to my niece's wedding and were anxious to see some of my rugs. I sent them here, since the physical rugs are up north at the cottage.

Show and Tell - that's the ultimate benefit of any blog, I think. It lets people see what you are working on and the progress that you are making. I have had lots of people follow along on a given project, and at RUG recently, someone asked me to hurry up and post more progress pictures on Totem 40, my family portrait rug. (In fact, that will be my next post.)

For something that started off as a bit of a challenge once Jennifer started her FishEyeRugs blog, this one has become a very important sharing vehicle for me. I enjoy doing it. I enjoy seeing who is visiting.

Thanks for coming along.