Day 17 – UBC – Follow That Blog!

I don’t care that today is the twenty-third day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge (July) and I’m officially six days behind – I’m persevering, right to the end. The challenge for Day 17 is to make a list of blogs that I follow. So, rather than giving you a list of my favourites, I’m going to explain why you should follow that blog you’ve been reading.

We all have favourite authors – I know I have – but are we as loyal to bloggers? My favourite author is Bryce Courtenay, and before he sadly passed from his earthly existence a few years ago, he was publishing a book every year. I read almost every one of them. He was my favourite author because I had come to expect a certain style in his writing and I trusted that every book would hold my attention.

An E-Book Gathers No Dust

Before technology took such a formidable hold on our lives, bookshelves bulged at the seams with our favourite books. Most of us collected the works of a few authors, but we probably had a smattering of non-descript interest books as well. I know my shelves had their fair share of DIY projects;  recipe books; self-help books; and anything else that held my interest long enough to read about it.


Gradually, my bookshelves gave way to a Kindle e-Reader. Technology had opened up a world of reading. I could search the Internet for e-books (electronic books) and download them to my Kindle with just one click. But the best thing was, e-books cost a whole lot less than hard-copy books and I didn’t need a lot of shelves to hold them. E-books gather no dust!

There’s An App For That!

The Kindle eventually gave way to a Kindle App on my iPad and iPhone. My i-devices are just as portable as the Kindle, but much more versatile. I can choose any book from my e-book library, wherever I am; I always have at least one of my i-devices with me. Another advantage is, whichever device I am using, the reader automatically opens the book at the page I was up to on the other device. Alas, I now have a box full of redundant bookmarks that I have collected over the years. But, that’s a small price to pay for convenience.

Technology is marching on, and we now have Bloggers – and God Bless every one of them. We no longer have to search for and buy books on every subject from Arthropod to Zephyr. All we need to do is find a blogger whose expertise matches our interest, and Voila!, we have an endless supply of reading material.

Not only can we read about our favourite subject, we can interact with it. Bloggers usually provide a section somewhere on the page that allows you to ask questions and/or make comments.

And the best news is…

Bloggers usually have a wealth of information up their sleeve. Their blogs might provide an overview, or a sample of a much longer discourse on the subject. And they often write e-books. By reading their blogs, you can get a feel for their knowledge and expertise, and make an informed decision about buying their e-book. It’s kind of a try-before-you-buy offer.

So, rather than just read a blog that you like, FOLLOW the blog. That way, you’ll keep up with current information; get to know the writer’s style and level of expertise; and, buy their e-book with confidence, if they have written one. Perhaps the Comment Section on their blog site would be a good place to suggest an e-book, if they don’t already have one. An e-book would be everything you wanted to know about the subject, in one handy format, rather than wait for the daily/weekly/monthly instalment in blog form.

Follow That Blog!

All you have to do is search for blogs on your favourite subject, read a few, decide which one meets your needs, then Follow That Blog!

Simple!!!

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4 responses to “Day 17 – UBC – Follow That Blog!”

  1. Doug Avatar

    I am with you on following the “catch-up” trail.
    Just posted my 14th and will make it if I post two per day until the end of the month.
    I have all kinds of excused like a 17-day overseas vacation to visit my daughter and Granddaughter.
    Also a computer and external hard drive that did not travel well and is still struggling with recovering from the latest automatic update that thought it was running for the first time and locked me out of all previous desktop data and apps. But they are just excused and make this a true “challenge”.
    I’ll see you at the finish line, then, I will have time to read some of my ebooks.
    Until then, Blog on!

    1. Maureen Avatar
      Maureen

      Thank you, Doug. It can be a long-hard trek to keep up, especially when life keeps getting in the way. But life is the song-book we sing from, so we just have to do the best we can to balance it. I am learning so much from the challenge; it is worth every word I think, and therefore, write. You must have a wealth of content to write about, with the ‘life’ that has happened around you,lately. I look forward to reading a blog about the technology challenges you’ve had; something we have all experienced at some time. It’s how you deal with it that makes the difference – and the interesting reading 🙂

  2. Maureen Avatar
    Maureen

    You are welcome, Michael. Nice to have you as a follower of my humble writings.

  3. Michael T George Avatar
    Michael T George

    Maureen shows how to follow blogs in an interesting and effective way. Previously, I did not think of blogs as a searchable source of information. Thanks for the education.