A Blog Carnival!

disclaimer- I have TRIED and TRIED to get the links to insert and KEEP FAILING! Sorry and HELP!!

Chilihead over at donttryit.com is hosting a "get to know your fellow bloggers" kinda thing! It sounded fun and maybe less overwhelming than the Blog Party, so let's join in! I am sure all 5 people that read my blog will enjoy more insight into my life!! Right!

How did you start blogging?
Deep breath aaaand GO....Ok, some time back, I started reading a friend's blog. I had heard about them, but was totally in the dark and frankly knew I had no time for one myself! And besides, we did even own a digital camera which made me feel really out of the loop. Also, I finally started checking out a celebrity blog type site my friend raved about (and we were always amazed at how tight she was with all the celebs!). Somehow, admist all my clicking, I ended up on a site of a local photographer at sugarphotography.blogspot.com I LOVE to see other people's pictures and then try things myself! The funniest part really is that I work with (and adore!) her assistant's SIL-way small world! Well, clicked onto Big Mama over at bigmama1.blogspot.com and I was so hooked from there! Even at that point, I had no intention of actually doing my own but the lure of prizes and visitors from the Ultimate Blog Party had me hastily put one together. I had just written an article for our ladies' church newsletter and received good reviews, so I copied and pasted as my first blog post!

Did you intend to be a blog w/a following? If so, how did you go about it?
Well......I would not in any way consider myself a blog with a following. But thank you to those who do stop by faithfully!! I am trying to write not only to share with family and friends, but also to engage others like me. I tried to visit a lot of sites from the Party and will leave comments occasionally on other sites I read.

What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog?
World fame! No, not really, but apparently it is possible by the looks of others' sites! I hope to share, learn, laugh!

Have you been successful?
I am successfully trying to improve at all this! I need to spend some time over at Blogging Basics 101 cuz I so need help! But even then, some of the words seem way over my low-tech brain and I feel silly asking for help! I am constantly looking to other bloggers' sites for inspiration and guidance. And boy, can you learn a lot about so many different people!

Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?
Not sure I have one focus and feel too much of a blog baby to really feel anything has changed so far.

What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?
Everything!

Do you make money with your blog?
Not yet and maybe never. I have looked into it, but with no serious attempts yet. Again, it seems a little overwhelming and I am good to stay current with my posts!

Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it?
As far as family, only my brother and sister know about it so far. I really don't think they read it. Initially, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the blog and wanted to be cautious since parents and in-laws can have a different perspective of my life. Which probably isn't fair at this point because I do post a lot about the kids and include pictures. Guess I need to let the secret out! A lot of my friends know about it. And of course, a few strangers!

What two pieces of advice would you give to a new blogger?
Um, well, on the chance that I will sound like a broken record-or scratched CD-again, I feel a little underqualified to be dishing out advice!

1. Read, read, and read some more other people's blog sites. It is just a great learning tool and darn good medicine most of the time!

2. Don't be too hard on yourself in the beginning. And by "beginning", well, that could mean for a long time! You will have second thoughts, wish you could have a do-over, really wish you could be as insightful and/or funny as your blog idols. Be yourself, as much as you can while hiding behind the keyboard, and it will work itself out.

So if you blog, go on over to Chilihead, sign Mr. Linky, and start sharing!

Enjoy!
Stacey