Blogging

Before I started this blog, I did a lot of research. I've always been a little weary of sharing my work with others when it isn't face to face. But, really there are a lot of benefits to blogging and though this blog isn't super popular (yet!) I'm still glad that I'm doing it. Here is a scripted FAQ to give you an idea of what blogging is about and if its for you.

Why should I blog?

Why not? Blogging allows you to put your thoughts on a page. You have things to say about a certain topic and not everyone you know is interested in the same things you are. By putting it online, you have now networked with people who are interested in the same things as you. You have people that care about what you're writing and people you can interact with. [But by no means is this a valid reason to go out and give all of your personal information to people you meet online, remember Catfish everyone]

I'm not a writer, I can't blog can I?

Of course you can. You can do anything you set your mind to. You can not improve your writing if you aren't doing it often. Blogging gives you the motivation to write daily and improve your skills as a writer.

What about people stealing my work?

There are always trolls on the internet trying to steal your spotlight. Don't let that stop you. Opinionated pieces (such as journals and most articles) are basically untouchable. While someone can steal your opinion and use it in their piece, they'll never be able to write it like you can unless they copy it word for word which is plagiarizing (but by then you can go and take legal action if the troll doesn't take down your work).

Ok, I'm convinced. But...what do I blog about?

 Blog about something you're passionate about. Shannon and I had no idea what to blog about but we both knew that we wanted to blog, so we collaborated to create this awesome blog. We don't have set topics that we blog about. Right now we're just putting out pieces on an array of topics and just feeling out the whole blogging thing. By doing it this way, we're seeing what we like to write about and what the public responds to most. If you know what you want to write about, great. By all means, go out and read other blogs based on that topic to get some ideas and inspiration. But if not, why not try writing about something you're passionate about (for me its gaming and writing if you couldn't tell)? You can also just blog about what's happening in your everyday life.

I have what I'm going to blog about, but which site do I use?

I'm only going to talk about the three main blogging sites that I know about. Blogger, Tumblr and Wordpress. Tumblr, to me, is more casual. If you're just blogging for fun then thats the site for you. More serious bloggers should turn to blogger or wordpress. Having only used blogger, I can vouch for this website because it's really convenient to follow other's blogs, put links and pictures and see the stats of your blog. 

What do I name my blog?

This one is all you. I can't tell you what to name your blog, but I can say that you better think long and hard about it before you enter it. On Blogger, your website url is not changeable so make sure it's one you're happy with. Do not settle because all of your original blog names are taken. It took us a while to get our name perfect so keep trying.

How do I get more followers?

Well, we're not exactly popping with a bunch of followers but the best advice I heard about this is to share your links everywhere. Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, through friends, as much as possible.

As always, thanks for reading. I hope this has been informative and helpful. If you have any other questions, feel free to drop them in the comments below. Follow our blog if you'd like! We'll follow yours back. Happy blogging!

To Eat or Not to Eat

I've seen a lot of posts that read along the lines of, "Skinny girl problems..." and people commenting such hate on them. There should not be any hate towards people who are skinny. In fact, there shouldn't be hate on somebody who society deems "fat" or anyone in general. Why do we feel the need to troll the internet looking for such openings to exploit people? We are all entitled to our opinion, yes. That is our right since birth. But, we have to learn to exercise self control. We all judge. All of us. You could be reading this at home and shaking your head, "That isn't me." But it is. We all do it, it's human nature. So, instead of defending our innocence, lets own up to it. I'm not telling you to stop judging people because you can't, especially in a society like ours. I'm just suggesting that you take a step back and look at whats deeper than the surface. 

Yes, you judged someone. Accept it. You thought that person was too fat for the tight shirt they were wearing and you laughed or whispered to your friend about it and pointed. Or, you made fun of someone for the way they walked, or the speed that they did things. I've had it happen to me recently, and though you tell yourself not to listen to the whispering, it's probably about someone else...it isn't and it hurts. Even if you're whispering about something totally unrelated, the self conscious person's mind wanders. What did I do? Oh no...they're totally making fun of my makeup or lack of makeup today... You just destroyed that person's confidence that they worked so hard to build up. What do you do? Maybe walk past them and compliment them on something else that they're wearing and draw their attention away from what they're obviously self conscious about. Instead of thinking, "Man...I'm too fat for this top" they'll be thinking, "wow...my hair looks great today!" I'm not asking you to lie and sugar coat things to people, but I am asking you to be sensitive about it because there are days that you feel the exact same way whether you're willing to admit it or not. 

DO NOT BULLY. EVER. This is the golden rule, especially on the internet. ESPECIALLY ON FACEBOOK. First of all, if you're trolling behind a computer screen, do not use your real name. That is just ridiculous and you're making yourself look ignorant. I'm not hinting for you to troll at all. You shouldn't even be doing that. Stop hating on people who are skinny, showing off their bodies, have children, who are fat, who have thin hair, etc. Do not comment, "Thirsty B*tches" because someone has skimpy clothes on. Whether they want attention, or that's just how they like to dress, you shouldn't be judging them on the internet. Do it in your head. They don't need to know. You're openly destroying somebody's confidence and not everyone can move past terrible hate. If you don't like the picture, scroll past it. If they're not physically harming themselves, children, animals or anyone else, ignore it and be the bigger person. 

You didn't mean for your comment to come out that snide. Your sarcasm wasn't caught over the internet. What do you do? Apologize. Always apologize. You're not above any of that. Do not sit there and start a fight because of something YOU said. Please. Save yourself the embarrassment and trouble.

Lastly, don't sit back and let someone get hate. (I'm not talking about celebrities...they're professionals who get hate everyday but also get twice as much love.) But, if somebody comments "You look fat in that picture" you write back "You look great, don't listen to them!" Foster love and not hate. Don't spread negativity, instead take a negative situation and pour in positivity.

As always, thank you for reading. Remember, spread the love around and keep the hate to yourself.