About the instructor September 29, 2006

I began blogging roughly four years ago. I had a job that required I sit at a help desk, in front of a computer, with not much to do. One afternoon, I received an e-mail from a friend containing a link to a blog she had started as a way to stay in touch with her friends and family. I knew nothing about blogging, but my friend used Blogger so I went straight there and signed up for a blog of my own. I gave no thought to my title. (I called it Lori-Lyn’s Life.) I e-mailed my URL to several close friends and started posting. I wrote about anything and everything on my mind, confident that only those in my inner circle were checking in. As my addiction to blogging grew, however, I discovered how huge and encompassing the world of blogging actually is. I learned of a whole world of blogs with creative titles, blogs that were intentionally crafted with purpose in mind. I discovered themed blogs and group blogs, and I wished that I’d spent a little more time thinking before I’d begun publishing mine.

Blogging is the high-tech equivalent of the court house square. It is instant empowerment, allowing the blogger to assert his or her voice without censorship. When we blog, we have an audience for our thoughts, and a community to provide feedback. Just as it is in the rest of life, most people are kind, but some are not.

In my early blogging days, I became leery of trolls , and I chose not to reach out to new readers. I began to be self-conscious in my posting, worried about offending others. Over the past four years, however, the way I think about my blog has evolved. I blog The Dream Life now on Typepad, and I participate in group blogging activities that certainly do bring new people to my site. I have formed genuine friendships through blogging and I have learned much about myself. I have learned to trust and respect my voice. I have learned what I’m willing to share with the world and what I’m not willing to share. I’ve learned when to take risks and when to protect myself.  (And, I have learned practical things like how to sew a wee.) I hope that you will enter the world of blogging armed with information and an open mind, and that blogging will enrich your life the way it has mine.