In reality, despite the fact that I’ve written this article and posted it on my blog, most visitors would conclude that I’ve given up blogging. I last posted in September of last year.That would be almost five months without posting at all. This blog seems to be dead. Right?

When I first started this blog back in January of 2006, I was posting pretty frequently. I started out with a post nearly every other day. This continued with some variety for the next couple of years. Life went on and I happily (and sometimes unhappily) continued to blog about things that were of interest to me. I was able to post generally at least once a week until November of 2007.

After that, my posting turned sporadic for the most part. I did make some attempts to revive Freshblogger and had some success, but never as much as I’d had before. It just wasn’t the same. I couldn’t find the motivation to sustain it.

So, what happened?

A lot of stuff. That’s the simple answer.

I blogged once upon a time about putting your personality into your writing. I emphasized the importance of doing this to separate yourself from the millions of other bloggers. There are many, many bloggers, but only one of you. Put a bit of your self into every post, everything you do, and you will stand out.

Through all of life’s changes, it became difficult for me to do this. I felt that I could no longer put my real self into what I was writing for this blog.

I didn’t feel like I could talk about the real things that were going on in my life. I couldn’t talk about my failing marriage and subsequent divorce. The devastation I felt as my life seemed to disintegrate. The guilt I felt, knowing that much of it was my own fault.

I couldn’t talk about the job that I hated for so long. How I was so bored that I wanted to stab myself in the eyes with any sharp objects just to stop the terrible pain of boredom.

I couldn’t talk about rediscovering my individuality. Feeling free for the first time in years after the end of the marriage and the job, neither of which was right for me.

Was I then supposed to talk about the joys of rediscovering dating? The thrill of the chase, of the touch of someone new? Shocking, wonderful delights.

How could I talk about the pain of not waking up to my children every day? Not being able to check on them in the middle of the night. Not being there to comfort them, take care of them, protect them from the horrors of the world.

What could I say about wondering if I could ever love, or even trust someone again? Could I talk about finding someone, falling in love, and marrying again?

How about the jobs? Would anyone care that I’d found another job that was interesting and challenging? But, then, would anyone want to know that it turned very bad after a few months and I realized I was working for a sociopath?

I would have liked to have written about the things that I’d experienced. Everything that I’d learned. I’d like to write about the things that I continue to learn.

I didn’t know how I could possibly write what I really wanted to.

There are a number of reasons for this, I suppose. Chief among them was the fear that it could adversely affect my search for a new job. You can’t very well talk about your douche-bag boss on the blog that’s attached to your real name.

My blogging became a victim of the filter of my own fears. I had to filter out all of those things that could possibly harm me in some way.

I couldn’t talk about my real life, my true concerns. I could only touch on them in the vaguest of senses. I could admit the truth of my divorce and the fact that I was changing jobs, but I didn’t feel like I could expose my true self.

I know this blog isn’t a diary, but I’ve always written it for myself, if not to myself. I’ve loved writing much of it. Other times, I can honestly say that I had to force myself to write.

Where do we go from here, then? That’s a good question. Unfortunately, I don’t have a solid answer for you or even for myself. Writing is somewhat of a painful pleasure for me. It’s exhausting, yet thoroughly cathartic.

I think that I’ll keep writing, keep chipping away at this awful filter, like a sculptor finding David inside a block of marble.

I have plenty of ideas for new posts, but I’ve been busy with… Hell, I really have no excuses! I just haven’t been as motivated to post to this blog as I have been to do other, higher priority tasks in my life.

I’ve had a lot going on in the last few months, as I’m sure everyone else has. There have been a few changes in my life, but things are still getting better and better.

Some of the things I’m thinking about blogging about are employment (this is big with me now, for a number of reasons), self-improvement (because I’m fighting my way out of another rut), and motivation (which is really integral to improving yourself, but is still a separate issue).

With the recession currently big in the news (which I still try to stay away from!), I’m thinking more and more about ways of generating income on the side, so you can expect some future posts addressing this topic, too.

If you have any ideas for me or would just like to say hello, feel free to leave a comment or contact me via my contact page.

I know a lot of bloggers will answer that they would do it for free or that it’s a a labor of love, etc. I don’t have any problem with this idea at all. Honestly, much of my blogging has been more of a cathartic, networking experience rather than an outright attempt to make money.

Yes, I make a few bucks from this blog, but not nearly enough to live off of. With that said, though, how many of you are making any kind of money from blogging? Maybe I should start another survey to find out. I think there are probably many bloggers out there who are making some money from their blog even if it isn’t doing away with the need for the day job.

In his article, Mark speculates that there are probably more people who have won more than $25,000 from lotteries than there are making more than $25,000 per year from blogging. I wonder if this is true. Anyone care to admit to being a part of this elite crowd?

I don’t know if I’m any different from anyone else in this regard, but if I feel like my forward progress has stalled on any particular front, I know it’s time to make some changes. Maybe it’s time to learn a new skill, go back to school for that MBA, or even just start a hobby. Or, maybe it’s time for me to start blogging again.

Over the last few months I’ve lost a lot of readers due to my own lack of posting. At one time I had more than 1200 subscribers to my RSS feed. I’ve been thinking about this blog a lot lately, but today is the first time I’ve logged on and actually started to write a post. I performed some much-needed maintenance and upgraded to the latest version of Wordpress.

It feels good to be working with FreshBlogger again. I’ve had this blog through a number of significant changes in my life and I believe it really helped me to write about things, even when unrelated to the events going on behind the scenes. It also was a great help to be a member of the blogging community and to be supported through tough times by my blogging friends.

So, what am I trying to say in this meandering post? I think I’m trying to say that I’m restless (duh!) and that I’m going to make a renewed effort to begin posting again on a regular (or irregular) basis. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts!

Although, there is plenty of information in this article for beginning bloggers, I think the content is much more useful and immediately applicable for those who have already gotten their feet wet by blogging for a while. Regardless, he provides some thought-provoking ideas on how you as a blogger should think about blogging in order to successfully generate money from it. The most important quote I found was this:

There are lots of people trying to blog for income, but they’re stuck thinking like bloggers instead of entrepreneurs. The activity of blogging is not income-generating; hence a blog is not a business. If you think like a blogger, your blog won’t generate much money. In order to generate income from blogging, you have to learn to think like an entrepreneur.

This seems like a very simple and obvious idea, but I think the concept escapes many of us, even bloggers who have been in the game for some time. He goes on to talk about the idea of marketing. The content alone may be excellent, but writing the content isn’t the activity that generates income. It’s the marketing of that content, getting those great articles in front of as many eyes as possible, that opens up doors and ultimately makes you money.

This is definitely food for thought. If you’re struggling to make money as a blogger, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been doing this for years, take some time to think about how you’re marketing your writing. Are you getting yourself out there and really selling yourself to your readers? The time you spend on marketing will be well worth the effort.

If you’re interested in making a bid on a well-developed, very professional blog, then stop by and check out the impressive stats in the post linked above. This is a great opportunity to buy into a blog that is just beginning on it’s journey to success. There is already a significant amount of traffic and income, as well as a good number of RSS subscribers. With a little more time and effort, this blog has the potential to become a full time job with full time income.

Good luck to Adnan in his further adventures. I’m sure he’ll do well regardless of the path he chooses in life. Here’s to you, mate!

Actually, circumstances have lately compelled me to focus my energies on work and family and I haven’t had much left to write anything for this blog. Longer term readers will note that the rate of my posting has decreased over the last few months as well. This isn’t specifically due to a lack of things to say, however. It would be more accurate to portray as a disinclination to say these things.

What I’m talking about is that I’ve personally grown tired of the meta-blogging. I believe I’ve covered this topic before and indicated that my interest has evolved more in the direction of self improvement. I find that continually striving for better in whatever form that may take in my life, is necessary to my own spiritual survival. I’m sure I’m not alone in this.

I still intend to write the occasional post about the state of blogging or making money online, but those posts are most likely going to be less frequent. I would like to make this blog more personal, however, rather than less. It’s not to pump up my own ego that I say that most readers come here not for the information, but to hear it from this particular author.

Again, this isn’t a unique phenomenon, but the reason for the success of many bloggers (and writers, in general). It’s the voice, the personality, that separates each of us from the pack. A modicum of talent is required, of course, but I would postulate that exceptional ability in any arena must be coupled with particular elements of personality and character in order for it to amount to any real success.

Ultimately, I haven’t disappeared from the face of the blogosphere. I’m still here, brimming with things to talk and write about. Some of those things will eventually end up here on this blog. Others will hopefully end up somewhere in print. To everyone who remains a reader here: Thanks for sticking with me. I really do appreciate it. Keep checking FreshBlogger. There are interesting days ahead.

I hope to god some kind soul out there living in his mother’s basement will take some precious time away from masturbating to lesbian porn to show me the error of my ways in not upgrading my wordpress installation. Perhaps you can take away the few pennies I make from this little blog and show me the true meaning of life in pure Monte Python fashion.

I’m waiting with bated breath. I need schooling, I’m sure. Somehow, I’ve really screwed up by falling behind the times of the monthly or whatever schedule of wordpress releases. I must be crazy to risk my precious pennies against the ruthlessness of acne prone basement dwellers. I wonder if they put on their Star Wars costumes when they perpetrate their brave acts.

It’s possible that they gravitate more toward the benevolent and courageous Power Rangers of ridiculous special effects fame (No one has topped the pink ranger for sheer vacuous hotness). It would certainly be humbling to be put in my place by a person in such a cheesy rubber uniform. The humanity, the humanity… or rather, the horror, the horror…

Regardless, one of these days I’ll update. Maybe in the meantime I’ll make myself a target of the silly youngsters who sweat and blog in well-starched undergarments for the greater good of all. Ad majorem dei gloriam…

Easton has 200 questions to help you examine the effectiveness and usefulness of your blog from just about every angle imaginable. It’s a lot to absorb in one sitting, but it provides a great starting point to start making your blog better than ever. Go and read it and let me know what you think.