(I am shuffling through my notes, but apparently I didn't prepare a speech. I guess I'll just have to wing it.)
It has been a good year here at BlogAway. We've laughed. We've laughed some more. We've even cried. (Have we? I really hope I never made anyone cry, but I do cry when I laugh hard, so maybe that counts.) We've given away prizes. LOTS and LOTS of prizes. I haven't kept track, but my WINNER label says 45, so I'm assuming it is right. I think almost every person who has commented has won something. But it's not about the prizes, is it? They are more like sprinkles on a birthday cake. Actually, no, I take that back. I don't like sprinkles. They are crunchy and distract me from ooeey-gooey goodness. So the prizes are the frosting on a yummy cake. I love that BlogAway is just an internet version of sitting around my living having a fun conversation. Only we are missing snacks. Can someone bring snacks next time?
(I am realizing that I wore my nice tie for no reason at all because I am the farthest thing from official and formal. I should have stayed in my jammies.)
According to Blogger, the most popular post of the year is the one where I picked my own cast for Wilder Times, but here's the funny thing: it's not our regular BlogAway viewers who make it popular. It's people searching for info on the celebrities I picked. Everyday I get multiple hits on that post, especially from people searching for this cute girl:
Olivia Holt
This girl is off-the-charts for cuteness
Note to self: if you want to increase blog traffic, post pictures of random celebrities. Do you guys have any recommendations? I will start off with this guy. I hear he's pretty popular.
Justin Bieber has eyebrows? I never knew!
What were your favorite BlogAway moments from this past year?
And .... I'm a little worried about summer. When the weather is gorgeous and the great-out-of-doors is calling, I know it can be hard to get to your computer. But I don't want you to miss out either, so I'm changing things slightly until school is back in session. There will still be a weekly post, with the exception of a few times when I will close shop for the week, like next week. We have our family reunion next week and since half you guys are family (by blood. The other half of you are the non-related kind of family.) and will making the pilgrimage to the hometown of the infamous Unabomber, I thought we could skip next week. So (almost) every week I will post a topic, but I will not close the topic on Wednesday night. I will leave it open the remainder of the month. That way if you are gone one week, you can still go back and comment on the post that you missed. SO THERE WILL NOT BE A THURSDAY POST DURING THE SUMMER EXCEPT FOR THE LAST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH. (I just typed by holding my pinky on "shift" like I forgot how to use the caps lock key. Weird.) That also means that I'm changing how I'm doing prizes. I will select the number of weeks (for June it will be 3) on Random.org and it will tell me which week will get the prize. For example, if the selected number is 2, the second post of the month will be the winning week, and then I will enter the number of comments into Random.org again and pick a winner. So when you comment each week, you will not know which week will have a prize. Does that all make sense? Is it fair? I might be generous and do 2 prizes in one month; I also might throw in a gag gift every once and a while too. OK? OK!
In addition to telling me your favorite BlogAway memories, also tell me: what do you want to see more of? Any topic suggestions?
And: people are saying that blogging is dead. What do you think? Do yo still read blogs? Do you blog? What is your favorite form of social media? (I have a confession. Do not slap me, but I don't like Pinterest. It makes me feel like a Loserest. Incompetentest. Lazyest. You get the idea. Everything is so ... so perfect there. Do you feel that way?) Tell, tell, tell.
14 comments:
First, Justin Bieber doesn't have eyebrows, they look like little baby caterpillars. Maybe grown up ones. I haven't decided :)
I especially loved the Montana post. And the celebrity crushes one was fun as was the favorite foods one.
I love reading blogs. I don't really follow ones that are big, but I follow my friends' blogs. It's so much more fun than just talking to them on Facebook (which is down on the bottom of my favorites right now). It's probably easier to upload pictures and stuff on Facebook but I love keeping in touch with my favorite roommate through our blogs. And I have to admit, my very favorite social network is Pinterest. I'm addicted. But mostly because of how I can use little things from it. I've found amazing cleaning tricks, where I wouldn't have been able to clean things without them. So many good recipes. I have found some of my very, very favorite recipes on Pinterest. And I pin ideas for students and entertainment for kids. Things that I'm not creative enough to come up with on my own.
What? No post next week? I was hoping you would do a post about our cousin Ted!! :)
I don't think blogs are dead but I have never been very good about updating mine. I realized I am not entertaining enough to have a blog. I have a personal blog that was updated like...um 2 years ago I think. Maybe three? I should really just close the account because I never use it!
I love that you will be leaving topics open all month! I'm always bummed if I forgot to check it and I miss a topic. You do a great job with it Lori! Thanks for keeping us entertained!
Blogging for sure, its what I use to keep in touch with the family I only see every 2 years. (it must be for the more simple minded) Facebook has to much stuff, notifications are always pending, and I hate logging onto it. Never even visited Pintrest, though I hear lots about it. In short, please keep blogging.
Some of my favorites include my own winnings, embarrasing moments, made up words and your cast.
I do like the idea of open blog for the month, like my sister, I sonetimes forget to check Blogaway out. I look forward to what the summer brings.
Thank you for including us in your family. I am honored. First of all I don't have a favorite post. I do love reading your comments to them. You are a witty, witty, gal. I love blogging though and reading, so for whomever it is that says blogging is dead I say "FFFFFRTTT" (BTW That is a noise with my tongue.) I do love Pinterest as well, but only on good days, when I don't take everything so personally. Thanx for blogging, thanx for thinking up dang funny stuff. I am easily amused!!... NOt that you are not funny, oh never mind, you know what I mean! LONG LIVE BLOGGERS!! P.S. Have you seen Kid Histories? If no talk to Lisa, oh so amusing!!
What, you haven't heard? Beiber fever is out, One Direction infection is in! If you use them as a weekly topic, I'm sure it will be a hit. Or get Kylie's attention, at least. Sorry, I guess I just really like the celebrity topics- your dream cast post was one of my favorites, too. And I like hearing stories from your secret past. They crack me up!
I really don't like social media, or anything with the word "social" in it, actually. But I love your blog! It's the only one I read! Blogs aren't dead; Tumblr is where it's at. And I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. I avoid it now because five minutes on there will turn into five hours, just like magic.
Montana in eight days... can't wait!
Yay! I always like a bigger family! Unless we're all crammed in the Camry for a road trip, then I think we're big enough. I love the idea of keeping the blog open until the end of the month! I'm always so bummed when I don't have time until Thursday and I can't comment because that always seems to be the weeks with the funnest topics! I never ffollowed very many blogs except for yours soo.... yeah I'm not a good person to ask about Blogging's life. I really liked the onne about what time period we should have been born into.I also liked our made-up words. I think a fun topic would be the worst puns you've ever come across... That could be my guest post! I always read laffy taffy wrappers to see if there's any good jokes and have only found one. I have no idea what Pinterest is so I don't really have an opinion regarding it. I like facebook to contact people I don't have the numbers of because practically my whole town (no, we're not even a town, we're a designated growth area) is on there. I also like keeping in touch with cousins on there because eveyone lives more than 5 hours away. I just don't like that when I finally figure out how do to everything on a social networking site they change everything on my and I'm all "Forget you!" (Ooo oo oo! (you, know, like the Cee-lo Green song?)) Anyway those are my thoughts. I sure talk a lot...maybe I should have my own blog called "Devree's Deviations" I was initially going to say "ramblings" but I wanted to use alliteration. My family has a blog at hamblinsfamily.blogdpot.com I'M GRADUATING IN TWO DAYS! XD
At the end it's supposed to say "blogspot" not "blogdpot." Sorry about that!
Nicole: ha ha! I'd say grown-up caterpillars. I'm worried that you are going to walk up to me next week and smack me on the cheek and say, "That's for Pinterest." And then you'll smack me across the other cheek and say, "That one's for Facebook." But then I'll smack you back and say "I didn't say anything rude about Facebook. You did!" But you are right. Facebook is lame these days.
Anne: I would do a post about Ted, but I do not want my name to come up when people search him on Google. And he's such a distant cousin that I really don't want to claim him.
Everyone who is not blood family: I AM JOKING. WE ARE NOT RELATED TO TED, AKA THE UNABOMBER. Our family is weird, but not that weird. :)
Bakerfam: I think an even easier way to keep in touch is for everyone to just move to MT. So. Simple.
Team C: the pressure! You can't call someone witty because then when it comes time to say something witty, I'll be all, "Oh no, they are expecting something witty. What do I say? What is witty? W-I-T-T-Y is kind of a weird word. It rhymes with something that makes me giggle like a 11 year old boy. ... Kitty! I was thinking kitty. What were you thinking? Shame!" And Kid History? Love, love, love, We have t-shirts and ringtones; we're that hooked.
Caitlin: thanks for making me feel old. So I googled, and Yes! I can accommodate you. We'll post them very soon. So many choices! But let me ask you this: could you date a guy who spends more time on his hair than you do? Not that I know how much time you spend on your hair, and your hair is always perfect. You don't even know what a bad hair day is. BUT. Those guys have some serious hair. That'd be a lot of pressure. Just something to think about, yanno, before you give your heart away.
Devree: I didn't forget you. I just started my comment and then had to step away and I forgot to refresh. But just refresh on the internet. I didn't forget deodorant or anything. I was worried when you said blogpot, beacause that's where all the pot-heads hang out. I didn't think you were that type of girl. I will check our your family blog! And yes! I will wait for that painful puns guest post. And yes again! I will read Devree's Deviations. Get on that, will ya? Happy Graduation!
Wow! You really asked a lot of questions in this one. Cool enough!
1. In defense of rainbow sprinkles--I agree that the crunchy ones are not worth anything, except maybe to look at. But, did you know that there are chewy ones out there too? They may be rare, but they're out there. That used to be my favorite topping on frozen yogurt. But anyway, frosting is yummier than even chewy rainbow sprinkles, so you were right to make the switch.
2. Recommendations for celebrity faces on your blog? Well, we can never have too many photos of Hugh Jackman. I'm just sayin'...
3. Which reminds me--how about a post about chick flick heros? And while I'm on the topic of subject suggestions, I would love to read a little more about your family. I loved it when you featured your husband and showed us all how great he is as a husband and a father. Maybe if you didn't want to get too personal, you could do something like "top 10 things my teenagers think are a waste of time that we of my generation love to do", or "what our family loves to do when we get unexpected free time", or "if you gave each of my kids $100, what would they do?"...stuff like that. I'd love to hear more about your family hobbies and such. And then non-hobbies too, like what chores never get done in your house, etc.! That would be fun.
4. Your summer blog post schedule sounds good to me--as long as we get to keep conversing and hearing from you about once a week!
5. My favorite BlogAway memories? I loved your "Pretty Heavy Topic", just because I've been focusing a lot of realizing the true meaning of beauty lately. I also really loved your guest post about the books we love to read, and I really loved writing a guest post for you. I wouldn't be working on my first book if it weren't for all of your encouragement!
6. Yes, I still read blogs. I can't imagine why people believe they're going out of style. I love to read the ones that I do. I also love to blog! I hope people out there don't stop reading blogs, because I feel like I'm just getting started as a writer.
7. Is blogging a form of social media? If so, then it's my favorite. Followed closely by facebook. I'm with you about Pinterest. In fact I've never even been there because I know it would have the same effect on me of making me feel like a Lazyest. I get that feeling enough when I walk into my friends' homes, I don't need to see all the pictures of their dreams (and more realities) too.
Thanks for the chat this week!
JazznJenna: 2. Have you seen the trailer for Les Mis? Wowee. I bet you are there opening night! 3. I like the chick flick suggestion. But me telling about my family would be ... well ... boring! I might as well pull off all the posts and just leave up background on the blog. :0 All we do for fun is quote Kid History.
Most embarrasing moments & rudest things people have said to you, were my favorite topics. There are a few blogs out there that I read regularly, mostly family. I love seeing picture and reading about life events so keep blogging you bloggy people, don't be lazyest! Other than blogs I don't do any other social media- what a dud, huh!
Whew! Just realized today is Thursday and thought I'd missed the deadline! Where did this week go?
The blog post that made me laugh the most was most embarrassing! I still think about a particular persons experience! Poor thing.
I also loved the book posting about favorite books from your guest blogger.
Its fun to read your blog, so don't stop. I also love to read the comments. I had never heard about The Piano Guys until I read the comments last week, so we spent all last Weds morning watching those instead of doing school! oops...thats some form of education right?
bigskyboys: You could do a blog featuring all your outdoor adventures and then I'd really feel like a lazyest! You could call it Mountain Momma.
Livingstonslifeinmt: Piano guys is way better than school. Do you do Kid History for school to? Because there is so much in there that is ... educational.
All of everyone: this is so weird no having a Thursday post. I don't know if I will survive. What am I going to do with my morning? (I might be forced to clean! Nooooo!)
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