Comments on: The Times They Are A-Changin’…

By: Mo at Mocadeaux

Mo at Mocadeaux — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 15:42:00 +0000

I am proud to have had a post of mine featured on MidLife Bloggers and wish you great happiness and success as your site enters its new phase. I’ll be along for the ride, wherever you take us.

By: Donna Hull

Donna Hull — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 04:08:00 +0000

Aww, Jane, thanks for the complement. But there are times all I want to do is write, skip all the other junk and get those words onto my computer screen. I’m thinking of declaring one day a week as a writing day, maybe not even turn on social media. I can’t say don’t turn on the internet because I rely more and more on it for research.

By: D.R. Shoultz

D.R. Shoultz — Sat, 21 Dec 2013 20:31:00 +0000

I agree with a lot of the discussion here regarding it’s time to re-evaluate the benefits (if any) of having a blog. I thought blogging was a necessity for writers, especially new writers. After several years of doing both, I no longer believe that’s the case. I find little correlation to my blogging activity and sales of my books. Going forward I’m going to back off on the author interviews, the book reviews, and the other stuff not directly related to my writing.

By: Lynne Spreen

Lynne Spreen — Sat, 21 Dec 2013 19:08:00 +0000

Jane, I sense that with everything going on, you’re reevaluating. How freeing. How absolutely freeing. I will mask my jealousy and say I hope you find the gate and run through it, laughing. Although I am only (“only” !!!) 59, I am tiring of the navel-gazing of that decade. I think the women in their 70s and 80s really have it going on, wise-wise. Have you checked out 70Candles? http://70candles.com/

By: janegassner

janegassner — Sat, 21 Dec 2013 18:12:00 +0000

Lynne, I love your comparison of your blog to network. It so focuses on the good and accepts the not-so-good about running a site. When I’ve taught blogging, day one, hour one is devoted to : why do you want to blog, and I’ve got a whole spiel I give, with statistics and all, about it. Your categories are pretty much on, at least according to Technorati’s State of Blogging report from two years ago. They had a couple more categories in the breakdown but the majority of bloggers were what they called “Hobbyists” and in their survey, they accounted for some 60%. Last year they didn’t do a State of Blogging survey and report. Instead, they did something on the order of “state of the internet marketplace”. Obviously, the hobbyists were all gone. I would wager that the majority had morphed into at least part-time blogging for money, which would be your category two. I have some urge to organize those of us who aren’t in it for the money, but I probably won’t.

By: Lynne Spreen

Lynne Spreen — Sat, 21 Dec 2013 04:59:00 +0000

Oh, I so understand! I think people are starting to move away from blogging, at least as a way of selling their writing. I wrote about it a year ago here:
http://anyshinything.com/2012/10/26/stop-blogging-now/

I recently learned that social media expert Guy Kawasaki estimates only 1% of your blog followers will buy your books. In my case, that means I’ve blogged 150,000 words to sell 40 copies of my novel. Not very efficient. I could have written 2 more books. Luckily, my topic is the entire second half of life, and I love exploring that. Plus I throw in feminism and other issues.

But I agree, midlife is overdone, and it happened so fast! I’m going to have to think up a new tagline.
Best wishes in your future permutations.

By: janegassner

janegassner — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 19:54:00 +0000

It’s so easy to just sit and front of this computer and follow the crowd, Lisa. It’s the getting up from it and moving that takes doing. I think we should check in with each other from time to time to see how 2014 is progressing!

By: janegassner

janegassner — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 19:52:00 +0000

I would probably be a wealthy woman, Donna, if I were any good at the consistency required to run a business. I so couldn’t do what you do–and you’re so good at it!