in no way are my opinions supported by blog professionals
and they probably won't hold their own in a court of law
BUT I spent like FO EVA doing this tonight so I had to share...
but I do know 3 out of 3 Farleys like this post...
they had to or I wasn't going to cook their fave dinner***
let the post begin
I just realized I am maturing as a blogger
it just hit me TODAY
don't worry I am still going to bust out a ghetto-fabulous word now and then
BOO-YAH... see there
and I still will ignore proper sentence structure but
I really feel like I am in a different stage of blogging.
when I was younger... high school
I took a hunters safety class
(don't ask why?) Ok I'll tell you
hubs and his fam were big hunters and I wanted to try it too
so in order to do that I had to take the course
there I was... future Farley and a bunch of bubbas...
it was a blast...
anywho
they explained that hunters go through stages
and today I thought about my stages of blogging and how it is similar to the hunting stages...
see what you think
HUNTING STAGE ONE--- Shooting Stage
you shoot at whatever is legalyou do all you can do to get as many shots out as possible
missing doesn't matter because you pulled the trigger and SHOT
BLOGGING STAGE ONE- Giving it a SHOT Stage
you might have read blogs but now starting a blog is a whole different story
you are going to give it a SHOT to see how it goes
it took you forever to come up with a good name... making sure that name wasn't taken
you haven't found your voice yet and it might take you a bit longer to hit PUBLISH because you are nervous
you squeal when you get a follower or 2 and pass out when you get your first comment
once you get the hang of it... you might post daily...the more posts the better is your thinking
significant other ... is wishing you luck in this new adventure
HUNTING STAGE TWO- Limiting Out Stage
you still enjoy the shooting but now it is about limiting out... using all your tagsit is more about the kill now... you measure success by how many tags you filled
if you miss you are not too upset because you still enjoy the shooting BUT
you wanted to get the kill... the more the better
BLOGGING STAGE TWO- Blogging Out Stage
you are all about your numbers
you might be slightly obsessed about them (it's ok I was too)
you play the I follow you... you follow me game
you play the tag you're it game
you get super excited to get your first award
you leave comments on other blogs about being their new follower and please come follow your new blog
you have contests to increase your followers
your blog roll is filled to the max with every blog out there
you join every linky party there is and enter every contest too
you do whatever it takes to get NuMbErS
in this stage you might also decide on a blog design
significant other... is annoyed about your obsession with numbers
HUNTING STAGE THREE- Trophy Stage
you are more selectiveyou might wait for the buck with the most points or just the green headed ducks
success is measured by getting the BIG one or the ONE
might travel long distances or wait for long periods of time for the right shot
shooting and limiting out are less important
hanging the mount of the BIG one in your study is important
Blogger Stage THREE- Awarding Stage
you are more selective in the contests you enter or the blogs you follow
your blog roll represents your personal faves
you have your awards displayed so others can see them
your give aways are from your store or even a bloggy friend's store
or they might be from a company that you contacted or that might have contacted you
you use pinterest as a reference of how followers liked your post pics
numbers are still important but not as much
your posts are planned and show off your teaching skillz
significant other...has no clue if you are talking about peeps you have actually met or if they are bloggy friends
HUNTING STAGE FOUR- Method Stage
you study long and hard where to find the gameyou have ALL the best tools
getting THE ONE is less important to HOW you got THE ONE
you know how to track, study the habitats, and signs of THE ONE
you still want a trophy (THE ONE)
BLOGGING STAGE FOUR- Found Yourself Stage
you are really comfy in your blogyou have a good following
you've been tagged so much it hurts
you've received several awards some several times
you have your page organized to your liking and you get comments frequently
your blog is exactly the way you like it... you have all the tools
you've worked hard to get where you are in bloggyville
you study your numbers on the stats page
your blog posts are organized and full of helpful information / pics/ and maybe freebies...it has your voice
your give aways are from companies you have teamed up with
you enter linky parties that suit you and you enjoy
you gain followers through pins and word of mouth not so much contests or give aways
you get asked to guest post or donate
you get emails from followers more frequently
significant other... is completely familiar with your bloggy friends and can throw around bloggy vocab effortlessly... like followers, linky party, side bar, stats, stalking, etc..
HUNTING STAGE FIVE - Sportsman Stage
after many years the experience outweighs the shot or killspending time with family and friends is more important than getting a tag
watching THE ONE in its habitat is more rewarding than killing it
you are mellowed out and a mentor to the hunters in the early stages
BLOGGING STAGE FIVE- (don't have a name for this yet... hmmmmm can you help me out?)
you are mellow about your blog, followers, pins, awards, posts, etc...you care about them but are in NO way obsessed about them
communicating with fellow bloggers and sharing outweighs gaining a buck or follower
followers contact you for advice
numbers guide you but don't haunt you
posts are meaningful and well thought out
companies contact you for advertising and reviews
readers know exactly what to expect from you and you deliver it with ease
significant other.... enjoys spending more time with you because you aren't online 24/7
OK that is my interpretation of the stages... I think like the HUNTING stages...
not all bloggers will travel through all the stages...
and they might go through them in a different order...
and some might skip a stage all together
and you might be a little of this stage and a little of that stage
OF COURSE THIS IS JUST MY OPINION on blogging...
Some... OK MOST of this is from my experience
I was obsessed with numbers at one point
and I tried very hard to answer the TAG your ITs
I have stressed about my sentence structure
(obviously got over that :)
and I joined every contest and linky around
it consumed me... maybe even a little addiction
I still check my pins almost daily and I still fill in hubs about my follower count
I even spent one night commenting back on all of my comments and linky posts from CURRENTLY... ALL NIGHT
WOWZERS
BY NO MEANS do I think I am at STAGE 5
but I am through with 1 and 2 for sure
If I had to give advice to blog beginners I would say
JUST BE YOU!!!
BE TRUE to YOURSELF
BE TRUE to YOUR TEACHING STYLE
that is what I started doing and it has helped me tremendously...
and remember it is ok to say NO THANKS
and Quality over Quantity is always good too when it comes to posting!!!
Yes it is OK to show off your store items but it shouldn't be every other post... that is not blogging that is advertising... jus saying... again MY OPINION :)
I like sharing pics from my real life too... but that is just me...
like I said be TRUE TO YOU and it will show!!!
*wink*
OK well I think that is it... I can end with a funny hunting story...
Hubs and his dad wanted to make sure I could shoot a gun...
so they set up a make-shift shooting range...
they had cans and phone books and other red neck items that I could shoot at...
well my first shot I was suppose to TRY to hit the center of the O on the Coors Beer can...
and so I lined up my scope... and had my finger on the trigger
hubs was standing right next to me
guiding me through my shot and i pulled the trigger
POW!!!
I hit it and BING
I hit my hubs too
it ricocheted off the can and ZOOMED right back at HUBS... it skimmed his chin and left a nice burn line...
and THAT FOLKS is the FIRST AND LAST TIME I SHOT a gun!!!
THE END!!!
and if you are wondering if I hit the O... YES I did!!! HOLLA
OK what do you think of my stages?
can you see yourself in one of them?
what should stage 5 be called? Hubs said Blogaphoria... I like it!!!
TOODLES
hmmmmm............I dig Blogaphoria!
ReplyDeleteCindy
http://cynthialusk.blogspot.com/
Love the name Blogaphoria!!!
ReplyDeleteJennifer
The First Grade Dream
I like Blogaphoria :)
ReplyDeleteHeidi
My (Not So) Elementary Life
Can I just say that I so needed this post...I started my blog last summer-totally stunk it up on updating and now am getting back into it & this gave me some major kick in the butt. Thank you for your advice in stages- I'm loving Blogaphoria...Hubs gets an A+ for ideas.
ReplyDeleteSo funny...and true!
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect post to start my summer!!!! One of my plans for the break is to work on my blog but by no means do I want it to consume my life. I think your interpretation of the stages of blogging are spot on. I know I went through some similar addictions with proteach and pinterest and I don't want to fall in that trap again with blogging. I want to find the voice that works for me. Thanks for keeping it real,
ReplyDeleteStacy
simpsonsuperstars
So true! I feel like I just entered stage 3 this past week. I really want to share my IDEAS, not my TPT stuff all the time. Thank you for putting it all into perspective! And Blogophoria is perfect!
ReplyDeleteAndrea
Reading Toward the Stars
Love the stages!! They definitely sound like the natural blogging process!! and so true about the bloggy friends vs. people you have actually met! My husband is slowly starting to get a hang of it... :)
ReplyDeleteoh, and the "Blogophoria" name is great!!!
Molly
Lessons with Laughter
Love the description of the stages - just like there are stages in all kinds of learning... Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete~Jen
Hello Mrs Sykes
what a great analogy!!! love it :)
ReplyDeleteKatie
Dirty Hands and Lesson Plans
Love it!
ReplyDeleteI am between stages 3 and 4 right now!
Thanks for the post
Pocket Full of Kinders
Shuna P
I see bits of me in all of these stages....I don't think I had/have all of the "symptoms" of each stage but I don't do things normally....I am a weird-O! =)
ReplyDeleteI hope to see you tomorrow night! =) BTW- I will be speechless! =)
Heather
Heather's Heart
you are so funny... it was so good to see you at the meet up!!! too bad we were at opposite sides of the table...next time we can sit next to each other :)
DeleteThink I'm wandering into Stage 3. Still obsessed with every little blog out there though.
ReplyDeleteHad to laugh at significant other comments... can't wait to share them with my husband.
Brynley
Brynley's Brainstorms
Love, love this post! My husband and boys hunt and it does line up well with the stages of blogging! I cannot believe your first shot ricocheted off your husband! :)
ReplyDeleteLori
Conversations in Literacy
This was a really cool post! I think i'm a two-ie.
ReplyDeleteBlogaphoria sounds good for stage 5!
ReplyDeleteYou hit the nail on the head with stages, that's for sure and I've gone through 1-3 and I think I'm mostly stage 4 now.
Journey of a Substitute Teacher
I can totally relate to the first few stages. You should send a link of this to Paul. He might add a link in his next newsletter. Hopefully, if all of the TPT sellers read this, they might be able to relax with the follow-me games. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHillarious!!
ReplyDeleteJenn
Best Practices 4 Teaching
Oh my, this is such a great post! :) Love it!
ReplyDeleteCan I just say...PROUD OF YOU....AwEsOmE Post.
ReplyDelete~ I {PuFFy} HeArT YOU!
ha!! LOVE it!!
ReplyDeleteAnd I BET this took you forever!! dang girl!!
OK, now i'm off to FINALLY join your linky....cuz that's ONE linky I LOVE to join! :)
♥ Jen
The Teacher's Cauldron
thanks Jen I can ALWAYS count on you!!! :)
DeleteSo funny and SO true. I honestly don't know what "stage" I'm in...but definitely see that I've gone through the first two. The biggest aha for me is the "I'll follow you, if you follow me" but doing it before I even know if I'll like the blog, or if mine may interest them. Learning....
ReplyDeleteHolly
Crisscross Applesauce in First Grade
so funny!!! for those of us that don't know ANYTHING about hunting, it was great to see the parallels....how impressive the hubs still married you after you "shot" him..hahahah
ReplyDeleteI hope you're enjoying your summer!
Barbara
I know... how many girls can say they married a man they shot??? I am so lucky!!! OR he might have been scared of me LOL
DeleteLove this post! Made me feel better as a beginning blogger!
ReplyDeleteLove this post! Great analogy.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
Fun in Room 4B
love love love this post!!!!!! I am in stage 1 :( hahah I guess I have a way to go. I agree with your opinions and I am happy that balance and appreciation increase at each stage! Thanks for a great read :)
ReplyDeleteOMGoodness! You are spot on!! I can so see myself in those stages. Haha...makes me feel so much better about myself as I "Grow up!"
ReplyDeleteCynthia
2nd Grade Pad
You are right on!!!! Problem is.... some people don't have the patience to grow slowly and get through all the pases. They want to run from point A to point Z. Love your hubby's choice!
ReplyDeleteyeah... patience is a good thing :)
DeleteLOVE this post! I'm in stage 2! Just discovered your blog and I'm your newest follower!
ReplyDeleteMaria
Kinder-Craze
Awesome post! I am def in a newer stage of your time line of blogging. I will be following you for sure - love the personality your blog has! Lots of fun!
ReplyDeleteHeather
Simple In Second
Oh dear Lord please do not let my husband read this because it is so true on so many levels. It is my husband. And me. Not only the stages of hunting and blogging but the stages of our marriage and life LMBO! AND now that we are soon to be empty nesters we are both just sitting back admiring our trophies...our kids! Thanks for making my day Farley! Oh and I have ALWAYS been a better shot, but refuse to sit in a freezing cold tree stand.
ReplyDeleteTammy
First Grade @ Klinger Cafe
dtklinger@gmail.com
This is one amazing post! I was LOL while reading the stages and hoping I do not become 'that' teacher blogger :) I still smile(nice and big) when I see my followers numbers go up (by one more)! The day one big blogger started following me I wanted to have a big party. Hubby thought I had lost it!
ReplyDeleteTania
My Second Sense
Wow, what a great post for a newbie to read! Seeing as how I only have 6 followers I'm sure I'm in stage 1! Hahaha. Oh my I have never laughed so hard as when I saw myself in your post. (btw NOT the shooting my husband part) I will become a new follower, mainly because I think you keep things real.
ReplyDeleteDeanna
Think all night.... Teach all day
Loved this!
ReplyDeleteAdventures of a Third Grade Teacher
I love this!!
ReplyDeletePlease come visit me! I'm a NEW blogger!!!
Jenna
Just diving In
I SO saw myself here!! Great analogy and very entertaining! Made me smile AND think!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Laura
Peace, Love, and First Grade
Great Post! I am sooo stage 2, but I won't ask you to follow me...at least not today. ;p
ReplyDeleteKelly @ I'm not your Grandpa, I'm Your Teacher
I loved this. I guess mostly because it's so true. Doesn't everyone love the stuff she can nod her head at while reading? I did that. I am writing more now than I ever have and I think it has made me more comfortable with my blog, with why I'm blogging, and less interested in the numbers...although not disinterested yet. :)
ReplyDelete✰ Kimberley ✰
First in Maine
Farley I LOVED this post! Totally made me LOL!!! Thanks for a really great read :)
ReplyDeleteI am new to blogging...3 days in! I was feeling really good about it the first day but then it took another day just to figure out how to change my background,(not good).So I began to wonder if this is for me... I’ve only posted one thing because I only have two followers…that’s right TWO, bahaha…so I was feeling like what’s the use in posting something, it would be like talking to myself...then a friend told me about your blog and I’m glad I stopped by…it’s helped me realize that I am not even at a stage yet..I am in a pre-stage; someday I might make it to the big stage. Thanks for sharing. Love your blog, I bet you are an awesome teacher and the kids must love you.
ReplyDeleteHappy Teaching!
Patricia
http://theoriginaldoodlebug.blogspot.com/
Hilarious!!!!! :) I love this... not only because you are so clever and write with such a strong Farley voice... but also because this is SO TRUE! You hit the nail on the head. :)
ReplyDeletethanks :)
DeleteYou're a great writer, and I enjoyed reading your post. I bet you're a fun teacher! And I'm just commenting, I don't even have a blog so you don't have to find me or follow me or anything - it's just a simple comment. :)
ReplyDeletethank you so much :) glad you liked it
DeleteSo would now be a bad time to tell you that I'm a new blogger and to invite you over to my blog? ;-)
ReplyDeleteLoved your post! I appreciate that you write with your true voice and without a lot of fluff! Funny thing is... I grew up with a Meghan Farley, but I don't think it was you! {I had to do some snooping around your site because I think she is a teacher now, too!} Small world!
Kate
EduKate and Inspire
so was I THE Meghan Farley... probably not because I got the Farley from hubs
DeleteYou did and excellent job and hubs had a great name for stage 5. I think I am in the 3-4 range. But it really depends on the day. I could go back to stage 1 at any moment so look out!
ReplyDeleteI was out virtual shopping this morning and found this! http://www.etsy.com/listing/89564652/mustache-glass! I just had to share with you because I instantly thought of you.
Misty
Think, Wonder, & Teach
OH MY LOVE THIS... must have it :)
DeleteOk, I mustache you a question: Do you use the mustaches as part of your classroom theme or decor? They are my main inspiration for my new classroom, but I don't want to go overboard. I was just wondering if you could share some more of your clever ideas with me! :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteGood, insightful stuff there Farley! I also don't know exactly which stage I'm in {maybe because I flutter back and forth} but I am with you on a few things. I realized the number of followers doesn't matter. When I was doing things just for the purpose of "upping my followers" my posts weren't very good. When I publish fab, quality teaching ideas, that's when people want to read it. And it helps to look at the overview as well. 500 followers doesn't necessarily reflect the number of people actually reading. AND it's not a competition...even though new followers are fantastic...it's all about sharing ideas and being there for the people who DO follow you.
ReplyDeleteLittle Miss Glamour Goes to Kindergarten
Awesome advice! I think I am probably around a stage 2....I am a little down because I only have 4 followers..so obviously that still matters to me. I think it is because this "sharing" experience and all the awesome (not to mention incredibly helpful people with whom I have interacted has been so overwhelmingly AWESOME! I just want to give back :) I am fairly new to all this and I am pretty sure my husband thinks I am having an online affair because of all the time I spend on here! LOL (only partially joking!) Anyway, if you have pity in your heart...check me out at 5thgradetomfoolery.blogspot.com :) I look forward to stalking as many of you as possible! ROFLMAO ! Teri
ReplyDeleteOMG! I can't breathe I'm laughing so hard. I am sooo Stage 2. My significant other agrees. I feel like I'm at an AA meeting. "Hi, my name is Carmela and I'm a blog fanatic. I would so like to be beyond Stage 2, but in the meantime, I'm your newest follower, could you drop by my blog and become a follower. Can you help a blogger out?"
ReplyDeleteLMAO :0) Carmela
Your hubby is right, it is blogaphoria.
ReplyDeleteMy hubby thought I only had one addiction ~ teaching.
Now he says I have two. He says I am a teachaholic and a blogaholic!! I wonder if we will need a 'blogaholic anonymous'? LOL!!
Love your post.
Rhonda
Classroom Fun
I love this post! This is a great way to look at blogging. And I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who does some of these things!
ReplyDeleteMs. Cranfill's Class
I read this post out loud to my husband - a hunter. We both enjoyed it greatly - all so very true. Maria
ReplyDeleteMy husband is a hunter an I am a new blogger ( I made my second post tonight) this analogy made so much sense to me. Thank you for a great guide.
ReplyDelete