A link to my neighbours/Community · Blogging · Echos Of My Neighbourhood · My Thinking Corner · Reblogs

Where Is My Blogging Heading To?… I need your input.

jacquelineobyikocha

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‘What is my 2016 outlook for my blog?‘

When I started blogging in May 2015, I had no idea what tangent it would take and how engaging it could get.

All I knew was that I had this burden to write poking me in the ribs. I had started writing so many stories and books but never arriving at the end. I needed something that would hinge and balance my writing lifestyle so, I decided to poke my toes in, to feel the waters, to be motivated and to learn.

I find that I like these blogging waters. Truth be told, I love these blogging waters 🙂

Even on cold days, there are voices to keep you warm and to encourage you on the journey. I wanted to feel the pulse of my own blog first before wading in deeper and I believe that I am gaining a little more confidence as I go on, which brings me to this point.

There are Two (2) ideas that I have been fomenting and have actually started on my own. I wish to push it a little further by inviting you to join me and to also seek your counsel just in case you have ideas on how to make it work a lot better.

I want to invite you to join me on any or both ideas enunciated below:

  • My Thinking Corner: In my attempt to grow, I always strive to keep a positive frame of mind especially in these trying times. I would like to invite you to join me in sharing on Tuesdays, your short snippets of positive, inspiring, motivating, health, spiritual, advice, clips and posts that can serve as a prop for others. I call it my thinking corner because, I actually take out a bit of time in a day to think, encapsulate my thoughts and detoxify my mind.
  • Echos Of My Neighbourhood: This is a little space to share your photos of bits and pieces of wherever you are at any point in time. It could be houses, backgrounds, activities and so forth. No hard and fast rules. Just ping-back’s and we can build it from there.

I would appreciate your feedback if you are interested in this. It may be possible to get the WP engineers to advise on how to create a page for any of this, but that would depend on the success of response received and I will enunciate the modality for both a bit further in another post.

  • Let’s talk about Re-Blogs:

If you’ve noticed, I have been doing a bit more re-blogging than I used to and it hasn’t affected publishing my own posts in any way.

Why? On the average, I read at least a hundred posts a day and sometimes more, leaving comments, likes – when I don’t have comments and so on. I always find posts that resonate, motivates, inspires, teaches me and a lot more and would love to share them with you as well.

I waited to understand a little bit more about re-blogging and I know that not only is re-blogging all part of networking, sharing, complimenting and encouraging others, it is a practice that I want to embrace a bit more.

Initially, I  must express that I was a bit concerned about re-blogging so much of other people’s work, worrying over the fact that it might reduce the authenticity of my work. I did not really want to start something that I didn’t have much understanding of.

Now, I think I feel more comfortable to re-blog as many posts as possible on specific days and times.

I find no problem in writing my posts from scratch, but there are also loads of beautiful, inspiring and wonderful posts by others out there which needs to be shared and it would be a shame not to do so if you can.

Although, I always recommend and link other bloggers posts on my Short Stories Series each week, there really is always room for more. ‘The generosity you extend is also the generosity that you receive.‘

I am giving you the heads up in this direction so that it doesn’t come as a surprise.

If you have any issues about your articles being re-blogged, please do let me know so that I don’t offend anyone.

Lastly, let me reiterate that I would really appreciate your candid feedback on this post with regards to my challenge invitation and your opinion about re-blogging.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

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Published by jacquelineobyikocha

A wordsmith with a vivid imagination, an eager mind and a burning desire to carve out tales. As I journey with my muse to that land of all possibilities and self discovery, I hope my personal evolution will serve as a beacon of inspiration for anyone who chooses to stop by.

101 thoughts on “Where Is My Blogging Heading To?… I need your input.”

  1. I just think one reblog per day is enough since it can be too much when I am subscribed to a lot of other blogs and I can’t just read re-blogs from one blog 😮 🙂 Also, none of your writings look like it was from scratch. It looks neat and organized like it was written by a pro journalist.

    Liked by 4 people

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    1. Mon, I totally appreciate your candid feedback. I know what you mean about having a lot of blogs that you read. I subscribe to a whole lot and it can actually be overwhelming at times. I am testing the waters to see.
      Now, thank you very much for the lovely compliment about being a pro journalist that means a whole lot to me. My appreciations:)

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      1. LOL, thank you for saying that. I started worrying over if I sounded mean about the whole reblogging thing xD I know, I am silly. And yeah, you are a marvelous writer. I hope to one day reach your level of such sophistication

        Liked by 3 people

      2. Not at all. I actually prefer straight up feedbacks like yours. It helps me articulate better and calibrate my thoughts. You are doing quite good considering that you are a young baby barely out of the woods 😉 you have a great future ahead my dear. Thank you.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Sounds like a plan Jacqueline. I can say with confidence that there are many of us who are working out in our hearts and minds what next to do with our websites.

    I enjoy your website so very much and your positive voice is needed and appreciated. X0X- JoHanna

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  4. Wishing all the success in 2016. I love writing poems, but am too shy to interact much. All I can say is do what you’re doing as long as it’s what you love to do. Happy Blogging.

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  5. I love both ideas! From your thinking corner to writing about my neighborhood! I am so proud of you for how much you’ve grown in such a short amount of time!!

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    1. Actually, that is the very idea in my mind for asking others to join in. We get to see more of the World, since we can’t be everywhere at once. Thank you so much for your lovely compliment. I really appreciate it 🙂

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  8. Good post. This past weekend I was asking ymself the very same question. Where do I want my blog to go? I like the idea of sharing positive or inspiring thoughts. Also, I am still trying to master the whole pingback thing. But reblogs, I plan to do more of them myself.

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    1. Thank you so much. I appreciate your kind input. I think as a community, we need each other to get to greater heights and they only way that can be done is by being supportive, though I agree that the reblog should be on a balanced scale and not just for the heck of reblogging.

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  9. Personally, I believe words have to be good enough and appealing before it can appeal a re-blog to anyone. If you re-blog my posts, I’d be pleased but like you said, it’s good you are putting it out there to get feedbacks so you don’t invite negative impact on your page. Kudos!

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  10. Lately, I have noticed that rather than follow a reblog back to its origin it is commented on or “liked” at the site of the reblog post. The object to reblogging it to carry the reader to the blog that the work came from, it isn’t working that way lately. I reblogged a post recently and received over 90 likes at my blog and very few readers went to the point of origin.

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    1. Hmm! That’s true though which is a shame. I think it can be penciled down to the deluge of information floating out there. In a day I receive so much and I try to go through the much that I can whilst balancing other things as well and I guess tracing reblogs back to their roots is a challenge ‘cos everyone is pressed for time. However, we still have to encourage each other so, I wonder what the best way to do that is. I already feature several blogs a week but want to do a bit more. I wonder what the best approach should be?

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      1. You nailed it jacqueline. There’s just so much folks can’t keep up with everything. I have to be honest with you, if I find a blog is posting so much that my email is filled with it, I will unfollow it.

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      2. Jacqueline ,
        I am a “toddler” blogger and only reblogged 2 or 3 times . But what I did , was I turned off comments on my blog and stated that I was doing it to encourage likes and comments on the original post 😉
        Turtle Hugs

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Jackie. I have to say that if one blog is so filled with others’ reblogs, I become confused and will unfollow. I love originality and love to read the true thoughts of others. Reblogging sometimes crosses over into that “cyberland” of ..well, I hate to use the word, but sometimes appears as laziness. Luckily for us, you ARE original and you ARE asking for feedback. I respect that. Keep it real my friend. Keep it real!

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      4. I appreciate your candid feedback. I think most of us like originality and with the mount of blogs and posts out there, it can get a bit tedious. I am just searching for ways to encourage and thank my readers. Still thinking on it.

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  12. Yayyy! I am totally in support of these ideas. You know I thought about this while reading your tuesday stuff. Totally in sis. About the Reblogs *thumbs up* It important to be secure in your own skin,and I know you are just keep doing what you believe in . LOVE IS SHARING! 🙂

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  13. Both of those ideas are great! They will engage your readers and stimulate participation and interaction! Careful with re-blogging too much. That can be overdone, if you ask me. Maybe one or two a day at the most. More than that and your own content will get lost in the shuffle! 😀

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  14. Love the Thinking Corner idea. I have mixed feelings about reblogs. I have way too much stuff in my Reader, but I still prefer it to getting all those e mails. That being said, I tend to read the original posts of blogs I follow first. If there is time, I go back to read the reblogs. Just not so often. ☺

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    1. I am glad you like the thinking corner idea. I hope you will join in. I totally get your misgivings as well about reblogs, because I had the same and it took a while to think it through and decide.I have really stumbled on great information and blogs due to the fact that someone else reblogged it so it’s really a mixed kettle of fish. The truth is that we can only go a certain distance alone, but can go so much farther with others. I appreciate your comments. My regards 🙂

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  16. I love your ideas of the Thinking Corner and the Neighbourhood. As for reblogs I also have mixed feelings about them. They can be great as they do reach so many more people, but personally, I only do them now and again.

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  17. I love your blog, however, I can’t read 3, 4 or five posts a day. I limited my blogging time, since it interfered with my real life. I think you can go in any direction as you wish. I reblog very rarely, only if I really think a piece is so good that is has to be shared with everybody I know. I wish you a very happy New Year.

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  18. Those sound like lovely ideas! I concur to be careful with how many times a day you are posting. I know I tend to unfollow blogs that post more than 2-3 times a day because it just overwhelms my feed and I miss all the other wonderful blogs that I really want to read. It sounds like you

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    1. Thank you very much for your sincere words. I know how it can get with a lot of posts coming from all angles mine included 🙂 I have to think through the approach on how to encourage and share the work of other bloggers. My kind regards

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  20. You are so many light years ahead of me, I’m not sure I could be of much help. I really wish I had a reblog button but unfortunately it doesn’t come with self-hosted sites. I’m not even sure how to ping back. So I’ve got some catching up to do. However, I do think your ideas are great though.

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  22. Jacqueline ,
    I love reading you , and I love the direction you are taking your blog BUT and this is a big but I need you to teach me : is there a method you use to be able to read everyone you want to ? I follow 200 people or so , and there are so many others that I really would like to read frequently , but I’m getting swamped , I just can’t find the time for it . And you are one of the great offenders as you write so much , and so well (I want to read everything 😦 ) . And I do read fast , well in paper I read really fast , on screen is a bit different I’m afraid . Ideas ??? Please ?
    Turtle Hugs

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    1. Thank you my dear for your candid comments.
      Ist and foremost, I schedule reading time for blogs like I would read a book and I do so basically in 3 installments. For instance, I use the stationary bike or elliptical machine about 3 to 4 times a week for an hour, instead of staring at nothing while biking, I use that hour to go through some blogs and I probably get through 30-50 blogs at that time, so I achieve my exercising and reading as well.
      2nd time is in the afternoon when I am sending out a post, I go to the reader for another half an hour or so, depending on how pressed for time I am and then the last time is at night. The truth is that you cannot really get through all the posts out there, but can do your best. Another thing is that when someone comments on my blog, I notice that I haven’t stopped by, I follow the trail and pay a quick visit.

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      1. Thank you 🙂
        Ah , now I need a stationary bike or an upright desk for the treadmill and the treadmill to go with it 😉 just kidding , but yes I understand your system , will try to work something similar that fits into my life 🙂
        Thank you for your answer and lots of Turtle Hugs ❤

        Liked by 1 person

  23. A few thoughts: I think both ideas are splendid! I don’t see why you couldn’t do one or both. If you have a will, you’ll find a way.
    And I TOTALLY understand the re-blogging thing. Honestly, it doesn’t take long to fill up your own feed with reblogs when you follow so much good content. But as you said, extend the generosity you wish to receive. You might consider choosing a day for re-blogs if you come across so much good content. That way, at least your audience knows on what days to expect stuff from you and stuff not from you. Y’know?
    All in all, great stuff!

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  24. Wow! This is surely a well-planned plan for the year Jacq! I am quite interest with your Thinking Corner and Echoes of Neighborhood. 🙂
    I think I will join Thinking Corner as it is somehow related (a lot) to my own weekly feature called Monday Musings. Do you agree? 🙂

    As to reblogging.. I have nothing against it. 🙂 It is surely a generous way of showing how you appreciate your community. On the other hand, I haven’t done it yet. I have my own way of reblogging: https://areadingwritr.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/seconds-by-sheridan-johnson-a-relog/. 🙂

    Looking forward for more of your ideas, Jacq! 😀

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  25. Jacque, I would love to be involved with any or all of your blogging ventures I am unfamiliar with so much, however. I have a lot to learn. I have never reblogged. And I do not have equipment for photography which seems necessary for the neighborhood category. But your thinking corner! I’d love to bring a pillow and spend time there!

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  26. Jacqueline,
    Both the thinking corner and the Neighbourhood Echoes are original ideas. I think you should try them out and after a time, reassess to see how they are going. Even if I might not write in ( having nothing to contribute), I will surely read, and I’m sure that counts as well.
    So do go ahead.
    About reblogs, I don’ really care about what others think about my blog but if I like something I surely want to increase the visibility of that post and encourage the writer and in process, perhaps increase his/her following.
    Susie

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  27. Sometimes I skip reading reblogs then other times I go To their site n find new neighbors….. I m taking time off learning about mobile stuff in case his job sends him out n I join him. Slowly learning. Neighborhood idea with pix I might be interested participate. My you Stay Busy!!!!

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  28. I LOVE the “Thinking Corner” and I also love the “Neighborhood” idea. As a relatively new blogger (a year), ideas like this motivate. But–question. Do we add our corner and neighborhood ideas to comments? Help me understand!

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    1. Catherine, I would definitely love for you to participate. The idea is to take your photo for the neighbourhood challenge on Thursdays, post it on your blog, titled Echoes of the neighbourhood, or you can borrow my words if you choose, then add my link to your post so that I can get a notification. Thinking corner is about writing very short motivating stuff that you come up with and that is on Tuesdays.

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  29. I love reblogging, I have found that the best way is too put reblog into the title, but if someone reblogs an article I click on the original author, because I find it frustrating that a reblog gets x amount of likes but nothing on the original.

    And I am not sure how widely it is known but people can turn off the reblog button.

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  33. Even when I re – blog, I leave a moderate to heaping amount of commentary reflecting my own opinion. I try not to get carried away, but sometimes my enthusiasm, or adrenalin, OR BOTH, motivates me.
    To quote Joseph Campbell : ” Follow Your Bliss “. No topic should be too ” small “, ” obscure ” or whatnot. Even though I favor obscure, exotic, ” out of the box ” things from Moon missions to Egyptian mummification rituals. 🙂

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